Last night on NBC’s The Voice Season 3, the “Battle Rounds” kicked off as contestants from Team Adam, Team Cee-Lo, Team Christina, and Team Blake squared off in a head-to-head sing-off. The pressure was on — even for the coaches, who had the opportunity to steal an artist from their fellow coaches. Thankfully, the “steal” option didn’t take away from the performances and I have to say the coaches chose wisely.

For Team Cee-Lo, Alaskan YouTube sensation JR Aquino battled Peruvian born Diego Val for unique take on Rick Springfield’s “Jessie’s Girl.” While JR’s smooth R&B vocals easily paired with Diego’s unique intonation, it was Diego’s energy and commitment to the song that helped him stand out — earning the right to move on in the competition. Later on that evening, a heavyweight battle between Trevin Hunte and Amanda Brown on Mariah Carey’s “Vision of Love” proved to be the standout performance of the night. While Cee-Lo retained Trevin, Amanda found a new home with Adam Levine who emphatically announced he would take whatever singer Cee-Lo didn’t select.

Meanwhile, for Team Xtina, ex-gospel singer De’Borah faced Nelly’s Echo for a cover of The Police’s “Message in a Bottle.” While I love De’Borah’s vibe, this battle didn’t really impress me too much, even though the judges fawned over both singers. De’Borah moved on.

For Team Adam, laid-back singer Bryan Keith took on Collin McLoughlin during a performance of Sublime’s “Santeria.” It was almost too close to call, but Keith’s cool-swagger earned him the edge. Fret not, McLouglin fans, your boy was saved by Blake Shelton.

Speaking of team Blake, his pairing of rocker Terry McDermont and country artist Casey Muessigmann for “Carry on Wayward Son” was quite possibly one of the oddest choices of the night. Muessigmann was the standout to me, but for some reason, Shelton didn’t go the safe route and selected McDermont. Last up for team Blake, solo artist Gracia Harrison battled mother-daughter duo of 2 Steel Girls to the Dixie Chicks’ “Sin Wagon,” Harrison survived to move on to the next round.

Watch all the performance videos from last night’s opening “Battle Round” on Season 3 of The Voice below. Who is your favorite singer so far?

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