Two talented singers from Team Adam are set to go head to head in the Battle Rounds of The Voice, and Billboard has an exclusive first look. On tonight’s episode (Oct. 12), Salt Lake City native Cal Cook and New Jersey’s Connor Closs will duel over sombr’s Billboard Hot 100 No. 15 hit, ‘Homewrecker.’ The question is simple: which one can nail the song’s tricky vocals and advance to the next round?
After Cook sets things up with the song’s intro falsetto ad libs, Closs gets the first words, confidently singing, “You hit like a drunk cigarette/ The feelin’ amplified/ By sayin’ things we never meant.” Then Cook, wearing brown leather pants and a matching suede jacket, slips in with equally impressive, crisp vocals. The two men amiably circle each other as the judges bop their heads to the jam reminiscent of Prince, with Kelly Clarkson letting out an excited “wow!” when one of Closs’ high notes grabs the studio audience’s attention.
All the while, coach Adam Levine looks on with a contented grin, confident that either singer could potentially land him his fifth win on the show, getting him a bit closer to frenemy and former panelist Blake Shelton’s record nine wins. “Let’s go!” Levine yells at the end of the performance.
Clarkson claps up the duo’s “great energy” and praises Cook for climbing into the rafters and then dropping down into his chest voice with no hiccups. “I was like, ‘where are you breathing Celine?'” Clarkson jokes, while also praising Closs’ runs and the ear candy “roundness” of his tone.
Coach Riley Green says they sound so good together they could already be a vocal duo, while Queen Latifah also praises Closs’ runs and Cook’s instantly grabby vocals. Levine is last, praising the “unbelievably great job” they did finding their breath on the tricky song and generously giving each other vocal opportunities.
Watch the show tonight to find out who Levine sends through to the next round, and watch Closs and Cook’s ‘Homewrecker’ battle below.
