Birmingham singer wows ‘Voice’ coaches with ‘phenomenal’ battle: ‘A crazy good performance’

D.Smooth, a singer from Birmingham, was covered in gold and silver streamers when he finished his battle round on Monday’s episode of “The Voice.”

It was a triumphant moment for the contestant, who lost the battle to another teammate, ALI, after the two covered Allen Stone’s “Unaware” on the NBC reality series. Their duet showed the two singers to advantage, and inspired the show’s celebrity coaches to offer some extravagant praise. (Watch the battle in the video below.)

“Wow, incredible job, both of you,” Blake Shelton said. “It’s great music. ... ALI, you had a lot of confidence in your performance and fun and joy, great job. D.Smooth, I mean, damn, man, I’m a fan. What the heck, man? I think if I was choosing right now, based on what just happened, I would go with D.Smooth.”

“That was phenomenal. It was just an unbelievable duet,” Niall Horan said. “Like, there was no battling in it. It was just two great singers giving each other room to do their thing, and that’s what makes a great duet always. If I was going, just off the feeling that I get, I would just lean, tilt a little bit toward ALI.”

“That was a crazy good performance, especially the harmonies,” Chance the Rapper said. “It just shows the control that both of you guys have. ... But I gotta say, if it was up to me, I would absolutely pick ALI.”

“You are world-class singers, both of you,” Kelly Clarkson said. “Like, incredible things that people on the Grammys aren’t even capable of doing. It’s incredible. D.Smooth, I haven’t heard a dude sing like that since, like, the ‘90s. I don’t get to hear someone like you very often. ... ALI ... your runs, how you hear pitch, how you flow through a song, through a run, it’s a God-given talent, like not many have.”

The choice was Clarkson’s to make, as both ALI and D.Smooth are on her team. She went with ALI as the winner, but that didn’t mean D.Smooth was eliminated from Season 23. First, Chance decided to steal D.Smooth for his team. That would have kept D. Smooth on “The Voice,” but Clarkson upped the ante by giving the singer her one and only “playoff pass.”

As a result, D. Smooth (whose offstage name is David Mitchell) will stay on Team Kelly, and move directly to the show’s playoff round. (Hence the glittering streamers, marking a celebratory moment.) D.Smooth won’t be required to compete in the next round of the competition, known as the knockouts. It’s a plum spot for a singer on “The Voice,” and a vote of confidence from Clarkson.

“He’s one of my favorite people I’ve ever had on the team, ever,” Clarkson said. “And I had to use my playoff pass on D.Smooth, because I just want him to advance. I want him to be in the finals and I want to see what he’s gonna do. He’s hungry for it, y’all. He wants it.”

Here’s how the rules work for battle rounds on “The Voice”:

Although only one winner of a battle is chosen -- and that singer moves on to a phase of the competition known as the knockouts -- it’s not a given that the other singer automatically gets sent home. All of the coaches have one “steal” during the battle rounds, allowing them to pick up a singer who’s been eliminated in a battle and place that person on their team.

Also, in a new twist for Season 23, each coach has one “playoff pass” that can be bestowed on a singer, allowing that person to stay in the competition, skip the knockouts and advance directly to a round called the playoffs. (Yes, it’s confusing, but “The Voice” is known for its tricky rules, which are meant to heighten the excitement and keep viewers on their toes.)

For the record, “The Voice” features five stages of competition: Blind auditions, battle rounds, knockouts, playoffs and live performance shows.

And bear in mind: D.Smooth’s not the only contestant from Alabama on the series this season. Three other singers from the state aced their blind auditions and are competing in the battle rounds: Ryley Tate Wilson, Jerome Godwin III and JB Somers. D.Smooth and Somers are on Team Kelly; Wilson and Godwin are on Team Niall.

Wilson earned his own “playoff pass” on Monday’s episode, after losing his battle with teammate Michael B. Williams. The two sang a duet on Giveon’s “Heartbreak Anniversary,” impressing all the coaches and prompting Horan to keep both singers on his team.

“The performance from the two of you was just off the charts,” Horan said. “You sang beautifully together, the riffs, the control, the authenticity, making that song your own.”

Like D.Smooth, Wilson will not have to compete in the knockouts, but advances directly to the playoffs round.

Godwin and Somers have yet to be featured in the battle rounds; look for them on Tuesday’s episode as the battles continue. Once the battle rounds are finished, country star Reba McEntire will be on hand to mentor “Voice” contestants in the knockouts. (Early episodes of “The Voice” are filmed in advance.)

An NBC press release describes the knockouts this way: “Artists are paired against each other, selecting their own songs to perform individually while their direct competitors watch and wait. Coaches choose the winner and the artist not selected is available for a ‘steal.’ The pressure is on as each coach only has one ‘steal’ during this round.”

“The Voice” airs on NBC twice per week: Mondays at 7 p.m. CT and Tuesdays at 8 p.m. CT.

Alabama’s never had a winner on “The Voice,” but three singers from our state have made it to the finals: Dexter Roberts, who took third place on Season 16; Kirk Jay, who placed third on Season 15; and Red Marlow, who came in fourth during Season 13. Other “Voice” contestants from the state have included Berritt Haynes, Emma Caroline Warren, Levi Watkins, Cam Spinks, Josie Jones and Worth the Wait.

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