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UPDATE: Final battle episode added

After six weeks of spinning chairs, indecisive contestants and plenty of bickering, things should hopefully become a little bit more mellow as the Irish edition of The Voice reaches the Battle Rounds stage. Unlikely each of the coaches (bar Dolores who has 11) are currently sitting on ten acts. They will pair them up and give them a song to sing together. As per usual, one act will go through to the live shows and one act will go home. However, in a twist adopted from other versions of the show, the coaches are now given one steal. This means that if they disagree with the decision made by one of their fellow coaches to send a contestant home, they can press their button and recruit the act for their team. That act will fill the sixth live show slot in their team. Just like the blind auditions, if more than one coach tries to steal an act, the contestant themselves will have the power to choose. So let's get this show on the road.

Recap and videos after the JUMP...
Joining Team Jamelia is Stooshe's Courtney Rumbold. Bressie meanwhile is being helped by former Girls Aloud member Sarah Harding. Joining Team Dolores for the Battles is Fiachra O'Brennan from 90's Irish success The Hothouse Flowers and finally Kian is assisted by former X Factor winner Matt Cardle. An interesting and varied group of helpers there.

Team Jamelia

Gavin Murray vs Leah O'Connell - 'No Air' by Chris Brown and Jordin Sparks
Gavin impressed in the first audition with his cover of 'Cheating' by John Newman, he hopes that he can build on this positive first impression by delivering a strong battle round performance. His rival Leah managed to get Kian and Jamelia turning, just like Gavin, in her blind audition with a cover of 'Summertime Sadness'. However, considering her first song choice, she is understandably feeling nervous when she hears what they're singing. Leah isn't familiar with the song, whereas Gavin used to sing it when he was younger. As rehearsals begin, Leah's nerves are evident as she struggles to deliver a strong vocal whilst still learning the song. Gavin seems more relaxed in rehearsals but as they take to the stage, it's pretty even actually. Their timing feels a bit off but otherwise, it's a really strong battle. Both sound great in their solo parts and even better when they sing together, they have clearly worked on performing the song as a duo as their harmonies are spot on and their chemistry is great. Gavin jokes that the love song has turned him straight. The coaches all feel that it was a great battle and very closely matched, but who does Jamelia choose?
Jamelia picks Gavin Murray. Leah is not stolen


Malachy Gaughan vs Martin McInerney - 'La La La' by Naughty Boy feat. Sam Smith
Malachy and Martin are both young lads with unique voices. They impressed Jamelia in their respective blind auditions with their quirky and unusual tones. However, as they begin rehearsals, they don't seem to be excelling quite as much. Jamelia is concerned that they're too nervous as both singers mess up several times whilst learning the song. She tells them that they need to forget about their nerves and work on transforming it into determination to deliver an outstanding vocal performance. They have definitely improved by the time it comes to the actual performance, mind you both still sound a bit pitchy. Martin definitely has the more interesting tone but he sounds incredibly pitchy, particularly in the 'la la la' reprise. Malachy on the other hand doesn't have just as unique a tone but is definitely much stronger overall in the performance. I would pick Malachy based on vocals as he was more consistent but Martin was far from bad, he was just a bit pitchy at times. Overall, the battle wasn't great, they didn't really sing together particularly well and their voices didn't gel. 
Jamelia picks Martin McInerney. Nobody steals Malachy.


*Steals Aisling Connelly from Team Kian*
Laura-May Lenehan vs Catherine Hughes - 'Roar' by Katy Perry
Laura-May wowed with her cover of 'Wrecking Ball' in the blinds whilst country singer Catherine also impressed in the blind auditions and joined Team Jamelia. She is heavily pregnant but is determined not to let her pregnancy affect her chances. She puts a lot into rehearsals and Jamelia is delighted as the pair really put everything into ensuring that it's a strong performance. She is very confident that this will be an unforgettable battle. However, the night before the battle, fate intervenes as Catherine is taken into hospital as she goes into labour and has a baby boy. Because of the limited filming time for the Battles, Catherine will not be fit to participate in her Battle Round and Laura-May automatically goes through to lives. It's disappointing as it sounded like it would be a very strong battle but Laura-May is definitely one to watch in the competition.
Laura-May Lenehan automatically goes through.

Remy Naidoo vs Emma Collins - 'Elastic Heart' by Sia 
Remy made an impression on Jamelia in her first audition with a quirky take on a Calvin Harris song, Emma also delivered an impressive reinterpretation of a song in a very different style to her light poppy vocals. Going into the battle, Jamelia is really pleased at how both girls are getting to grips with the song, Emma's inexperience means she is a bit more nervous about the performance than Remy but both girls put a lot of effort into delivering a strong vocal in rehearsals. Emma in particular really seems to be making an effort to deliver a strong performance. The battle isn't as good as it sounded like it was going to be in rehearsals purely because they go out of tune at times. Perhaps it was nerves but neither of the performers gave their best, some notes they hit, some they didn't. However, it was such a quirky choice for them that I really enjoyed it, they really got the whole feel of the song. Emma has definitely made an effort to improve upon her performance skills but I think Remy is more of an all-rounder and has a more to boot.
Jamelia chooses Remy Naidoo. Nobody steals Emma.


Daisy Valenzuela vs Kelly Hannon - 'Fighter' by Christina Aguilera
Teenager Kelly impressed with her strong vocal range in her blind audition whilst Filipino pop hopeful Daisy also impressed Jamelia with a rendition of 'Teenage Dream'. The R&B singer has paired the two singers and given them 'Fighter' for their battle round audition. Daisy sounds fantastic on this song, she has definitely improved from her blind audition, Kelly also sounds pitch perfect, both of them have strong ranges and can sing pretty much anything. I'm really looking forward to seeing what the winner does in the live shows because it's a very strong battle round. Kelly has a few problems with her breathing as the song goes on but it was a demanding song choice done well overall.


Team Dolores

Nella Dwyer vs John Hogan Jr. - 'Losing My Religion' by R.E.M.
An interesting battle pairing here, Nella definitely had one of the most original tones from the blind auditions with her take on a One Direction song. Meanwhile, John's original song was what stood out with his unique rap influenced style adding something different to it. As they take to rehearsals, I much prefer Nella's take on the song, she has a really pure tone which is sounding great on this song. John doesn't sound bad but as he is such an intense performer, it comes across as a little bit too much when he sings. Things are complicated slightly for this pair as they are in different parts of the country so they have to rehearse via Skype when they're away from the arena. When it comes to performance day, it's very even between the pair, both add something to the performance, for Nella it's her unique tone and quirky phrasing and for John it's his performance skills. He really loses himself in the song. However, on the basis that she sounds so unique and marketable, I think Nella wins this battle. I'm a bit disappointed when Dolores picks John although he was good also.
Dolores picks John Hogan Jr. Nobody steals Nella. 


Peter Whitford vs Thomas Kinney vs Anna O'Hanlon - 'Breakeven' by The Script
Dolores has to have a three-way battle due to choosing Anna as an extra contestant for her team in the blind auditions. Anna is surprised to be in a three-way battle as she was the last contestant to be chosen for her team. The three of them all have quite different voices but Dolores thinks that this song by ex-Voice UK coach Danny O'Donoghue's band will do the trick. In rehearsals, the three contestants are struggling with the extra difficulty that goes with a three-way battle. It's difficult to allow all three to shine when the song has to be split three ways and they all have very different approaches to the song. Peter has a very unique tone but his pronunciation is quite unusual and as a result, I'm not sure that I like his vocals on the song. As they take to the stage, things go wildly out of hand and the trio just don't cut the mustard. There's no chemistry between them, they sound quite awkward on stage and sadly their harmonies are way off. Thomas lets nerves get the better of him, Peter's tone is once again very divisive and I feel like he is quite out of tune but Anna, although not amazing, sounds the best of the three to my ears. The coaches are all quite unimpressed by the performance, I don't think Dolores picked the best three for a three-way battle nor did the song help the situation.
Dolores chooses Peter Whitford. Nobody steals Anna or Thomas


*Steals Emma Walsh from Team Bressie*

Mariah Butler vs Sean Sunderland - 'Boulevard Of Broken Dreams' by Green Day
Country girl Mariah being paired with Sean who is very much into rock music even though he did a Labrinth song for his blind audition may seem like a strange pairing but Dolores has high hopes for this battle. The song she gives them is definitely more Sean's thing than Mariah's but the coffee shop worker says that she's going to try her hardest to do it justice. The pair seem very evenly matched in rehearsals, the song might be more comfortable for Sean but Mariah certainly isn't letting that work against her. As the battle begins, it's even harder to seperate this pair, I didn't rate Sean in his blind audition but he sounds good in this performance. For a country girl, Mariah is doing a brilliant job of this song, I'm very impressed by this performance, it definitely does the song justice. Their harmonies in particular are brilliant. I think if I were judging this, it would be based on who I feel has improved the most and considering that she had to come out of her comfort zone, I would definitely be opting for Mariah.
Dolores chooses Mariah Butler. Nobody steals Sean.


Michelle Revins vs Jamie Stanton - 'Nothing Else Matters' by Metallica
Michelle emitted a very emotive reaction from Dolores in her first audition after giving a very dark rendition of Nine Inch Nails' 'Hurt'. Jamie also impressed the Cranberries frontwoman as he took on a Black Keys song. However, she is laying down the gauntlet to both of her acts by giving them Metallica's 'Nothing Else Matters'. The song is massive and to add to Michelle's worries, she herself hasn't really heard the song. However, by rehearsal time, it's clear that this will be another closely fought battle as both of them are giving it all they've got, Michelle is changing the melody slightly and adding her own unique tone to it, she is definitely giving the track a personal touch. This is definitely an intense performance, the atmosphere they give off is eery and strange but they clearly have fantastic voices. Both of their respective tones are amazing and actually pretty faultless to be honest. Overall, this is a really strong battle and as the coaches say, there's hardly anything in it.
Dolores chooses Michelle Revins. Bressie steals Jamie.


Kellie Lewis vs Pauric McLoughlin - 'True Colours' by Cyndi Lauper
Kellie wowed in her blind audition with an amazing performance of Kate Bush's 'Running Up That Hill'. Pauric also impressed Dolores, the Tesco worker recently returned from Australia and wants to be able to do his own thing musically on home turf. He's a bit concerned when he hears the song choice as he feels that it suits Kellie better than it does him, I agree, I like the song but it's clearly more suited to Kellie's voice. That said, all credit to her, Kellie is sounding brilliant in rehearsals. Pauric sounds good but not just as good as Kellie in my opinion. As they take to the stage, there's not much in it, Pauric has improved since rehearsals and gives as good as he gets. It's a closely fought battle but Kellie still has the edge for me, there's something captivating about her as a performer. Kian and Bressie both express concern that Dolores' song choice suited Kellie far more than Pauric.
Dolores picks Kellie. Kian steals Pauric.    


Team Bressie
 
Kedar Friis-Lawrence vs Caoin Fitzpatrick - 'Wuthering Heights' by Kate Bush
Music student Caoin and Kian have been paired together, I must say I think this is an interesting pairing but I'm sad that one of these two is likely to go home unless a 'steal' is used as they're amongst my favourites in the competition. The song choice is typical of Bressie and his strange song choices, I just hope he doesn't screw these two over with this song as it's hard enough for a woman to sing it, never mind a man. Based on rehearsals, this battle looks like it might be quite good actually. The arrangement is quite dark and really fits their unique indie voice, Caoin is standing out to me more than Kedar in the rehearsals but both are doing a decent job. Sarah advises them on how to tackle the phrasing of the song as they're struggling to get their heads around the slightly left-field pronunciation of some of the words in the song. As they do battle, this is actually a really strong battle, I love the song choice for them after expecting it to be a carcrash, Bressie has actually picked a decent song and a good arrangement of the song for this duo. Caoin's tone is mega, it sounds great on this song and I can imagine him selling records, Kedar's tone is also cracking although he does have a few pitch problems, nothing majorly noticeable. That said, Kedar hits some very impressive notes so it's very close between the two of them, I would probably go for Caoin because I slightly prefer his tone but Kedar sounded awesome too and I would like them both to go through. I'm gutted for Caoin that nobody steals him, he and Nella both should have been stolen.
Bressie picks Kedar. Nobody steals Caoin.


Emma Walsh vs Ciara Donnelly - 'My Hero' by Foo Fighters
Emma got through in the blind auditions despite critique from Jamelia about her timing. Meanwhile, Ciara wowed the coaches in the blinds with an amazing take on The Black Keys' 'Lonely Boy'. With both girls having very quirky tones, Bressie has matched them and given the task of a Foo Fighters classic. It seemed to work when Bressie gave two boys a Kate Bush song so perhaps a Foo Fighters song will work for two girls?  Well I must say, despite my fears, the arrangement of the song is very good, it's bringing out an edginess to Emma that I had never previously spotted. She sounds much more rock than she has in her previous performance and Ciara also sounds extremely good. The battle is one of the strongest battle round performances so far, a definite highlight of the night. Both of them are sounding great so I'm hoping that whoever isn't put through will be stolen. Dolores and Kian both try to steal Emma, she decides to go with Team Dolores.
Bressie chooses Ciara Donnelly. Emma is stolen by Dolores

 

 Padraig Byrne vs Paddy Reilly - 'Everybody Wants To Rule The World' by Tears For Fears
Padraig and Paddy are both strong singers representing the indie genre. However, they aren't the most memorable contestants from the blinds so it's interesting that Bressie has chosen to pair them together. The song choice is nice but not very memorable if I'm being honest and there's not much of an atmosphere during rehearsals although both men sound good. True enough, the battle is a little bit lackluster if I'm being honest, it was a pretty middle of the road song choice for these two artists. Bressie is very touch and go when it comes to song choices and he's missed the mark with this one. I didn't feel like either of them had much star quality during the performance and as Jamelia says, it wasn't the best song choice in the world. If I had to choose between the two, I feel like Padraig was stronger as Paddy oversung a little bit.
Bressie chooses Padraig Byrne. Nobody steals Paddy.


*Steals Jamie Stanton from Team Dolores*

 Heather Stuart vs Sarah Sylvia - 'She Keeps Me Warm' by Mary Lambert
Bressie is a fan of the left-field song choices and this is definitely an unusual song choice for this pair. It's a good choice but an unusual one nonetheless. Heather is more confident about this song than Sarah who isn't really familiar with it. Heather has definitely improved a lot from the blind auditions, she didn't really have a lot of conidence in her first audition but she hits the ground running with this song choice. Sarah sounds good as well in fairness, but she has a very unusual voice so I'm not sure about it for this song. However, she improves when it comes to the actual battle. She is quite creative with the melody and adds her own unique twist to the song. Heather really connects with the emotion of the song and for me, is just unreal on this perfomance. Some people really step up to the plate in the battle rounds and one such person is Heather who has just stood out tonight. I would steal her if she isn't put through.
Bressie picks Sarah Sylvia. Nobody steals Heather.


Roel Villones vs Brendan McCahey - Everytime You Go Away' by Hall & Oates
What is with Bressie and bizarre song choices? This is quite an old song and I'm not sure that I exactly love it.



Team Kian 

Jay Boland vs Aisling Connelly- 'Just Give Me A Reason' by Pink feat. Nate Reuss
Jay was one of the early standouts for me with a very strong rendition of Kodaline's 'All I Want' in the blind auditions. Aislinn also did a really good job with her first audition, albeit it wasn't quite as memorable as Jay's. That said, all is forgotten in battle rounds and they're on an even par as they rehearse their song. Aisling is miles ahead of Jay as rehearsals begin, she sounds fantastic on the song and I love her tone and phrasing, her falsetto is also very strong. Jay is easily the strongest male vocalist in the competition on a technical basis but he doesn't seem to be getting the song, his falsetto sounds quite sharp. Kian is concerned about him and as they have their final rehearsal in the arena, he and Matt are forced to step in and change the performance a bit because they're concerned that Jay's falsetto in a part of the song is detracting from Aisling's vocals. With that decisive action taken, will the pair deliver a good battle round performance? It sounds a lot better in the battle than it did in rehearsals, both of them are smashing the song and their interaction with each other is brilliant. Aisling still sounds better than Jay in my opinion, Jay is good but I feel like this is nothing compared to his blind audition whereas Aisling has came on leaps and bounds and nails the big note. That said, like Bressie's battle earlier tonight, there's not much in it. I would have put Aisling through if I were Kian but I think Jay was too strong in his blind audition to let go in the Battles. I'm glad Aisling is stolen.
Kian chooses Jay Boland. Aisling is stolen by Jamelia


Danica Holland vs Daragh Kiely - 'As' by George Michael feat. Mary J Blige
2FM wildcard Daragh is up against Danica who managed to get more than one coach to turn around for her in her audition. The pair have been given a pretty tough song to sing, Mary J. Blige for Danica in particular is a tough act to follow but they are both determined to do it justice. Danica is sounding really strong in rehearsals, Daragh is a lot more nervous but sounds quite good however Kian is worried that he is struggling with the song choice and with some of the more challenging parts of the song, in particular. During the actual battle, Daragh makes a few mistakes but he sings it pretty well overall. I liked the performance, Danica pulls off some superb notes which really impress me. The duo pull together as a pair really well and it was a good performance overall but Danica deservedly gets through.
Kian chooses Danica. Nobody steals Daragh.


Jamie Hartigan vs Laura O'Connor - 'Love The Way You Lie' by Eminem feat. Rihanna
Rapper Jamie is the only act of his type in the competition so there's definitely some pressure on his shoulders as he takes on Laura in the battle rounds. The young hopeful impressed the coaches in their blind audition but can she conquer her nerves in the battles? They're both sounding good in rehearsals and Jamie's intense performance style seems to excite Kian. However, Laura is most definitely the stronger singer and she shines in rehearsals. Nerves get the better of her in the actual battle where she doesn't sound just as good in the performance but I actually really enjoyed the performance overall. Jamie is a great performer who absorbs himself in the performance but he's less versatile than Laura, his vocals aren't anywhere near as strong as his rapping ability so I feel like he might struggle in the live shows. It's a very close battle.
Kian chooses Laura O'Connor. Nobody steals Jamie

 
Craig McMorrow vs Chris Stoodley - 'Apologize' by One Republic feat. Timbaland
I can't place Craig at all from the blind auditions, his rendition of 'Give Me Love' is shown and it was pleasant enough but definitely not a stand out audition whatsoever. On the other hand, Chris' fantastic arrangement of the Home And Away theme tune was totally fresh and unique and I loved his voice. So I definitely feel like this is Chris' battle to lose as they go into rehearsals. The song choice is perfect, it allows their tones to shine and also is a very emotive performance which they will be able to connect with. As they hit the ground running with their rehearsal, they sound good, Chris' tone is fantastic but Kian is concerned that he is struggling with some of the notes. Craig on the other hand is a stronger singer but I'm still not sure that his voice is unique enough. Both of them give a great performance as they take to the stage for the real battle but even though Chris' tone is absolutely fantastic and so quirky, I think Craig has really shone. He sounds brilliant, his tone stands out in this song and although they don't harmonize together particularly well,m they each sound strong in the solo sections.
Kian chooses Craig McMorrow. Nobody steals Chris.





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