‘The Voice’ Recap: Battle Round Week 3 Finds the Competition Getting Stiffer

More battles took place this week on 'The Voice,' as it was the third and penultimate battle round. Only a few more weeks until the live shows begin! The coaches thinned the herd and further solidified their teams with difficult pairings that made them agonize over their choices.

Christina Aguilera is still stunning, even with that record-shaped hat. Adam Levine is still all about that grandpa cardigan. Blake Shelton still cracks many a joke, while Cee Lo Green flirts mercilessly. That's 'The Voice,' Season 2.

Here's PopCrush's detailed breakdown of this week's battles and TKOs.

Team Adam Levine:

Pip went up against Nathan Parrett in the battle round, singing 'You Know I'm No Good' by Amy Winehouse, since they are old souls with more classic styles. It was a well-matched pairing, with Parrett's big, strong voice leading the song and commanding attention, but Pip had a versatility. He has a bit of a Broadway vibe, that Pip. Parrett had an effortless cool that never crossed over into cocky territory. Coach Levine had a tough time choosing between the two, and he made it difficult on himself by pitting them against one another. At the last second, he surprisingly chose Pip. We like Pip, and his name, but a questionable choice made by A to the L here.

Levine sent Angel Taylor up against Katrina Parker since he felt that they both have a vulnerability to their voices that could manifest in Leona Lewis' 'Bleeding Love.' Robin Thicke advised Angel, with not a hair out of place. (We meant Thicke: the guy has a flawless coif.) He suggested she dig in and deliver her words with passion. Alanis Morissette advised insurance worker Parker, telling her not to be overcome by nerves. Upon hitting the stage, they played off one another prettily. Blake felt Katrina took it, as did Xtina, who compared her to Adele. Cee Lo agreed. It was not clear-cut for Adam. He felt Angel had a uniqueness that went overlooked by his competitors. He ended up choosing Katrina, wisely so.

Team Blake Shelton:

Jermaine Paul, a back up singer for Alicia Keys, went against Alyx, an aspiring pop diva. Shelton said they are both serious artists and he wanted them to loosen up via Billy Ocean's 'Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car.' Miranda Lambert mentored Alyx, since they are two Texas gals. Alyx doesn't seem like someone who could "own being a jacka--," according to Lambert, gifting us with the quote of the season, and let loose and just have fun. Paul was coached by Kelly Clarkson, who believed he is ready to step into the foreground. Levine said, "You took this song and kicked its a--" to Paul once he finished the perf. Everyone on the panel felt Jermaine took the song. Shelton said that they did what he wanted – showing him that they could have fun. He said Jermaine Paul was fierce and confident, so he took it.

Erin Willett was paired with Gwen Sebastian, and the two could not be more different. Willett has big, bold power, while Sebastian is a country singer who can go high and swoop down low. Shelton chose 'We Belong' by Pat Benatar since it's such a richly emotional and layered song. Willett was supremely motivated, since her father's pancreatic cancer took a turn for the worse. Still, Sebastian gave a beautifully balanced performance. At the end of the ep, Papa Bear Blake chose Willett.

Team Christina Aguilera:

Ashley De La Rosa and Jonathas were battling via 'No Air,' the duet between Jordin Sparks and Chris Brown. Lionel Richie mentored Jonathas, telling him not to come out of character, while De La Rosa battled her nerves and fear of the big notes while working with Jewel. The song was designed for someone with a buttah smooth (or "smoov") R&B voice such as Jonathas. Ashley was a bit pitchy, but she also bloomed during the performance. Christina ultimately chose Ashley because she has a bigness to her voice, which overtook Jonathas during the round.

Team Cee Lo Green:

Cee Lo pitted Erin Martin against The Shields Brothers to belt out Tina Turner's 'What's Love Got to Do With It.' It was two against one, but was it that unfair? In a simple numbers sense, yes. The Bros. Shields rock, while Martin has a raspy, sexy voice a la Macy Gray, who's buzzing in pop music again with her disc of indie rock covers, btw. So it was a battle of quiet-loud dynamics, as well. It's very opposite ends of the spectrum, but Cee Lo likes to shake things up. The song was more suited to Martin's strengths. Cee Lo and Babyface told the boys to hold back and to not to come large and overwhelm the song and their competitor, while Ne-Yo advised Erin to exude the sexiness, "grown woman" energy of the song. It was weird, entertaining and bizarre staging. Cee Lo chose Erin since he can do more with her, whereas he felt he could not with the Shields.

Tune in next week for the final battle round!