The Voice Season 29 Battle Rounds are bringing the heat — and the all-star coaches are taking notice
In a PopCulture.com preview of Monday’s episode of the NBC singing competition, Drew Russell and Jared Shoemaker blow away Kelly Clarkson, John Legend and Adam Levine with their rendition of the classic Stevie Nicks and Don Henley duet “Leather & Lace” during the final night of the Battle Rounds.
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“I thought that was damn good,” Clarkson marvels after the Team Adam singers’ rendition earned a standing ovation from all three coaches.

“Not to be superficial, but you guys would make a hot couple,” Legend agrees, hinting, “I don’t know what your dating status is…” before Clarkson chimes in, “Honestly, after hearing you, I think you should be a duo!”
Legend continues, “You sound great together. You look good together. Let’s think about it.”
It’s then that Russell points to the wedding ring on her left hand, with Levine clarifying, “Drew’s married.”
“Never mind, never mind!” a chastened Legend says, insisting, “You could still have a group though!”
Marital statuses aside, Legend goes on to praise Russell and Shoemaker for their “really beautiful” harmonies, pointing out how “cool” Russell sounds when her voice gets that “little shred” near the top of her vocal range.
As for Shoemaker, the Grammy-winning artist goes on to call him “one of [his] favorite male vocalists” of the season. “I just love the tone of your voice, the rasp in it,” he says. “You just sound like a star to me. You’re like the real deal.”
Clarkson is next, praising Levine for the “perfect” song choice for the duo, as the Maroon 5 frontman bats his eyes and mugs for the camera. “I actually think the both of you complement each other and you actually make each other better,” Clarkson continues, adding that because the pairing is “unexpected,” it makes their partnership “more exciting as a fan.”
Before picking his victor for the round, Levine points out just how big a role “Leather & Lace” has played in his life — and how high the stakes were for Russell and Shoemaker in nailing it.
“This song to me is just a heavyweight champion of songs in my life,” Levine reveals. “I sang this song with Stevie Nicks to my wife at our wedding.”
A shocked Clarkson interjects, “What?!” to which Levine responds, “That happened, that really happened,” joking, “I think it really happened, I pinch myself sometimes.”
Because of that personal importance, Levine admits he was ready to be critical of his Team Adam singers, especially after seeing them not be “completely there” when he dropped in on rehearsals.

“The promise was there, and the vibe was there, but it just wasn’t where it needed to be yet,” he confesses. “And I was hoping that it would really come to fruition in time for this thing, and it really did. It was so beautiful. Thank you, guys, for really doing it right.”
“Something happened to me when I listened to this one today,” he continues. “It really hit me out of left field.”
But who will Levine pick as the Battle’s winner? Fans will have to tune in to The Voice, airing Mondays at 9 p.m. ET on NBC (and the next day on Peacock) to find out.







