Queen Latifah knew the Battle Rounds would force her to make difficult decisions.
But Alt Bloom and Morgan Lett may have given the rookie coach one of her toughest choices yet.
The two Team Queen artists went head-to-head with a soulful reworking of Lauryn Hill’s “Ex-Factor,” transforming the song into a performance that quickly impressed Kelly Clarkson, Adam Levine and Riley Green.
Even Kelly admitted she had initially been nervous about the song choice because Lauryn Hill material is notoriously difficult to cover.
By the end, however, Kelly told the singers they had pulled it off beautifully and praised Queen for assembling such a strong team.
What made the Battle especially difficult was how differently Alt and Morgan stood out.
Morgan, 27, impressed Riley with her energy and unexpected vocal choices.
Riley pointed out that she hit notes he hadn’t even expected to hear and suggested that if he had to lean toward one artist, Morgan might have the edge because of the energy she maintained throughout the entire performance.
Kelly saw things differently.
She praised Morgan for honoring the song but admitted that Alt was the bigger surprise for her.
Alt, 36, brought his guitar into the arrangement and used his upper register and falsetto in ways Kelly apparently hadn’t anticipated.
She even compared part of his sound to Adam Levine and said she was leaning slightly toward Alt because of how difficult his assignment had been.
Adam noticed the same thing.
He praised Morgan’s powerful interpretation but seemed particularly struck by Alt’s range, joking that Alt might even have more upper range than he does.
Still, Adam refused to make Queen’s decision for her, saying the result would ultimately come down to personal taste and what Queen wanted for her team moving forward. (Parade)
Queen herself highlighted different strengths in both singers.
She praised Morgan’s jazzy instincts and unusual note choices, pointing out that Morgan could take unexpected melodic turns without losing control of the song.
Alt presented a different challenge.
Because Morgan is capable of so many vocal runs, Queen said Alt had to avoid simply chasing her stylistically. Instead, he found his own space in the arrangement — and Queen believed he successfully nailed what she had asked him to do.
There was also another detail that impressed the coaches.
The unusual arrangement wasn’t simply handed to Alt and Morgan.
Alt explained that he came into rehearsals wanting to incorporate guitar, while Morgan began experimenting vocally. Instead of competing against those ideas, Alt decided to follow her musical direction and build around it.
The result became something Queen said hadn’t been done with the song in quite that way before.
And that teamwork may actually have made Queen’s decision harder.
She became emotional while talking to both singers and described them as two artists she considered among the strongest members of her team.
Queen eventually summed up the dilemma by calling it the “toughest decision” she had faced.
So who appeared to have the advantage?
Based purely on the other coaches’ comments, the room was divided.
Riley leaned Morgan.
Kelly leaned Alt.
Adam praised both but seemed especially surprised by Alt’s range.
That leaves Queen with two completely different reasons to choose.
Morgan offered the vocal agility, energy and soulful phrasing that naturally fit the Lauryn Hill song.
Alt arguably produced the bigger surprise by stepping outside what the other coaches expected from him and matching Morgan without losing his own identity.
And that may ultimately be what makes this Battle so difficult.
Sometimes The Voice Battles reveal one obvious winner.
This wasn’t one of them.
Queen Latifah now has to decide whether Morgan Lett’s soulful vocal instincts or Alt Bloom’s unexpected range and versatility are more valuable for the next stage of Season 30.
