BigCountry and Luke Cope Bring Big Stage Presence and Soulful Vocals to ‘Tennessee Whiskey’ During ‘The Voice’ Battle Round

BigCountry and Luke Cope took the stage for their Battle Round on The Voice with a shared goal of giving it their all in hopes of keeping their dreams alive in the competition. The two contestants brought plenty of energy and the powerhouse vocals to their cover “Tennessee Whiskey,” recorded artists such as Chris Stapleton, George Jones, and David Allan Coe.

Going into the battle, Luke knew he had to match BigCountry’s commanding stage presence and dig deep to deliver a performance that could set him apart and earn him the win.

Meanwhile, BigCountry was filled with confidence as he stated, “[I] ain’t here to play no games. I have everything that it takes to win this battle.”

Host Carson Daly signaled the start of the battle after the two hopefuls exchanged a good-luck handshake and took their places onstage, ready to put their vocals to the test in front of their coach, Queen Latifah.

BigCountry kicked off the performance with his rich baritone vocals, immediately setting the tone for the country classic. The two singers’ distinct vocal styles complemented each other beautifully, making their moments singing together some of the best moments of the performance. However, their solo deliveries also gave each contestant a chance to prove they had what it takes to continue in the competition.

On The Voice, it takes more than just impressive vocals to win the competition. Contestants also need to prove they have the kind of performance skills to stand out in the music industry. And as the coaches weighed in on this Battle Round, it became clear that one singer had managed to make a stronger impression in that area.

Even though neither of these singers are a member of Team Riley Green, the country star was right in his element with the song choice. He has been a fan of BigCountry from the start of the competition, when he turned for him during the Blind Audition before losing to Queen Latifah.

“It’s first off a tough song to tackle. Man, just your voice felt right on it. I knew where you were going with it. Everything about it was great, man. So awesome performance.”

Moving over to Luke, Green called his high harmonies “perfect” and added that everything about his delivery was “great.”

“You did some really unique things with your voice. So I guess if I had to lean one way or the other, Luke, I thought that was really unique what you did. So anyway, great performance both y’all.”

Kelly Clarkson was quick to point out the “layers of soulfulness and rock elements” that live within both of their vocals. Even though they were delivering their own unique sounds, it “worked,” in her opinion.  

“Way to go. That was pretty seamless and cool,” she added before giving the contestants individual critiques.

“Luke, I was hearing these incredible harmonies, but also BigCountry, you went up high on some of those as well because I was like, wait, which one is that? And then I was leaning in. So I think that you both did a really great job too of evening it out, making sure everybody had their time to shine in it while collaborating. So she’s going to do good either way.”

Adam Levine recalled turning his chair for both acts and also falling short to Team Queen. Regardless, he remembered both of the qualities that made them memorable from the Blind Auditions, praising BigCountry’s “big personality” and Luke’s “killer” voice.

“You sounded best in this song when you guys sang together. I mean, it was pretty magical, the harmonies that you guys did when you were really in sync. If I’m choosing, I think just because the show does start to become about this other element that’s not just about the voice, it’s about the person and the personality. I don’t know how I could ever part with BigCountry just because he’s got so much of that going on. But Luke, I mean, you were right there with him. You did a great job also.”

Queen echoed that statement, telling the acts that they “rocked it” and “sounded amazing together.”

“I felt like Luke, you were so emotional in the blind audition. I wondered if you could get through all that emotion and find the voice and you found it. You found it. I felt like you looked at me a few times. I was like, ‘Ooh, there he is. That’s the magic.’ BigCountry, you know how to commit to something and that’s important in a competition like this. Your voice is big, your performance is big, your heart is big,” she pointed out.

While she told Luke she was “proud” of the performance he gave, she crowned BigCountry the winner of this battle round.

“Luke improved by leaps and bounds, but Big Country is a presence, a force to be reckoned with. So comfortable, so confident, full of energy and life and voice and ability. He’s just been someone that everybody has loved from the beginning,” the icon added.

Luke Cope’s time in the competition has officially come to an end. BigCountry will be moving on into the next round, Cuts Week, which begins November 2.

The Battles continue next week with the show transitioning to its regular weekly schedule airing only on Monday nights. The two-hour episode will air at 9 p.m. ET on NBC, with streaming available the next day on Peacock.