Riley Green Forced to Make ‘Extremely Difficult’ Decision Between Cade Mower and Brayden Howell in ‘The Voice’ Battle

Brayden Howell and Cade Mower went head-to-head during the Battles on The Voice, delivering their own soulful take on The Red Clay Strays’ “Wondering Why” as members of Team Riley Green.

Hailing from Marshville, North Carolina, Brayden, 19, instantly made a memorable impression as he stepped stage in his signature throwback style, sporting a mullet, black bootcut jeans, a statement belt buckle, an embroidered button-up shirt and a black leather vest with fringe.

Cade, who is originally from Bluffdale, Utah, and now calls Nashville home, kicked off the performance with his guitar in hand and immediately caught the coaches’ attention. As soon as Brayden began singing, his distinct vocals earned an excited response from the audience and coaches alike.

Even though the two artists have their own distinct styles, they found common ground in the power behind their voices that made for impressive harmonies and their ability to truly bring the listener inside the narrative. Both singers gave the performance their all as they fought for a chance to advance in the competition.

Coach Kelly Clarkson didn’t hold back as she gave her notes on the performances. She first admitted to being “obsessed” with Brayden and explained that she loves his whole “vibe.”

“You walked out here and I was like, ‘What time are you from?’ You are so cool. And sustaining the notes that you sustained for as long as you do before you take a breath, without vibrato, it’s an incredible thing to watch.”

She then turned her attention to Cade, calling his “sexy, raspy, soulful” vocals “insane.”

“I love the hot harmonies. For me personally, I would pick Brayden, but if I’m voting for the competition, I might lean towards Cade.”

Returning The Voice coach, Adam Levine recalled all four of the coaches turning their chairs for Cade during the Blind Auditions. While seeing the hopeful singer in this round of the competition was “very, very impressive,” Levine feels like there were moments in the performance where Cade’s vocals were “challenged” by the loud band that accompanied them.

“I remember you so vividly from the blinds and remember that voice. Maybe I just selfishly wish I could have heard it in a context where I could hear it more. And Braden, I mean, you got a style of your own and you’re a great singer too. I might go with Cade just because I know there’s all this stuff I did get to see this time around that I want to see more of, but Brayden, you did a great job. You guys were right there,” he added.

Queen Latifah agreed with Levine, stating that she would also lean towards picking Cade as the winner of this round if the competition was up to her.

“Cade, you have been on my brain since you came on this stage. You’re one of the people on this show who I say, ‘Damn, I wish I had him on my team.’ I felt like your voice was so unique, but I got to tell you, Brayden gave you a run for your money today.”

When it was time for Green to give his thoughts on his team members, he first pointed out how they did a great job with the song, despite it being tough to capture the uniqueness of The Red Clay Strays’ sound.

“Y’all did a great job on it. Cade, one of the best things about you is that you know what you are and what you do well and what you want to do. And I think that comes with playing a bunch of shows. And Brayden, 19 years old, I was still building houses for a living and I didn’t even sing in the shower. I didn’t want anybody to hear me sing. So the fact that you can get out here and you’ve got a vibe and a look that’s going to take everybody’s attention as soon as you get on the stage is amazing for the career that you’re going to have and I have no doubt that you’re going to have,” he stated.

After taking a moment to think about this “extremely difficult” decision, Riley Green decided to send Cade Mower into the next round, meaning Brayden’s time in the competition has come to an end.

“First off, thank both of y’all so much for all the hard work y’all put into this. And I believe in both of you, I have no doubt y’all both have a career ahead of you,” Green said before declaring Cade the winner.

Green explained that he chose the Utah-born vocalist because of his “really unique” way he presents himself on stage. The country star admits that he sees a lot of similarities between him and Cade and feels he has a lot of potential to make a name for himself in the business.

“He’s obviously got a great tone and a rash to his voice and how he ends certain words is a really unique thing and that’s something you can’t teach,” Green added.

“It’s incredible. One step closer to the end goal. I’m excited,” Cade said, celebrating his win.

Even though Brayden’s journey on The Voice has come to an end, he felt blessed to have had this “crazy experience” at just 19 years old.

“A year ago I was laying in the hospital going through brain surgery and here I am on the voice stage. And so this is just a testimony to God, what he can do for me,” he stated proudly.

Next week, The Voice launches Cut Week, a brand-new round in the competition that replaces the Knockouts. Each coach will start off the week with seven artists on their team and within the two-hour episode, two artists from each team will be chosen to automatically advance to the Live Shows. The remaining five artists will then sing for their lives to earn the final spot on their respective teams.

 Fans can tune into the show on Monday, November 2, when it airs at a new time slot from 9:00 PM to 11:00 PM ET on NBC.