Edward Preble & Mark Shiba’s “Outside the Box” Battle Left Gwen “Mesmerized”

Season 26 is Michael Bublé’s first time in a Coaching chair, and he’s bringing a unique strategy to The Voice. Known for his own signature sound, recalling the traditional pop of yesteryear, Bublé set out in search of unique voices during the Blinds, and he found them. Now, in the Battle round, Bublé has the unenviable task of pitting those voices against one another.

Nineteen-year-old Artist Edward Preble, from Fernandina Beach, Florida, is a human time capsule from a bygone era. He enters rehearsals and performances dressed to the nines, in a suit straight out of the early 20th Century, and with a voice to match. Meanwhile, Mark Shiiba, a 29-year-old from Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, carries a laid back beach vibe while channeling mid-century singer songwriters with a voice that is both pleading and commanding at the same time.

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Bublé’s main challenge as a Coach was finding a song that fit both of their dramatically different vocal stylings, and he landed on the heartrending classic, “What a Wonderful World,” by Louis Armstrong.

“It’s going to take someone who can breathe life into it. I have faith that both of them are going to do a good job,” Bublé said before the contest. “This Battle will come down to heart, it’ll come down to emotion, it’ll come down to who can make us, the audience, feel the most.”

The Voice Team Bublé Coach Battle: Mark Shiiba vs. Edward Preble

Edward Preble and Mark Shiiba perform during Season 26 Episode 8 of The Voice Photo: Casey Durkin/NBC

Preble took the opening line of Armstrong’s beloved ballad, conjuring a classic tone and visions of dimly lit barrooms and cigar smoke. Shiiba took the second line and the pair of them passed the song back and forth, joining together on occasion for the harmonies, sparring one note at a time. Each of them is a master of their respective craft, and they delivered two dramatically different interpretations of the song, which somehow blended together beautifully.

“As I closed my eyes, the vocals put me into a trance,” Snoop Dogg said. “I was going places with how you made it your own.”

“You couldn’t have paired two people so different in the look, the style, the vocal, everything, but it worked. It was a great performance,” said Reba McEntire. “If I had to choose one, I think I’d go with Mark because it was just so refreshing to hear something totally out of the box.”

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“Mark, your voice is captivating because it’s so unusual. It sounds like it’s out of an old film or something, it sounds vintage in its own way,” said Gwen Stefani. “Edward, you mesmerize me. I think you did a great job just really getting into it on stage. Maybe just because I’m curious, but I would maybe lean toward Edward.”

With the Coaches more or less split down the middle, the decision came down entirely on Bublé’s shoulders. “I’m proud of both my boys because they came a long way,” Bublé said. “Edward, I felt like you were a little nervous, I could feel it in your voice. Mark, I thought this was such a great performance and I know we spent a lot of time talking about telling this story, and I thought you did such a great job as a storyteller. It’s definitely not easy for me because I think you guys are awesome cats and I just love what both of you bring.”

Of course, Preble always had the home court advantage, playing in the same vocal space as Bublé himself. So, it shouldn’t be too surprising that Bublé crowned Preble the winner of the Battle. “Musically, I chose Edward because he has a lot of potential and it’s not just about his voice, it’s how he carries himself. I love that I get to take my experience, the love and passion I have for the music, and help this kid to grow.”