The Voice Recap: Did the Last of the Blind Auditions Just Introduce Season 27’s Winner?
The Voice wrapped up its Season 27 Blind Auditions Monday with some pretty damn good singers from which coaches John Legend, Adam Levine, Kelsea Ballerini and Michael Bublé could choose. But one in particular — lookin’ at you, Pablo Herrera — made such a big impression that I wound up thinking he could win the whole shebang. And yes, I know that makes me sound like I’m sitting in a red swivel chair! Read on, and we’ll discuss Pablo and all of the other contestants who advanced to the Battles below.
Jay Ammo (Team Legend), “The A Team” — Grade: B+ | Jay’s lovely, lilting voice gave his Ed Sheeran cover wings and earned the contestant a four-chair turn in the process. I was as enchanted by the performance as the coaches but did wonder about Jay’s range and versatility. What I took as heartfelt emotion may have also been the pitch issues that Michael heard.
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Brook Wood (Team Kelsea), “Save Me” — Grade: A | The minute Brook opened her mouth, Michael remarked that her vocal was “nice and clean.” It was also sublimely beautiful. Brook sang her Jelly Roll/Lainey Wilson cover with an ear-opening clarity and a power that was undeniable. Surely, she’d have gotten more than two chair turns if the teams hadn’t been so close to full.
Adam David (Team Michael), “Baby, I Love Your Way” — Grade: B+ | Part of me wanted to ding Adam for the affected way that he sang the classic, but another part of me was like, “Shut the hell up, the dude is totally controlling what is obviously a massive and flexible voice.” The one-chair turn’s coach called it when he singled out Adam’s “character voice.”
Simone Marijic (Team Kelsea), “favorite crime” — Grade: B+ | At once, Kelsea turned her chair for Simone, and I couldn’t really hear why. It wasn’t till later in her Olivia Rodrigo cover that we got to hear how gorgeous Simone’s voice was when she really opened it up. The two-chair turn also handled the fast part of the song with the aplomb of an old pro. Promising.
Pablo Herrera (Team Legend), “Jealous” — Grade: A+ | Before Pablo took the stage, his sister told us that when he sang, we’d feel it — and right she was. The three-chair’s Labrinth cover was steeped in emotion, he landed kickass runs, and wow! Even in that brief audition, you could well imagine the scope of his range. “There are no boundaries for you,” Michael marveled.
Tori Templet (Team Adam), “Lover” — Grade: B- | I was afraid the Mazzy Star/Cowboy Junkies vibe that Tori was giving us on her Taylor Swift cover might not make the grade with the coaches. But she wound up getting a two-chair turn with her whispery voice. John even suggested that it sounded like she was almost whistling under the notes. Not sure how that’ll play in the Battles…
Alanna Lynise (Team Kelsea), “Issues” — Grade: A | Tackling Julia Michaels, Alanna demonstrated enviable control of her voice — and what a voice it is, too! While perfectly enunciating every lyric, the three-chair turn imbued the hit with more feeling than I’d ever heard in it, turned up the power like she had her finger on the volume button and flittered around notes as easily as we might walk from here to there.
Naomi Soleil (Team Adam), “Stars” — Grade: B | Not until this 18-year-old had reached the end of her performance did she get chair turns from Adam and Michael (by then the only coaches with slots left to fill on their teams). Maybe they were just distracted by the interesting timbre of Naomi’s voice. Adam was also taken with her distinct phrasing.
Trevon Dawson (Team Adam), “Religiously” — Grade: B | Though Trevon is a character with a capital C, he quickly proved that he isn’t just personality. He started off his rendition of Bailey Zimmerman’s hit with a storyteller vibe that belied his 17 years, then tore into the chorus like it was the last pork chop at Sunday dinner. A diamond in the rough with some real sparkle.
The Voice Coaches, Ranked From the All-Time Best to… Well, the Rest
So, which coach do you think has assembled the strongest team? And do you agree that Pablo is the frontrunner? Vote for your fave Monday below, then answer in the comments.
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