A new crop of musical hopefuls found their way to The voice stage for part 2 of Blind Auditions, hoping for a red chair turn from coaches Reba McEntire, Gwen Stefani, Snoop Dogg or Michael Bublé.
Monday’s episode introduced an interesting mix of singers, all vying for a coveted spot on one of the coach’s teams. The participants ranged from the season’s oldest competitor to the cycle’s first musical trio. The episode also featured a heartwarming moment when Stefani joined hopeful Crystalla Gonzalez, who didn’t survive the blind auditions, for a duet of No Doubt’s “Just a Girl.”
With the newly introduced Coach Replay button in the game, the competitive energy was palpable as McEntire, Stefani, Snoop and Bublé continued to collect their Vote teams – and do everything in their power to gain the upper hand.
While the Blind Auditions are in full swing, find out which singers caught the coaches’ attention from week 2 The voice and if the Coach Replay button was used a second time.
Another impressive turn with four seats
If you thought Sofronio Vasquez’s seven-second turn to four chairs last week was impressive, the coaches were even quicker to turn for Tanner Frick when they decided they were all in. The singer from Manchester, Tennessee, wowed all four coaches with his cover of “Thought You Should Know” by Morgan Wallen, the country star who participated The voice in season 6. It only took four seconds for all four chairs to turn.
After hearing just a few verses, the coaches seemed to agree that he had something special. As Stefani summarized in her review: “Everyone was convinced when you sang with your full voice. Your uniqueness came to the fore.” But when McEntire pressed her button, it seemed clear who Frick would choose – much to the envy of everyone else. And yes, he chose Team Reba.
Most unique view
So far the soloists have dominated The voice stage, so it was a welcome sight to see the first musical trio of the season. The group is called the 323 and consists of three church friends from Tallahassee, Florida, at different stages of life. Due to their large age difference, this was, as they said in their introductory package, their “last hurray” when it came to pursuing music professionally.
Unlike other trios that have participated, the 323 stepped off the beaten path with their musical approach. Their cover of Britney Spears’ ‘(You Drive Me) Crazy’ didn’t adhere to typical three-part conventions when it came to harmonizations, vocal arrangements and reinterpretation of the song. Their originality excited McEntire, who was the first to push her button. (She also got her start performing in a trio with her siblings, the Singing McEntires.) The combination of great song choice, tight harmonies and undeniable talent brought them to Team Reba.
The redo of a coach
Age is really just a number. Gail Bliss, the oldest singer in the competition at 61, did not let her age hold her back. She has been a professional singer for 37 years and one of her bucket list goals was to make it The voice. Although her cover of The Steeldrivers’ “If It Hadn’t Been for Love” woke up the crowd, none of the coaches turned their chairs for her. It was a disappointing turn of events for Bliss.
That is… until Snoop, who has really lived up to his “wild card” moniker thus far, brought up the Coach Replay power that can only be used once by each coach. (McEntire already used hers on Kendall Eugene last week.) “If I pushed this red button right now, you’d be on my team,” the rapper said as he pressed the button, putting Bliss on Team Snoop.
Who spins us chair
Monday’s episode featured a strong pool of artists, but special kudos go to Kamila Kiehne, who struck a chord with her powerful cover of Canadian singer Alannah Myles’ “Black Velvet.” Within seconds of her opening note, three of the four coaches (Snoop, Bublé and McEntire) pressed their buttons.
Bublé was determined to include Kiehne in his team; if there was one coach who had the most visceral reaction to her performance, it was Bublé. After some back and forth, Kiehne joined Bublé’s team. “I didn’t want to say it because I didn’t want to put pressure on her, but it really reminded me of the first time I saw Kelly Clarkson,” Bublé said.
Quote of the evening
“I’m now Snoopy Bublé, his illegitimate brother,” Snoop Dogg said of Bublé, after saying the crooner reminds him of his own cousins and uncles.
A look ahead to next week
Get ready for more blind auditions! Two coaches have used up their Coach Replay power, so it’s up to Bublé and Stefani to decide if they want a replay. Right now the teams are split pretty evenly, with Team Reba at four singers, Team Gwen at five, Team Snoop at five, and Team Bublé at four. Who else will fill in the rosters? We’ll know next week.
The voice‘s Blind Auditions continue Monday, October 7 at 8pm ET/PT on NBC.
