Now there’s a tactic we have not seen before by a coach. As The voice‘S Season 20 Blind Auditions came to Blake Shelton’s conclusion on Monday night jokingly implied for a contestant who auditioned for a Maroon 5 song that he should not join Team Kelly Clarkson because … now, look at whose seat she is. ‘I’m not saying that [she] got Adam [Levine] fired, ”he grins, but“he is away, and she is set up there. Did the brutal strategy work? Read on and find out as we review performances from the last four singers to get through to the Battles.
Denisha Dalton (Team Legend), “Pillowtalk” – Grade: B- | This self-proclaimed hustler told us in her pre-interview that as a child she did not form just one girl group, and then lost her confidence after moving to Nashville. So she was hoping a chair turn would revive ‘Little Denisha’. But even before chairs started spinning, she sounded like she was on fire. On the intimate parts of her Zayn cover, the way she played with notes and put a hint of a tear in her voice really made you lean. Unfortunately, the pieces were so good that she sounded less impressive when she belted. The bigger the song got, the more messy her performance became.
Awari (Team Nick), “Weak” – Grade: B | A divorced father of two, this former air force operator was hopeful with his attempt to show his children that ‘daddy is determined’. And that, he had to have. On his SWV cover, he throws out notes that were as sweet as syrup that dripped over a stack of pancakes and gave an eyebrow-scope. I suspected that we heard a little lack of exercise every now and then, but Kelly suggested that “he did not try too hard, but only emotionally.” So maybe that was it; he goes to the feeling rather than precision.
Keegan Ferrell (Team Blake), “She Will Be Loved” – Grade: B + | The 21-year-old, who was adopted after being left behind in a market street in China, was initially presented as a true blind audition and filled the room with smoke – just out of his voice from here. Keegan seems to have struggled a bit to reach the high notes that hit Adam Levine on the Maroon 5 classic, but he definitely has something. Hilariously, when he threw Keegan, Blake suggested that Kelly have Adam fired. Since she also had a talk show on the network, NBC really stood for ‘Nothing But Clarkson’, Blake cracked. Funny, his tactics worked!
Ainae (Team Kelly), “Best Part” – Grade: A- | In her learning segment, this 21-year-old told that she was born into a musical family – moms in marketing, dads a sound engineer, grandma running Twins Jazz. And she was definitely proud. As she sang, I half expected to see light, soft clouds coming out of her mouth. Her voice was as airy as a ray of sunshine. Once or twice she may have succumbed to spiciness, but overall impressive. John even went so far as to compare her voice to Minnie Riperton’s voice.
So, who stood out for you on Monday night? Vote in the poll below and then print the comments. Early faves in the competition?