‘The Voice’ Recap: Blind Auditions #8
The Voice is back this week, but first it’s time to wipe some tears away and say goodbye. Why, you ask? Well, the Blind Auditions have officially ended, and while the show’s ultimate gimmick is no longer relevant with the Battle Rounds and Live Rounds fast approaching, it’s still pretty exciting to see which performer is on whose team and how they stack up against one another. Monday delivered us the final Blind Audition episode, and as usual there were standouts, has-beens, and the occasional vocal miscreant that somehow managed to slither their way to the next round. Final rankings (overall and per team) will be announced as well as my selection of the coach with the best odds of winning. So what are you waiting for? Let’s break it down…
First up to impress the judges was 15-year old Nathalie Hernandez, who beams a shining light of innocence and purity that avoids the cloying factor. When she began, I almost thought “Wow! Am I going to anoint the third (****) review of the season?” Nathalie’s caramelicious vocals drew me in like no other on that opening verse. Nathalie is a very diverse singer, and I heard a great variety of music genres in her tone — bits of jazz, soul and pop were most prevalent. The beginning was so good, in fact, that I had no idea she was singing a Taylor Swift song, “White Horse,” until she hit the chorus. After Blake and Christina turned their chairs around instantly, Nathalie was thrown off her game and shaky vocals were almost a constant until the end. The girl has incredible potential, but as Adam Levine noted, her talent needs to be nurtured and thawed out in order to unleash the best production of her talents possible. I’m not sure why Nathalie chose the more vocally-intensive Christina over the singer-songwriter lover that is Blake Shelton, but we’ll soon find out whether this coach-student relationship works between Nathalie and Christina.
Performance Review: (***)
Judge Selected: Team Christina
Listen to Nathalie Hernandez:
Next to plead her case was tattoo-streaked sweetheart, Caitlin Michele. The best way I could describe Caitlin’s rendition of Florence + The Machine’s “Cosmic Love” was its epic similarity to that powerful opening of 2001: A Space Odyssey when the moon rises up from beneath the planet, Richard Strauss’ “Also sprach Zarathustra” composition resonating with unrivaled omnipotence. There was such strength and clarity to every note Caitlin hit, and the rendition as a whole seemed otherworldly. Adam was correct in that sometimes her pitch is off, and I got the feeling she hasn’t performed with a band very often. She wasn’t exactly jiving with the music so much as dominating its background for her own purposes. I think Caitlin’s a good fit with Adam, but I’m not sure he will take as good care of her like Blake Shelton would have. I’m sniffing a Battle Round dismissal.
Performance Review: (***1/2)
Judge Selected: Team Adam
Listen to Caitlin Michele:
Nicole Johnson is the third one out, and sings a country version of Kelly Clarkson’s “Mr. Know It All.” Those who read last year’s recaps know how strongly I tie this song to the wonderfully talented Monique Benabou, who got through to the Battle Rounds with this very same song. Nicole may not have been as consistently strong and ferocious as my girl Monique (still miss the fist-pumping!), but there at least was something to hold onto. Nicole’s voice got a bit whiny towards the end of the song, and she could work on spicing up those verses just a tad, but I guess she did enough to earn Blake’s approval. It was almost a good performance, but slightly under that of a well-assured country star in the making.
Performance Review: (**1/2)
Judge Selected: Team Blake
Listen to Nicole Johnson:
The fourth contestant to sing for their life was someone many fans of Lady Gaga might be familiar with: the Head Monster’s own back-up singer, Chevonne. Although I didn’t particularly care for last year’s winner, Jermaine Paul, he was a background singer for Alicia Keys and I’d say he did rather well for himself. Will the “back-up singer” good-luck charm work its magic twice? Chevonne may not have the most dynamic or unique voice on the planet, but what she does have is a whole lot of spunk contained in a very tiny body. She’s dealt with some demons in the past, but is putting all that behind her and laying her soul bare on stage. Singing “Brass in Pocket” with such understanding of the sensual undercurrent of the song, it was impossible not to want to turn around for Chevonne. I’m glad Cee Lo and Blake spun their red chairs around for this firecracker of a performer. I’m sure going to love seeing Chevonne perform over the course of the season, but I pray her voice shines just as brightly.
Performance Review: (***1/2)
Judge Selected: Team Cee Lo
Listen to Chevonne:
To follow Chevonne was Kayla Nevaraz, a very poised 17-year old who did an admirable job on Estelle’s “American Boy.” Kayla’s voice wasn’t anything special…until she took wonderful liberties on that one big chorus note. Kayla’s riff on the “American Boy” lyric came out of nowhere, and demonstrated to me just how musically inventive she truly is. I love a vibrato when put to best use, but Kayla is more like a voice modifier who adjusts to the perfect level. Her voice on the rest of the song’s verses was forgettable, but I cannot wait to see her grow and develop across the season.
Performance Review: (***)
Judge Selected: Team Adam
Listen to Kayla Nevaraz:
This next performer I did not see coming whatsoever. Celica Westbrook’s cover of “A Thousand Years” was absolutely sublime from beginning to end. Celica has an earthy tone to her voice that isn’t so much tree-hugging as it is globally encompassing. She truly can tap into any genre of music and dispense miracles on stage. The way she started off slow, built the story, and just let her voice radiate its magnitude in power seemed effortless. Did I forget to mention that Celica is only 16-years old? She is so mature in regards to her voice, performance and stage presence that I couldn’t help but agree with Christina: she needs to be heard on the radio NOW. Celica has accomplished what I thought would be the impossible in the final Blind Audition episode — eke out a perfect score from yours truly.
Performance Review: (****)
Judge Selected: Team Christina
Listen to Celica Westbrook:
The penultimate performer of the Blind Audition rounds was 46-year old Rudy Parris. He tackled one of my all-time favorite songs, The Police’s “Every Breath You Take,” and spun it to match his country linguistics. There’s an ease about Rudy’s voice that settles in like warm porridge, but I don’t see a superstar yet aside from his long and thin jet-black hair. I actually thought he sounded pretty terrific on the opening and closing verses, but he doesn’t connect with the emotion contained within the chorus. Rudy sings all his notes right, but I think he’s more worried about vocal and guitar technique than really selling the nerve of the song. Parris is just alright for me, but I do appreciate his creativity in spinning a classic rock song into a well-suited country cover.
Performance Review: (***)
Judge Selected: Team Blake
Listen to Rudy Parris:
The final audition of the season belonged to the beyond-exuberant Cody Belew. While his version of “Hard to Handle” may not have been earth-shattering, the guy more than made up for it with easily the best reaction from being selected by a coach that I’ve ever seen. He literally jumped into Cee Lo’s small arms, so thankful beyond words Cee Lo Green pressed his button for him at the last millisecond. What I liked about the performance overall was you could tell just by Cody’s voice how much fun he was having singing this Otis Redding classic, but more so how consistent his voice was throughout the song’s duration. Clearly, the guy has had some form of professional training, and even though he sounds a bit country, I could see Cody being the chameleon of The Voice’s third season, able to fine-tune his dynamic voice to any music genre that needs a test-run. Cody’s voice may not be as memorable as his endearing personality, but it matters very little since he was the last person of the season to make an impression on us before the Battle Rounds.
Performance Review: (***)
Judge Selected: Team Cee Lo
Listen to Cody Belew:
And that’s a wrap, Voice fans! The Blind Auditions are over, the Battle Rounds begin next week, and it’s time to get to some rankings. First, we’ll start off with ranking the contestants within their respective teams.
Team Adam:
1. Nicole Nelson (****)
2. Collin McLoughlin (***1/2)
3. Melanie Martinez (***1/2)
4. Brian Scartocci (***1/2)
5. Caitlin Michele (***1/2)
6. Brandon Mahone (***1/2)
7. Benji (***1/2)
8. Alessandra Guercio (***)
9. Kayla Nevarez (***)
10. Brian Keith (***)
11. Samuel Mouton (***)
12. Michelle-Brooks Thompson (***)
13. Sam James (**1/2)
14. Loren Allred (**1/2)
15. Adanna Duru (**1/2)
16. Joe Kirkland (**)
Combined Total Score for Team Adam: 49.5
Team Cee Lo:
1. Trevin Hunte (****)
2. Chevonne (***1/2)
3. Avery Wilson (***1/2)
4. Domo (***1/2)
5. Diego Val (***)
6. Mackenzie Bourg (***)
7. Alexis Marceaux (***)
8. Cody Belew (***)
9. Mycle Wastman (***)
10. Emily Earle (**1/2)
11. Nicholas David (**1/2)
12. Daniel Rosa (**)
13. Ben Taub (**)
14. J.R. Aquino (**)
15. Todd Kessler (**)
16. Amanda Brown (**)
Combine Total Score for Team Cee Lo: 44.5
Team Christina:
1. Celica Westbrook (****)
2. Aquile (***1/2)
3. Adriana Louise Figueroa (***1/2)
4. De’Borah (***)
5. Dez Duron (***)
6. Beat Frequency (***)
7. Nathalie Hernandez (***)
8. Joslyn Rivera (***)
9. Devon DeLeora (***)
10. Sylvia Yacoub (***)
11. Lisa Scinta (***)
12. Nely’s Echo (***)
13. Jordan Pruitt (**1/2)
14. Paulina (**)
15. Marissa Anne (**)
16. Laura Vivas (**)
Combined Total Score for Team Christina: 46.5
Team Blake:
1. Suzanna Choffel (***1/2)
2. Terisa Griffin (***1/2)
3. Gracia Harrison (***1/2)
4. Charlie Rey (***)
5. Ryan Jirovec (***)
6. Casey Muesiggman (***)
7. Terry McDermott (***)
8. Leila Broussard (***)
9. Kelly Crapa (***)
10. Cassadee Pope (***)
11. Rudy Parris (***)
12. Nicole Johnson (**1/2)
13. Liz Davis (**1/2)
14. Michaela Paige (**1/2)
15. Julio Cesar Castillo (*)
16. 2Steel Girls (1/2 star)
Total Combined Score for Team Blake: 43.5
Therefore, the coaches breakdown goes like this following The Blind Auditions:
1. Team Adam
2. Team Christina
3. Team Cee Lo
4. Team Blake
Sounds about right, doesn’t it?
Here are the final rankings for every single contestant that is left on The Voice:
1. Nicole Nelson (****) — Team Adam
2. Trevin Hunte (****) — Team Cee Lo
3. Celica Westbrook (****) — Team Christina
4. Suzanna Choffel (***1/2) — Team Blake
5. Collin McLoughlin (***1/2) — Team Adam
6. Melanie Martinez (***1/2) — Team Adam
7. Brian Scartocci (***1/2) — Team Adam
8. Chevonne (***1/2) — Team Cee Lo
9. Terisa Griffin (***1/2) — Team Blake
10. Avery Wilson (***1/2) — Team Cee Lo
11. Caitlin Michele (***1/2) — Team Adam
12. Domo (***1/2) — Team Cee Lo
13. Aquile (***1/2) — Team Christina
14. Brandon Mahone (***1/2) — Team Adam
15. Gracia Harrison (***1/2) — Team Blake
16. Adriana Louise Figueroa (***1/2) — Team Christina
17. Benji (***1/2) — Team Adam
18. Charlie Rey (***) — Team Blake
19. Diego Val (***) — Team Cee Lo
20. De’Borah (***) — Team Christina
21. Alessandra Guercio (***) — Team Adam
22. Dez Duron (***) — Team Christina
23. Beat Frequency (***) — Team Christina
24. MacKenzie Bourg (***) — Team Cee Lo
25. Nathalie hernandez (***) — Team Christina
26. Josyln Rivera (***) — Team Christina
27. Ryan Jirovec (***) — Team Blake
28. Kayla Nevarez (***) — Team Adam
29. Alexis Marceaux (***) — Team Cee Lo
30. Bryan Keith (***) — Team Adam
31. Cody Belew (***) — Team Cee Lo
32. Devyn DeLoera (***) — Team Christina
33. Mycle Wastman (***) — Team Cee Lo
34. Sylvia Yacoub (***) — Team Christina
35. Casey Muesiggman (***) — Team Blake
36. Samuel Mouton (***) — Team Adam
37. Terry McDermott (***) — Team Blake
38. Michelle Brooks-Thompson — Team Adam
39. Leila Broussard (***) — Team Blake
40. Kelly Crapa (***) — Team Blake
41. Cassadee Pope (***) — Team Blake
42. Lisa Scinta (***) — Team Christina
43. Rudy Parris (***) — Team Blake
44. Nelly’s Echo (***) — Team Christina
45. Nicole Johnson (**1/2) — Team Blake
46. Liz Davis (**1/2) — Team Blake
47. Jordan Pruitt (**1/2) — Team Christina
48. Sam James (**1/2) — Team Adam
49. Emily Earle (**1/2) — Team Cee Lo
50. Michaela Paige (**1/2) — Team Blake
51. Loren Allred (**1/2) — Team Adam
52. Adanna Duru (**1/2) — Team Adam
53. Nicholas David (**1/2) — Team Cee Lo
54. Daniel Rosa (**) — Team Cee Lo
55. Ben Taub (**) — Team Cee Lo
56. J.R. Aquino (**) — Team Cee Lo
57. Todd Kessler (**) — Team Cee Lo
58. Paulina (**) — Team Christina
59. Amanda Brown (**) — Team Cee Lo
60. MarissaAnne (**) — Team Christina
61. Joe Kirkland (**) — Team Adam
62. Laura Vivas (**) — Team Christina
63. Julio Cesar Castillo (*) — Team Blake
64. 2Steel Girls (1/2 star) — Team Blake
So now it’s your turn! How did you guys feel about last night’s final Blind Audition show, the auditions in general, my rankings or anything else you’d like to discuss? Please leave all your wonderful (and hopefully colorful) opinions below in the comments section. Until next week, I bid you all adieu!
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