‘The Voice’ recap: The blind auditions wrap up
After several weeks of seeing one vocalist after another step onstage and sing in hopes of making Blake Shelton, Christina Aguilera, CeeLo Green and Adam Levine spin their chairs and beg, “The Voice†blind auditions have come to an end.
Each coach started Monday night’s auditions with 14 singers in his or her stable, leaving each with two slots to fill to complete a team of 16 with which to head into next week’s battle bounds.
After a night of hotly contested selections -- words were exchanged, loyalties were tested -- here are each coach’s final two:
Adam Levine:
Caitlin Michele: This Boston 20-year-old has a funky look and a challenge she’s fought to overcome: She suffers from extreme panic disorder, which often causes her to pass out cold. The only time she feels OK is when she’s onstage. Her take on Florence and the Machine’s “Cosmic Love†turned out to be A-OK with Shelton and Levine, who jousted over the blue-eyed, blue-haired vocalist. Levine took a tough-love stance, telling Michele he admires her power even in the midst of some pitch issues. Shelton offered only praise, and called himself the more “normal†option. “If you want to be a risk-taker, I would head over to Adam,†Aguilera said. “I am the furthest thing from normal,†Michele said, “So I think I’m going to have to go with Adam.â€
Kayla Nevarez: Though she’s struggling with her father’s illness and the resulting financial turmoil it has brought her family, this 17-year-old singer from Mission Viejo turned out a smooth, confident “American Boy†that turned Levine, Aguilera and, finally, Green. Aguilera praised her to the hilt and said she had to have her on her team, and after Nevarez told Green she listened to Aguilera growing up, it really seemed like a done deal. “Just come give me a hug now,†Aguilera begged. But Levine trotted out the fact that he’s the only one of the three coaches vying for Nevarez to have won the competition. Levine’s ploy worked. “I love you to death,†the teen told Aguilera. “But I’m gonna go team Adam.†Then she took Levine aside to say, “We better win this.â€
Christina Aguilera:
Nathalie Hernandez: This 15-year-old Floridian seems like a down-to-earth, talented kid, telling us she’s missed her prom and her brother’s graduation to audition, and her tuneful sincerity on Taylor Swift’s “White Horse†spun Aguilera and Shelton straightaway, and eventually Levine as well. “You look as young and innocent and sincere as that song sounded,†Green, the only coach not to make a play for Hernandez, told her. All the coaches were full of praise, but Hernandez went with Aguilera, who’d said she felt a special connection.
Celica Westbrook: Another young female addition to Aguilera’s team, Westbrook, a 16-year-old Pennsylvania-to-Tennessee transplant, comes from a long line of singers and told us that she nearly had a record deal and a chance to tour with Justin Bieber in 2010, before the deal “fell apart.†Her sultry sound on Christina Perri’s “A Thousand Years†spun Aguilera, Green and Shelton, but Aguilera made the best sell, telling Westbrook, “You need to be on the radio, like, now.†She closed the deal. “Based off of what I heard, I’m going to have to go with Christina,†Westbrook said.
Blake Shelton:
Nicole Johnson: This 18-year-old, whose family has moved from Louisiana to Nashville and home-schooled her in order to help her make it in the music biz, has Shelton written all over her. Her country-inflected take on Kelly Clarkson’s “Mr. Know It All†spun Green and Shelton. Green told her she has a technically “perfect†voice, but Shelton pronounced himself a “200 percent†believer and praised her pronunciation of “thang.†“I am a country girl, and I’m going to have to go with Blake,†Johnson said, prompting Green to grumble that Shelton “doesn’t know a ‘thang’†about country music.
Rudy Parris: This 46-year-old veteran musician shelved a burgeoning career (he was Hank Williams III’s guitar player) in order to stay close to his daughter as she grew. Now a grandpa, he’s ready to realize his long-dormant dreams. His heartfelt, countrified take on the Police’s “Every Breath You Take†prompted Shelton and Green to turn their chairs. Green gave it his best shot, casting Parris’ sound as “fusion†and praising his hair, but he didn’t really have a chance against Shelton. “CeeLo, you’re awesome,†Parris said, but “my roots are so deep in country music. I think I’m gonna go with Blake Shelton.â€
CeeLo Green:
Chevonne: “The Voice†did pretty well by a backup singer last year, when Jermaine Paul won it, and this year brings us a 26-year-old vocalist from New Jersey who’s toured with Lady Gaga, and said the “Born This Way†singer has inspired her to want to take the spotlight as a powerful storyteller. Shelton and Green waited until the very last minute to push their buttons for her take on the Pretenders’ “Brass in Pocket,†but then they each made their play. Shelton pointed out that he’s had success with backup singers in the past, but Green noted something “painful†in Chevonne’s voice. She’s struggled with eating disorders, she said. Green said he knows what it’s like to write “from a painful place.†And with that, he got the girl.
Cody Belew: This small-town Arkansas rodeo singer has a taste for country and soul (and salty language). He said he suspects he was an “elderly black lady†in a past life and longs to replicate Green’s onstage flamboyance. At first it looked as though his “Hard to Handle†failed to impress the “Forget You†singer, the only coach who was still looking to fill a team slot. But at the very last second, Green pressed his button. Belew couldn’t have been happier. “You hit it? You hit it?†he said, disbelieving. Asked by his new coach whether he prefers the Otis Redding or Black Crowes version of the song, Belew said he’s a Redding fan but that the Crowes’ version allows him to move his hips. He likes to “entertain the crowd with a little bam-bam,†he said, thrusting. The coaches are thinking “bam-bam†might be a good nickname. Funny.
Which coach do you think has the strongest team heading into the battle rounds? Any favorite singers?
ALSO:
“The Voice†recap: Blind auditions continue
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