Yahoo Movies “The Voice” recap: Which coach comes out on top after tonight's four-chair turn?
It's the third night of The Voice Blind Auditions and John Legend is the only coach with a block left. He says he's looking for a male country artist this season, but he also wants to pay Nick Jonas back for using his block on him — so we'll see which artist John decides to go all-in on. Elsewhere this evening, we have a four-chair turn for a country artist and Nick pleading with a contestant not to break his heart. Let's get into it.
Ryleigh Modig / 18 / Spencer, Mass.
"When the Party's Over" by Billie Eilish
Ryleigh suffered from a lot of anxiety and depression around the time she came out, but then, through Billie Eilish, was inspired to learn to live fully "being comfortable in [her] own skin." So, it feels appropriate that she would attempt to make a leap in her musical career with an Eilish song. She's able to show that she has some real range and once she's up hitting some high notes, Kelly Clarkson turns her chair. It's the delicate, fragile parts of her voice that stand out, and eventually, Nick turns too. He tells her that she has "the kind of tone and voice that speaks to [his] soul," which is very nice but also intense as hell. John tells Ryleigh that her vibrato is her "secret weapon," and Kelly, noting that it wasn't a perfect performance, can tell Ryleigh's the type of artist to get "lost" in the character of the song and Kelly is, too. Ryleigh decides to go with Team Kelly.
Pia Renee / 37 / Chicago, Ill.
"Master Blaster (Jammin')" by Stevie Wonder
Pia's had to take on a lot of jobs to be able to keep her singing career going and support her family, but she wants to take the next step in being a full-time professional musician. She's been in a reggae band, and she shows off her love for that genre in this performance. She's super polished and confident up on the Voice stage. This one is a nail-biter though: Blake Shelton waits until the last line to turn his chair... and then John turns on the very last note. It's not much of a fight here, especially once John mentions working with Buju Banton and Blake having no idea who that is. John loves Pia's "energy," her "cool runs," and her "cool style" and thinks it "would be fun to work with [her]." It seems Pia agrees because she joins Team Legend.
Andrew Marshall / 21 / Boxford, Mass.
"Gravity" by John Mayer
Andrew was diagnosed with leukemia when he was a junior in high school and it was music and singing that kept him going through his three-plus years of treatment. His Make-A-Wish during that time was to meet John Mayer and now he's on The Voice singing a John Mayer song. A very full-circle moment! As John points out, this song doesn't exactly allow Andrew to "go a lot of places musically" so it was hard to get a feel for what Andrew has to offer. That didn't much matter to Nick, who turned almost immediately because he was impressed by Andrew's obvious "charisma," and his "presence" paired with a "phenomenal opening bar" made it hard for Nick to resist this pop-rock singer. Andrew feels like a good fit for Team Nick.
Emma Caroline / 25 / Tuscaloosa, Ala.
"Slow Burn" by Kacey Musgraves
Once you know Emma is singing Kacey Musgraves, it seems pretty obvious that this will be another showdown between Blake and Kelly. Emma's voice is perfect for this song and the country/pop lane. Blake is excited because Emma's "mountain" country voice is "something we don't get to see" a lot on this show. The other three coaches try to persuade Emma to do the unpredictable thing and not go with Blake but come on, we've seen this show before. The pull of the country king is just too strong and Emma becomes Team Blake's first female contestant of the season.
James Tutson / 31 / Iowa City, Iowa
"Beyond" by Leon Bridges
James feels a lot of pressure tonight because he has a family to support and he's been chasing his music dreams for a long time. A spot on The Voice could change everything. He hits some very pretty high notes but fails to get any chair turns. John tells him that his "tone is sweet and comforting" but there were a bunch of pitch and precision problems. The coaches could tell a lot of nerves we're getting in the way and it was hard to figure out what to do with James. Nick encourages him to come back but with a song that gives him "the ability to show [them] what [he] can do right from the jump."
Ciana Pelekai / 20 / Las Vegas, Nev.
"Dance Monkey" by Tones and I
Ciana is originally from Hawaii, but her family moved to the mainland to give her more opportunities for her budding music career. She selects this song to really show off her personality — and it works. By starting out slow and controlled and then really letting the song fly, she puts on a show. John turns first and uses his block on Nick, which turns out to be helpful since Nick is the only other coach who turns. John's excited about Ciana because she has a "cool tone" and a "good sense of rhythm and pocket." And now he doesn't have to compete with a Jonas brother to win her over — Ciana's on Team Legend.
Jose Figueroa Jr. / 34 / Kissimmee, Fla.
"At This Moment" by Billy Vera
Dang, this Zumba instructor has style. And I mean that both sartorially and vocally. Jose Figueroa Jr. isn't playing around with his collection of sparkly jackets, nor with all the runs and riffs and big ol' belting moments he puts into his performance. This turns into another round of Nick and John duking it out, this time with no blocks. John praises Jose's "dynamics" and "range." Nick tells Jose that if he picks John, "it will break [his] heart." Two wildly different strategies to win this powerhouse over, and in the end Jose decides he wants a coach who is very different from him musically so that he can be pushed outside of his comfort zone. Jose joins Team Nick!
Halley Greg / 29 / Seattle, Wash.
"I'm Like a Bird" by Nelly Furtado
A science teacher by day and a singer-songwriter by night, Halley Greg decided to leave her teaching job to pursue music full-time... in January 2020. Obviously, things didn't go well, but The Voice is another chance for her to make it work. She sings a moody, intimate version of this Nelly Furtado song, and it's exactly the kind of unique sound Kelly is looking for this season. She is the only coach to turn her chair and she's thrilled she doesn't have to fight to win over Halley. Instead, she calls Halley's voice "pure" and "beautiful" and "artistic" and compares her to Annie Lennox before welcoming her to Team Kelly with open arms.
Durell Anthony / 24 / San Diego, Calif.
"What's Going On" by Marvin Gaye
Durrell Anthony — another musician attempting to balance gigs with supporting his family — opens up his rendition of "What's Going On" with a big, daring high note and it pays off: John turns his chair right away. Kelly turns, too, but let's be real here: John and Durell are a musical match made in heaven. John tells Durell that he really made the song his own and praises the part of his voice in between his chest voice and head voice — it's not a place that a lot of singers have a mastery over, but it really works here. Durell is Team Legend all the way.
Jesse Desorcy / 29 / Burrillville, R.I.
"Dust on the Bottle" by David Lee Murphy
Jesse had planned for a life in the Coast Guard, but then developed a rare genetic disorder that left him legally blind, and he turned to music. He's part of a fairly successful band and has opened for some big names in country music, but you can tell his nerves got to him in this audition. None of the coaches turn their chairs for his raspy, deep country voice. Kelly and Blake mention some major pitch issues and because he was singing sharp a lot of the time, Blake suggests "bringing the key [of the song] up." Still, they make sure Jesse knows he has the "tools" to be great, he just needs to, as John puts it, "control them a little better."
Avery Roberson / 20 / Rutherfordton, N.C.
"If You're Reading This" by Tim McGraw
Meet Avery Roberson, the night's big four-chair turn audition. Avery is a small-town boy with a deep, deep country voice that has an intimacy and vulnerability that wins everyone over. They praise his tone, which John describes as "rich and subtle" and Kelly calls "incredible." Kelly also loves that Avery didn't need to show off a bunch of vocal tricks to get four coaches to turn for him, he was just completely and confidently himself. When Avery mentions that he used to sing pop music before going country, Kelly thinks she might have a shot, but Blake gives his pitch about really living country and understanding the genre inside and out and Avery can't resist. Another country singer joins Team Blake.
TEAM STANDINGS
TEAM KELLY: Kenzie Wheeler, Corey Ward, Gean Garcia, Ryleigh Modig, Halley Greg
TEAM LEGEND: Christine Cain, Victor Solomon, Carolina Rial, Pia Renee, Ciana Pelekai, Durell Anthony
TEAM NICK: Dana Monique, Devan Blake Jones, Raine Stern, Zae Romeo, Andrew Marshall, Jose Figueroa Jr.
TEAM BLAKE: Cam Anthony, Pete Mroz, Anthony Konzelman, Ethan Lively, Emma Caroline, Avery Roberson
Related content:
