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Spoiler Alert! THE VOICE Blind Auditions Night Two Recap 9/23; Full Results & Pics!
By: Matt Tamanini Sep. 23, 2014
Two days into THE VOICE Blind Auditions, and I feel like we have already seen more talent than we did in the entire AMERICAN IDOL audition process this past season. While Night One wasn't one of THE VOICE's best premieres, Night Two brought a crap-ton of talent (Check out my Night One recap, complete with pictures of each Chair-Turning Performance, here).
In addition to the great talent, the coaching panel, complete with newbies Gwen Stefani and Pharrell Williams, was already in mid-season form. The No Doubt and N.E.R.D. lead singers had their sales pitches perfected, and Blake Shelton was prepared to quote their own songs; saying Pharrell was "Happy," after a contestant's impressive performance, and telling Gwen, "Don't Speak," when she said she was a better coaching fit than the reigning CMA Male Vocalist of the Year.
It is really tempting to consider every talented performer a contender to take home the trophy, but there were a number of singers tonight, who were just that good. It was reassuring after a ho-hum first night.
Let me know what you thought of the night's performers in the comments below, or on Twitter @BWWMatt.
Now onto the performances (I will add photos of each chair-turning performance when NBC makes the available):
Contestant: Danica Shirey
Three-Word Bio: Apollo Winning Mom
Song: "Big White Room" by Jessie J
Chair Turns: Adam, Gwen, Pharrell
Coach: Pharrell Williams
Three-Word Review: Holy Runs Batman!
After last night was dominated by male performances, Night Two was kicked off by the first fantastic female performance of the season. Danica had such control over her instrument; such warmth in her tone, I bought in as soon as she first transitioned from her head to her chest and started riffing like no tomorrow. She delivered some of the most impressive runs this side of Natalie Weiss. Ok, now I'm feeling like we are back to the talent that makes THE VOICE the best singing competition on TV.
Contestant: Joe Kirk
Three-Word Bio: "Modern Day Partridge"
Song: "Lego House" by Ed Sheeran
Chair Turns: Four Chair Turn!
Coach: Adam Levine
Three-Word Review: Talent, Composure, Charm
Seriously, how do kids this age get this good, and have this much composure and stage presence? Pharrell was exactly right, Joe has insane technical ability for anyone, let alone a 17-year-old kid high school senior. While it hasn't been as true on THE VOICE as it has been on AMERICAN IDOL, good-looking teenaged boys generally do very well on competition shows, as the majority of the viewers voting tend to be younger girls. So, not only did Adam get a seasoned, talented competitor, but also one that should have a pretty sizeable fanbase to boot.
Contestant: Menlik Zergabachew
Three-Word Bio: Ethiopian Reggae Man
Song: "Santeria" by Sublime
Chair Turns: Blake, Gwen
Coach: Gwen Stefani
Three-Word Review: Dude is Dope
I was really excited for Menlik that Blake had turned around for him, because I thought that he deserved a shot. He had a unique musical sensibility that made him more than just a reggae singer. He played with the tempo, and found opportunities to experiment with the melody. I'm not sure if his "100%" reliance on reggae will allow him to appeal to a mass audience, but I have a feeling I am going to like what he and Gwen do together. And while I was really glad that Blake turned to give him a chance to advance, it is pretty obvious that he would have likely been used as fodder in Blake's systematic slaughter of all non-country contestants. However, when Gwen turned around, that seemed like a perfect fit.
Contestant: Jimi Milligan
Three-Word Bio: Big Family Man
Song: "Get Ready" by The Temptations
Chair Turns: No turns
Three-Word Review: No Falsetto Motown
New Rule: You really shouldn't attempt a Temptations' song if your falsetto is not strong enough to flip back and forth with ease. Ultimately, he was a decent oldies singer, but his talent just wasn't enough to compete with what we've seen already tonight.
Contestant: Reagan James
Three-Word Bio: Next Kelly Clarkson?
Song: "Give Me Love" by Ed Sheeran
Chair Turns: Blake, Gwen
Coach: Blake Shelton
Three-Word Review: She's How Old?
See my comments about Joe Kirk. Seriously, this girl is 15-years-old, and she was able to command the stage and manipulate her voice as if she was a touring professional. Whether it was her appearance, style, or powerful, nuanced voice, Reagan reminded me of Demi Lovato. I think she has the potential to be that type of artist. I was thoroughly surprised that she chose Blake, but he does have a track-record of guiding teenaged contestants to success on the show and beyond. Do you think the fact that Blake knew that she was from Kelly Clarkson's hometown (and that her husband is his manager) played into Reagan's decision?
Contestant: Taylor Phelan
Three-Word Bio: Young, Natural Father
Song: "Sweater Weather" by The Neighbourhood
Chair Turns: Four Chair Turn!
Coach: Darn You Commercials...
Three-Word Review: Competent, Talented Professional
Taylor didn't necessarily wow me with his song, but he did impress me with his professional performance. He sounded like he could be leading one of those Emo rock bands that I don't know anything about. He was a believable front man, but I didn't get the coaches going gaga over him. Am I missing something? Let me know in the comments below.
Contestant: Caitlin Lucia
Three-Word Bio: Pez Collecting Teen
Song: "You're the One That I Want" from the GREASE Movie Soundtrack
Chair Turns: No turns
Three-Word Review: Quirky, Moderately Talented
I was completely prepared to hate everything about a coffee house version of a GREASE song, but surprisingly it didn't make me want to throw anything at the TV. It was interesting, it was quirky, it was exactly what you would expect from a girl who collects Pez dispenser. Her range was limited, and her voice was a tad wobbly, and Blake was exactly right that I wasn't sure if she had the lung capacity to hold out extended notes.
Contestant: Sugar Jones
Three-Word Bio: Second Generation Singer
Song: "Chain of Fools" by Aretha Franklin
Chair Turns: Gwen, Blake
Coach: Gwen Stefani
Three-Word Review: Hold the Runs
Sugar has the ability to do vocal gymnastics all over the place, but man, I wish Béla Károlyi had come in and grabbed her up halfway through. The runs, the runs were just too much. I forgot that this songs even had a melody. Uncle Ben (Spiderman, not rice) needs to give her a bit of piece of advice; "With great power comes great responsibility." She has the power to riff all over the place, but she has to learn when to go, and when to slow. There wasn't much slow in this performance.
Contestant: Taylor Brashears
Three-Word Bio: Food Truck Fiddler
Song: "You Ain't Woman Enough (To Take My Man)" by Loretta Lynn
Chair Turns: Adam, Pharrell, Blake
Coach: Blake Shelton
Three-Word Review: Down Home Twangy-ness
There was never really any doubt that Blake would eventually turn around. And there was even less of a doubt that she would pick Blake. She had the old-school country quality that made it illogical for her to be a part of any team but Blake's. That being said, Adam and Pharrell were right, she had a fantastic voice, and deserves to be on THE VOICE. If she sticks to the classic country genre, I don't know if the audience will be there though.
Contestant: Andy Cherry
Three-Word Bio: Christian Label Reject
Song: "Everybody Want to Rule the World" by Tears for Fears
Chair Turns: No Turns
Three-Word Review: Little too much
Andy clearly is talented, but Blake is right, he was a bit out of control; highlighted by a wild vibrato (and it is "Vibrato", not "vYbrato"). He seems like a nice guy, but he wasn't ready for primetime.
Contestant: Maiya Sykes
Three-Word Bio: Yale Triple-Major Back-Up Singer (forget three-words, this lady was a triple-major at flipping YALE and SANG!)
Song: "Stay With Me" by Sam Smith
Chair Turns: Four Chair Turn! IN LESS THAN 10 SECONDS
Coach: Pharrell Williams
Three-Word Review: Sisaundra Lewis Reincarnated
I hate to throw out the name of the venerable Sisaundra Lewis this early in the competition, but the parallels between the two are striking; African-American women who have been working in the background of the music career for decades, and most importantly, they can sing, like REALLY sing! I don't think that she is on Sisaundra's level, but she could be. The only issue I had with her performance was that I felt like her rapid vibrato was a little much on her belted notes, but that can be fixed. She is going to be just fine, that fact notwithstanding.
Check out two of the night's best performances:
Let me know what you think in the comments below, or on Twitter @BWWMatt. Also, don't forget to follow @BWWTVWorld on Twitter and Like us on Facebook for all of the latest TV news, reviews, and recaps.
Photo Credit: Trae Patton & Tyler Golden | NBC
Video Credit: THE VOICE's Official Youtube Page
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