Jennifer Hudson joins “The Voice”

By: Jacob Elyachar, jakes-take.com

Grammy and Oscar-winning singer Jennifer Hudson is joining The Voice family.

Jennifer Hudson got her start on a certain singing competition show called American Idol. While she did not win her season, the show gave her a great starting point to the entertainment industry.  Her appearance on American Idol led her to box office glory with her career creating performance as Effie White in the 2006 musical film adaptation of Dreamgirls.  In addition to her appearances in films such as Sex and the City, The Secret Life of Bees, Winnie Mandela, and The Three Stooges, she also starred in television musical dramas Smash and Empire.  However, Jennifer Hudson never forgot her singing competition roots as she became The Voice UK’s first female coach to win the series.  With one victory under her belt, Jennifer Hudson is ready to conquer the US version of the series.

But for any member of Team JHud to earn Chris Blue’s crown and stash, they would have to beat three veteran coaches.  Miley Cyrus is back for her second season as coach, while series stalwarts Adam Levine and Blake Shelton are also looking to score their fourth and sixth wins as coaches.  Did Jennifer Hudson score pure talent during the first night of the Season 13 Blind Auditions?  Read on to find out!

Chris Weaver tackled the late Otis Redding’s “Try A Little Tenderness” for his Blind Audition performance. In my humble opinion, whether I hear this song, I immediately go back to America’s Got Talent: Season 10 finalists The CraigLewis Band’s excellent cover.  While Chris did not have the same pizazz that accompanied the AGT alums, I thought that his rich baritone was a welcome addition to the show. All four coaches turned around and gave him a standing ovation.  While Jennifer Hudson demanded that Miley and Blake threw their shoes at him (Adam beat them to the punch), Chris reminded the Dreamgirl about their shared history.  Chris sang to Jennifer while he was performing at The Color Purple cast party and gave her a photo as proof.  Miley correctly predicted that Adam, Blake, and herself had ZERO chance of securing Chris as being a part of their team as the singer became the first recruit for Team Jennifer Hudson.

Up next to face the coaches were South Carolina native turned Nashville transplant, Mitchell Lee. The woodworker created custom furniture for a living and originally wanted to be a dentist, but his late mother wanted to see him as a rock star. He dedicated his performance of Hootie + The Blowfish’s “Hold My Hand” to his late mother. Mitchell’s folk-rock voice caught not only my attention, but also Adam, Blake, and Jennifer Hudson. I believe that Darius Rucker would be proud of that cover.  Blake stated that Mitchell sounded very Southern and the five-time Voice winning coach was slowly was able to convince him to be the first member of Team Blake.

Single mother Janice Freeman hoped to audition for The Voice to begin a new chapter of her life.  Janice lost her husband to cancer and almost lost her life due to the disease. However, her cancer is in remission, and Janice hoped that her rendition of “Radioactive” could convince a coach to turn their chair around. As Janice sang, she reminded me so much of Season Six participant Sisaundra Lewis. Just like Sisaundra, Janice’s vocal performance blew the roof off the Universal Studios Hollywood soundstage. Miley stated that she loved artists who were fearless, while Jennifer declared that she admired her passion. I also thought it was a powerful moment when both ladies went on stage and hugged her after Janice revealed her cancer battle.  After the women bonded, Janice decided to go with someone different and picked Miley.

As Miley met Janice’s family, Shi’Ann Jones stepped onto the stage and killed Ray Charles’ “Drown in My Own Tears.” Ms. Jones’s vocal performance blew me away. I felt like I was going to Kol Nidre early. When Shi’Ann revealed her age to the coaches, the coaches’ jaws dropped. Both Jennifer Hudson and Blake turned around for her. Jennifer declared her a mini-me and revealed that Shi’Ann would have been her honorary daughter. Despite Blake’s efforts, Shi’Ann picked Jennifer to be her coach.

Dave Crosby became an Internet sensation after a video of Dave and his daughter, Claire,  singing “You’ve Got A Friend in Me” went viral. This lead to appearances on both Little Big Shots and Ellen. Dave decided to audition for The Voice to make his dream of pursuing music full-time to come true. Dave delivered a superb cover of Death Cab for Cutie’s “I Will Follow You into the Dark” that caught the attention of Adam, Blake, and Miley. I loved seeing his daughter’s face explode after seeing all three coaches’ chairs turned around. When Dave revealed that his daughter helped him rediscover music, the coaches deduced that Dave was the father in the video and Jennifer asked if Claire was here. After Dave let Claire had her moment to shine, he decided to select Adam to be his coach.

As Adam hugged Claire and met the rest of Dave’s family backstage, 48-year-old NFL alum Esera Tuaolo visited The Voice to dust off his singing career. He tackled Andra Day’s “Rise Up, ” and he had the first moving performance of Season 13. He gave me chills, and I loved his excellent vocal range. Esera caught the attention of both Blake and Jennifer. While I was a little surprised that he picked Blake, I believe that Esera could be a potential contender to make it to the Live Rounds.

Seventh grade English teacher Brandon Stowell hoped to inspire his students to never give up on his dreams and hoped to become a pupil of one of the coaches. He tackled Shawn Mendes’ “There’s Nothing Holding Me Back.” I could see Brandon as a pop rocker, and he handled that song with ease. He caught the attention of Adam and the ladies. While Jennifer and Brandon instantly bonded over their cruise ship background, he believed that he would learn more from  Adam and decided that the Maroon 5 frontman would be his coach.

One voice that could shake up the competition is Lucas Holliday. The cashier sang a Maxwell song to his friend that went viral and caught the attention of the R&B singer-songwriter who invited him on stage when he performed in Michigan. Lucas’ voice reminds me of a combination of Luther Vandross and Joe Cocker, and I am stunned that only Jennifer Hudson turned around. He could be the Jeffrey Austin of Season 13.

As Jennifer met Lucas and his family, 26-year-old Brooke Simpson concluded night one of The Voice: Season 13 Blind Auditions with her interpretation of Demi Lovato’s “Stone Cold.” I immediately got chills from her voice, and her performance reminded me of Season 10 champion and Christina Aguilera pupil Alisan Porter. Brooke’s powerful voice broke through the competition tonight as she received the second four-chair turn of the season! Adam immediately ran up and hugged Brooke and predicted that whoever got Brooke as a team member might run away with the season. Miley stated that Adam beat her to the punch and revealed that Brooke left her speechless. Brooke also revealed that she listens to all four coaches, but Brooke revealed that her mother was her true inspiration. While Adam left Brooke’s mom speechless, Miley stated that she would truly be invested in Brooke’s artistry and wanted to help Brooke tell her story. With those words, Brooke became a member of Team Miley and easily became the second frontrunner of Season 13.

Tomorrow night, The Voice: Season 13 Blind Auditions continue!