Adam, Blake, Xtina and Pharrell continued to look for the best undiscovered talent in America. (Photo property of NBC & United Artists Media Group)
By: Jacob Elyachar, jakes-take.com
Last night, The Voice returned for its tenth (or fifth anniversary) season!
Despite not having a coaches’ performance (it would have been epic), Adam Levine, Blake Shelton, Pharrell Williams and Christina Aguilera found some talent that could actually win Season 10. Right now, Christina might have found the winner in the form of former child actress turned full-time mom Alisan Porter.
Did Adam, Blake or Pharrell found a contestant that could counter this dream duo? Read on to find out…
As Adam and Blake celebrated their 10th seasons of bromance, 27-year-old Joe Vivona was ready to take the stage. His family runs a traveling carnival and he hoped to trade the carnival for the bright lights of Universal Studios Hollywood. He hoped that both Adam and Pharrell would turn their chairs around for his cover of John Mayer’s “Dreaming With A Broken Heart.” I loved hearing his gritty vocals and his voice reminded me of a young John Fogerty-Joe Cocker hybrid. His performance not only caught the attention of Adam, Blake and Pharrell! Joe picked Pharrell as his coach (his grandfather’s favorite coach).
15-year-old Shalyah Fearing has a huge family! She is also the lead singer of her family band (Fearless Star) and wanted to try out for The Voice. Her family sacrificed a lot to support Shalyah’s dreams and she hoped that a coach would turn their chair around so that she can prove that she has a bright future in music. Shalyah performed Empire’s “What is Love” and she gave me chills! I loved every single minute of her performance and I am so glad that Christina has this young powerhouse!
33-year-old Adam Wakefield is a child of former hippies and started a band with his brother. He overcame his brother’s death to pursue his dream of becoming a full-time musician. Adam shined with his smooth cover of “Tennessee Whiskey” that caught the attention of Shevine. He gave me shades of Craig Wayne Boyd and Zac Brown. After Blake and Adam L passionately debated about the future of country music, Adam W decided to pick Blake as his coach.
Last season, Caroline Burns did not a chair to turn…now, she is back to get a coach to turn their chair around. She decided to go old school and sing Carole King’s “So Far Away.” I got chills instantly when she sang Ms. King’s signature tune. After that impeccable performance, I believe that she could be this season’s dark horse or one of its frontrunners depending on song choice. Once again, it was up to Adam Levine and Blake Shelton to convince Caroline to join their team. She decided to enlist with the person who turned around first—Adam Levine!
For 16-year-old Emily Keener, music has always been at the forefront of her life. She practiced her guitar until her fingers bled and listened to Johnny Cash and the Beatles. However, she is tired of not having the opportunities in her home state of Ohio and hoped that her cover of “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” would convince the coaches. It did…she got all four coaches to turn around. Emily’s cover of the Elton John standard gave me chills and I wished that the show had a fast pass that would send the artist directly to the Live Playoffs. She became Pharrell’s second four-chair victory this season!
As Pharrell met Emily’s family, 38-year-old professional musician Laith Al-Saadi took to the stage. He had the opportunity to open for his favorite musicians B.B. King and Gregg Allman and hoped that one of the superstar coaches would turn their chair around for him. His cover of “The Letter” combined the vocal sass of Sir Elton John and the blues presence of B.B. King that caught the attention of both Adam and Blake! Laith became the second member of Team Adam of the night.
One of the night’s colorful characters to emerge was Angie Keilhauer. Her family moved from El Salvador to Georgia and her mother helped Angie discover Dolly Parton and she hoped that can leave the gigs and cruise ships (she sang on a couple of them) behind with her interpretation of “I Hold On.” I love Angie’s raspy vocals and her innate ability to tell a story. Her passionate performance caught the attention of Adam, Blake and Pharrell. With the encouragement of her family, Angie picked Blake as her coach!
The final audition of the night belonged to Kata Hay! She moved to Nashville with her girlfriend to make it into the music industry. Now, Kata hoped to leave the karaoke bar behind and dedicated her performance of Gretchen Wilson’s “Redneck Woman” to her late mother. From note one, Kata put a smile on my face and blew me away with her vocal prowess. At the last-minute, Adam, Pharrell and Xtina turned their chairs around. While she was disappointed that Blake did not turn around for her, Kata revealed that Xtina was her very first girl crush and the “Fighter” singer invited Kata to make out with her! After they made out, Kata became a member of her team!
Next week, the Blind Auditions continue!
