It feels like a long time has passed since last week’s premiere of The Voice. NBC was ready to run with the all important follow-up that continued with the team coaches vetting the singers and drafting their teams. At the conclusion of week one Adam Levine, Blake Shelton, Cee Lo Green and Christina Aguilera each had lined up three of the required eight performers for their respective group. We ran a poll and as of the beginning of week 2’s episode our readers felt that Adam Levine’s team was the strongest with over 50% of the vote.
As I did following the premiere, here’s an after-show break down providing a brief introduction and photo of each performer that performed tonight, which judge they are now under the trusted tutelage of, and then I’ll let you vote again for which team you think has the best chance to win the competition. Time for round 2 and surprisingly the completion of the blind auditions!
Adam was extremely patient in going after his team during week one. All the other judges had two of their eight slots filled before Adam landed a performer. A regular looking Joe from Texas with some unique vocals got it going. Here are the three members that are already part of Adam’s team:
Jeff Jenkins:
Jeff was great in his performance of “Bless the Broken Road” by Rascal Flatts. In his after interview with Daly you could see how nervous Jenkins was as his neck was flushed with blood. All the judges wanted him but Adam was shall we say persistent and landed Jeff.
Rebecca Loebe:
Adam’s patience really paid off with Loebe. She was creative and bold with her soulful rendition of Nirvana’s “Come As You Are.” Christina was impressed too but Adam landed perhaps the most impressive performer of the evening. During her intro Loebe revealed that she’s homeless and living out of a car as she tours and plays music.
Javier Colon:
I’ve already profiled our man Javier as his beautiful rendition of Cyndi Lauper’s “Time After Time” was featured prominently in one of the show’s early promos. Javier has the full package and could very well win it all. All four judges wanted in and I believe Adam is lucky to have him.
And now tonight’s selections that Adam hopes will continue his trend of being the front runner:
Devon Barley:
Devon Barley took time away from his pursuit of becoming a doctor to compete on The Voice. It looked like no one was going to buy in but eventually Adam and Cee Lo pressed their buttons. Barley had an Adam vibe to his performance and he went with him. Devon sung the song “I’m Yours” by Jason Mraz.
Tim Mahoney:
Tim has been in the music business for well over a decade. He’s from Minneapolis and was certain that The Voice was his last chance. He sang “Bring It On Back Home.” Adam went with Tim initially because he thought he was a female singer but whoops he had a penis as Adam correctly pointed out. Gender aside he’s now part of Levine’s team.
Casey Weston:
Casey got in on her 2nd chance by singing the song “Stupid Boy” by Keith Urban filling in the 7th spot on Adam’s team. The Naples, FL resident was a long shot but made it and now is in the battle round.
Casey Desmond:
We weren’t shown her performance but were told by Carson Daly that Casey Desmond performed Lady Gaga’s recent smash “Born this Way.”
Angela Wolff:
The last one in and the girl that completed all the teams for The Voice. She first went after one of Blake Shelton’s woman’s songs but it was her 2nd run that landed her on Adam’s team.
Blake as you might have figured favored the performers who had a country flavor to their singing during the premiere episode. He pushed hard on the straight country acts and was convincing in his ability to draft for his team. So did he venture away from his roots and expand his team’s possibilities? Lets take a look at who made Blake’s cut from last week:
Patrick Thomas:
Patrick Thomas got his ten gallon hat country croon on with Tim McGraw’s affirming mega-hit “Live Like You Were Dying.” Adam, Cee Lo and Blake all wanted a piece but Patrick went with Blake and his heavy country sell. Thomas is originally from Texas and now lives in, you guessed it, Nashville.
Elenowen:
Elenowen was the lone duet from the evening and the husband wife team took the judges by surprise. They obviously weren’t prepared for the duet action. They sang a personal favorite “Falling Slowly” from the film Once originally performed by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova. Blake won the day over Cee Lo for their talents.
Xenia Martinez:
You want obscure? An initial search didn’t turn up any images for this 16-year-old from California. I had to go with the just posted pics courtesy of NBC. Xenia was reserved but sang the song “Break Even” by The Script well enough to draw the attention of Blake and Cee Lo. Blake pushed hard and when he won he hugged the young singer calling her, “My Little Xenia.”
And here are the new additions to Team Blake:
Tyler Robinson:
Tyler Robinson opened up before he even sang by revealing to his non-supportive Mormon father that he was gay. He was vibrant and soulful with his version of “Hey, Soul Sister” by Train. Blake liked what he heard but joked that his man looked a little like Drew Carey.
Dia Frampton:
I’ve already done a preview of my girl Dia of Meg & Dia. She’s got a real understated and beautiful delivery and is an early personal favorite to win. I like that she got teamed up with Blake as I think the match-up is a good one. She sang “Bubbly” by Colbie Callait. Find out a bunch more about Dia Frampton in my profile here.
Sara Oromchi:
We were not shown Sara’s performance but were told that she is part of Blake’s team and sang John Lennon’s classic “Imagine.”
Jared Blake:
This dude has been through it all and the father of 6 had a second chance and made good this time when Blake filled out his final roster spot with the bald tattooed man who sang “Not Ready To Make Nice” by The Dixie Chicks.
Serabee:
We were not shown Serabee’s performance but she made the cut landing on Blake’s team by performing “Son Of a Preacher Man” by the legendary Dusty Springfield.
Cee Lo really spoke from his soul during the premiere when he commented on the performers and was consistently refreshing. Lets just face it, dude is cool. It must have been hard for anybody to have not chosen to go with Green as their coach. Here’s the fortunate three that will be coached by Cee Lo from week one:
Kelsey Rey:
Kelsey had some seriously soulful pipes with Adam, Christina and Cee Lo wanting in on her action. She sang the song “American Boy” by Estelle. She has already had quite a bit of success on YouTube and was emotional when discussing how her good looks had actually been a hindrance and how proud she was that her voice alone landed her a spot with Cee Lo.
Vicci Martinez:
Vicci hails from Seattle and took on the song “Rolling in the Deep” by Adele. Christina and Cee Lo pitched for her talents with Martinez going with Cee Lo’s heart connection. She heads The Vicci Martinez Band and was actually a participant in the original American Idol but backed out because she felt the contract was too restrictive.
Tje Austin:
Austin had an old school afro and an old school smooth voice. Adam and Cee Lo wanted Austin after hearing his version of “Just the Way You Are” with the unique artist teaming up with Cee Lo. Austin hails from Austin, TX and his MySpace site boasts over 3 million hits.
And here are tonight’s “Forget You” (but not forgotten) chosen ones by Mr. Green:
Emily Valentine:
Emily had some ink and a seriously sexy look but as we know she had to be chosen based on her voice. Blake and Cee Lo went after her with the beautiful blonde from Hollywood choosing Green. She sang the song “Sober” by Pink.
Nakia:
Nakia had the balls, as Christina said, to sing Cee Lo’s “Forget You” and was rewarded by a turn of the chair from Blake and yes Cee Lo himself. Blake made a strong pitch but in the end the one name man from Austin, TX went with Green.
Niki Dawson:
We weren’t shown Niki’s performance but were told she went with Cee Lo and sang Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream.”
Curtis Grimes:
Curtis Grimes went in as a total Blake begger with a country drawl and singin’ Shelton’s hit tune “Hillbilly Bone” but interestingly enough Cee Lo was the only judge to turn his chair. Green finally got his wish to work with a country artist to see what the two could do. Should be interesting.
Tori and Taylor Thompson:
This duo from the farm were bubble gum sweet and Cee Lo thought they had something to work with. They sang the song “Stuck Like Glue” by Sugarland. These girls were adorable and with Cee Lo’s skills could have a bright future.
Christina was all about the girl power during week one and maybe a little pants removal from one particularly good looking cowboy. Here is who became part of Aguilera’s team from the premiere:
Tarralyn Ramsey:
Tarralyn is a seasoned R&B / Gospel singer from Jacksonville FL. Christina, Cee Lo and Adam all wanted her when they heard her rendition of Faith Hill’s “Breathe.” This girl is all about the pipes so she went with little miss powerhouse Aguilera to be her coach.
Fenchie Davis:
Christina was the only judge that wanted the previous American Idol participant and Broadway performer. Frenchie went edgy with the song “I Kissed a Girl” by Katy Perry. You could tell Aguilera was surprised by who was singing and a little unsure about her decision. Cee Lo joked that he could personally relate to the lyrics of the song.
Beverly McClellan:
Beverly was a bald tatted out rocking lady who brought it with everything she had on her performance of the oft covered Janis Joplin hit “Take A Piece Of My Heart.” Christina and Adam were in but with devil rock hands in tow Beverly went with Christina. McClellan hails from Ft. Lauderdale, FL.
Pipes and more pipes, Christina always seemed to be compelled to turn her chair when a note bending solo was sung. Here’s who got added to Aguilera’s bunch from tonight:
Cherie Oakley:
Cherie is a well established back-up singer in Nashville and recently wrote a number one hit for Reba McEntire. She went full bore with Miranda Lambert’s hit “Gunpowder and Lead.” If you didn’t know Miranda is Blake’s fiance but Blake didn’t turn around because he wanted to hear Cherie beat Miranda and like a smart country boy would, Blake said she didn’t.
Raquel Castro:
Raquel Castro is the youngest performer on the show at a mere 16-years-old. Christina Aguilera wanted her and she got what she wanted. XTina seem genuinely pleased by the small and young powerhouse package. Raquel sang “Bleeding Love” by Leona Lewis.
Julie Eason:
The 18-year-old looker drew the attention of Christina and Cee Lo with Aguilera winning the day. She sang a real good rendition of “Mercy” by Duffy.
Justin Grennan:
We weren’t shown Grennan’s performance but it was revealed that he performed Train’s “Drops of Jupiter” and was selected by Aguilera.
Lily Elise:
Lily got in on a 2nd chance. She sang the song “If I Ain’t Got You” by Alicia Keys. Aguilera almost went with Lily on the first go round and went all in when another opportunity was provided.
Now we’ve got a clear idea of what the teams strengths and weaknesses are. With the team’s rosters complete here’s another opportunity to let your voice be heard!
