The Voice Recap: As Teams Fill Up, Singers Throw Down on Blinds Night 5
As The Voice’s Season 25 Blind Auditions neared their conclusion Monday, we were introduced to a standout that one coach went so far as to liken to Brandy, a would-be winner who gave a performance that could only be called Dylanesque, and a country boy with as much gravel in his vocal as you’d find on a dirt road in Nowhereseville. Read on, and we’ll review all the singers who advanced from Night 5 of the Blinds.
Ronnie Wilson (Team Legend), “Pillowtalk” — Grade: C | Despite starting out his Zayn cover singing with the clarity of a bell, this 28-year-old accountant didn’t begin turning chairs right away. Maybe Dan + Shay and Chance predicted speed bumps ahead for Ronnie, who shared in his pre-interview that he felt his “full authentic self” when he blended the masculine and feminine appearance-wise. When Ronnie hit those speed bumps, the song got a little messy in the middle, and he sorta seemed to run out of gas before crossing the finish line.
Zoe Levert (Team Legend), “Better Man” — Grade: C | Eh, this was Tay Tay done just OK. There was nothing in Zoe’s take on Little Big Town that made me want to run from the room covering my ears. But it was so aggressively average, all I’m likely to remember from the one-chair turn’s tryout five minutes from now is Dan + Shay serenading her and her fiancé with their wedding song, “From the Ground Up.”
Ducote Talmage (Team Dan + Shay), “Sand in My Boots” — Grade: B | Auditioning with former Voice contestant Morgan Wallen’s hit, this country-boy firefighter got chair turns right away from John and Dan + Shay by unleashing a terrifically gravelly growl. Not sure what held Reba back (from turning at all) other than maybe she wanted to hear that he was a two-trick pony rather than just one. As far as I was concerned, that one trick, singing like a particularly memorable stretch of dirt road, was enough.
Serenity Arce (Team Chance), “This City” — Grade: A | Whew, this insta-standout earned a four-chair turn with a vocal that sounded a helluva lot more lived-in than the youngster’s 16 years. Sublimely soulful, Serenity, who’d previously auditioned for Season 14, demonstrated not only admirable control of her voice but also the poise of a future Alicia Keys. Definitely a contender for whom it was worth John using his Block on Dan + Shay. Chance was especially wowed by the way she transitioned from head voice to chest.
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Ryan Coleman (Team Dan + Shay), “Ain’t No Sunshine” — Grade: C | Motivated by a car wreck that nearly ended his life, this 25-year-old farm boy kept Dan + Shay debating whether they wanted him on their team till the very end of his number. You could hear why, too. Ryan can sing, sure. And his voice had some grit to it. But the performance lacked anything compelling or even authentic; in the end, it was affected rather than effective.
Zeya Rae (Team Reba), “bellyache” — Grade: C | This one’s tough to judge since we heard so little of it. The one-chair turn sounded a mite unsure of herself to me, but Dan + Shay thought they heard touches of Florence + the Machine and Lana Del Rey. For Zeya’s sake, I hope Dan + Shay heard right, not me.
AJ Harvey (Team Dan + Shay), “Girl From the North Country” — Grade: B+ | Determined to sing from the heart, this 25-year-old Native American would’ve gotten a chair turn from me, like, instantly. Besides the fact that his tone was a thing of beauty, I 100-percent believed every word that he sang. (Yes, even the ones that I couldn’t make out because he mumbled them Dylan-style.) Does the two-chair turn possess the firepower to survive the Battles? TBD. But as auditions go, this was a good’n.
Elyscia Jefferson (Team Reba), “PYT (Pretty Young Thing)” — Grade: A- | A 20-year-old jingle writer who gigs regularly with her family’s band, Elyscia energized the stage with her MJ cover. Not only was the three-chair turn’s Blind the most fun we had all night, but she has a voice that from the sounds of it doesn’t quit. John, who came to regret not swiveling his seat, likened Elyscia to Brandy, no less, in the way that she made it all come off effortless.
So, which contestant(s) made the kind of impression on you that we’d have to describe as lasting? Vote in the poll below, then get into the nitty and also the gritty in the comments.
