Watch a ‘Voice’ contestant blow coaches away with soulful cover of ‘Shallow’
A “Voice” contestant’s stunning cover of “Shallow” spurred a contest among the coaches, who tried to convince him they could carry him to the finale.
Deion Warren, 28, a preacher’s son from Conway, North Carolina, wowed all four judges during Tuesday night’s episode with his take on the Oscar-winning duet from Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper that very nearly resulted in the coveted four-chair turn that has already happened a few times this season.
John Legend turned first, about 35 seconds into the song. Kelly Clarkson immediately followed suit and Nick Jonas had heard enough when he turned his chair about 40 seconds after that. As his performance closed, Blake Shelton said he was “the moron out of this one” for not turning around, although he explained he was merely keeping to his word.
“I made a promise to an artist that, if they would pick me, that I would keep the lane clear for them. And, for once, I'm gonna stick with my word, John,” he told Legend, alluding to Cam Anthony's performance, in which he said he would not pick someone else in the same musical style as Anthony.
With Shelton out of the way, the other three coaches began to court Warren in hopes of getting him on their respective teams.
“I believe you and I can take this thing to the end of the competition. All the way to the finale. And I felt really emotionally connected. I think everyone that watched that performance felt what you were singing,” Jonas said.
“Deion, I love the song choice because whenever an artist covers a song that’s kind of a different style than what they come with and then makes it their own, I think it takes skill to pull that off. It takes musicianship, it takes artistry, and you showed us all of that,” Legend said.
“And I loved your low voice. It was rich. It was nuanced. Every line was delivered with power and essence, and you don’t need a lot of coaching from us. And I’d love to help you through this journey.”
“I've heard a lot of singers cover (’Shallow’) and they're doing it more to show off their range, instead of doing it for the reason that the song was probably written and the message behind it," Clarkson said. “It felt like you were the perfect vessel for the message and the moment, and that is my favorite kind of singer.”
Clarkson, who herself has covered “Shallow,” agreed with Jonas that Warren has the potential to make the finale, then implored him to choose her because she’s won “American Idol.”
“Pick — I don’t know — someone that’s won a vocal competition,” she joked.
Her efforts were not enough to sway Warren, though, who wound up going with Legend.
