Season 27 of The Voice kicked off part three of the Blind Auditions on Monday (Feb. 17) evening with a fresh crop of new talent trying their best to wow judges Kelsea Ballerini, Michael Bublé, John Legend, and Adam Levine. The two-hour episode included everything from a Coach Replay button to two blocks to multiple four-chair-turns to a Ryan Reynolds cameo to plenty of comical ribbing from the cast mates.
First up to sing his heart out in front of the panel was Divighn, a 33 year old singer from California, who grew up with nine siblings in a one-income household. He performed a groovy and electrifying version of James Brown’s “I Got You (I Feel Good).” It took a bit of time for him to receive a chair turn from one of the judges. Still, Ballerini turned around and happily danced along to the performance before Bublé pressed his red button.
“You sound great, and I love the song. .. I think you’re an entertainer, my friend,” Bublé said while Ballerini pointed out,“From the first note, I was like, ‘Goosebumps.’ I knew that you were a performer without even turning around….”
Bublé ended up winning Divighn for his team, but Ballerini wasn’t done persuading other talented hopefuls to join Team Kelsea. She ended up finding Nashville transplant, Page Mackenzie. The 32-year-old songstress, who happens to perform in Blake Shelton’s Ole Red bar from time to time, performed “Hell On Heels” by Pistol Annies. After pleasing judges with her natural twang, viewers saw another battle between Bublé and Ballerini.
“Canada loves country music too,” Bublé said, reminding folks that country music isn’t just an American genre. “When you started low, I was like, ‘Okay.’ And then, boom! You went up an octave, and you started getting that growl. My competitiveness kicked in. I wanted in, and I wanted you to be on my team.”
Ballerini, who wrangled Mackenzie for her team, intervened, saying, “I can help you because I know what it feels like to be a woman in country music. I know the challenges it comes with. I want to be a safe place for you, and I want to be your friend. I feel like that’s what we need in this industry.”
Ballerini also reigned victory over Bublé with 31-year-old Jessica Manalo, a Las Vegas, Nev. resident, who claims her Filipino ancestry made it difficult to make a career in music. However, she has been able to perform all over her city and showed off her musician skills with a performance of Sam Smith’s “Unholy.” Before joining up with Ballerini’s team, the“Penthouse” singer told her she had an “identifiable voice.”
Meanwhile, Jacquelyn George, a 27-year-old from Franklin Tenn, joined Team Legend after the two shared a proud moment onstage singing an impromptu rendition of Legend’s “Ordinary People.” George, whose brother was in the late ‘90s pop band Plus One, auditioned with a tall order singing Whitney Houston’s “I Have Nothing.” And, while she was lucky enough to move through to the next round with a tough song choice, others didn’t share the same fate.
16-year-old Jonny Rey got the axe with a mildly impressive rendition of Maroon 5’s “She Will Be Loved” while Afina Madoian, 27, from the Republic of Moldova, chose a song that seemed too ambitious for her vocal range, channeling Houston’s “Saving All My Love For You.” Levine told her the performance “wasn’t the perfect execution of the song” while Ballerini added that the moment was just a setback to set her up for a chance to return, in the future.
Although the telecast saw Ballerini and Bublé going head to head for the most part, the country star and newbie coach also found herself getting even with Levine, who used his block button on her for a chance to nab Tyler Kae, 22, of Olympia Washington. Kae stunned with a powerful and inventive rendition of Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Want To Have Fun.”
“Girls want to have fun, and then a boy comes and ruins it,” Ballerini griped as Levine celebrated having Kae on his team.
Ballerini tried returning the favor when she used her block on Levine for a chance to earn BD.ii (Brian Dardi II) for Team Kelsea, but that move didn’t go as planned. BD.ii, a 31-year-old Virginia native, received a four-chair-turn with his soulful version of Miguel’s “Adorn.”
He ended up representing Team Legend after Legend said, “I love that song. I love Miguel. I know our music and that performance was so good. What I loved about it was how laid back you were. That approach to that song made it sexier, cooler, and more confident.”
Conor James, 28, from Bridgewater, Massachusetts, was the second artist to score a coveted four-chair-turn. He brought the house down with Aretha Franklin’s “I Say a Little Prayer.”
“I’m obsessed with you,” Ballerini told James. “I forgot that I had a job to do when I was turning around. I felt it. It’s so inspiring to see someone like you.”
Ballerini ended up losing James to Levine, who said, “I think, we’re just scratching the surface of what this kid can do.”
Levine also grabbed 50-year-old Tinika Wyatt for his team, but she almost didn’t make the cut. The San Diego, Calif.,counselor performed “Sorry Not Sorry” by Demi Lavato, and initially received zero chair turns. However, after channeling an original song on the spot that had her pleading for a spot-on the show, Levine slammed on his red button, using his Coach Replay.
Also to make it on through was Barry Jean Fontenot, 31, of Chicago, Illinois. He performed a memorable cover of the Temptations “I Wish It Would Rain.” All the judges seemed to agree that Fontenot belonged on Bublé’s team, with the Canadian star and last season’s winner, saying, “I’m so happy that I turned. There’s something in that tone that I love.”
The Voice Season 27 airs every Monday night at 8/7c on NBC. Be sure to catch episodes the next day, on Peacock.
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