It was a race to the red chairs at the top of night four of the blind auditions on Season 27 of The Voice. But, the real competition happened at the end of the two-hour episode, which aired on Monday (Feb. 24) night on NBC.
Coaches Michael Bublé, John Legend, Kelsea Ballerini, and Adam Levine all turned around for Lucia Flores-Wiseman, a 22-year-old from Maple Valley, Washington, who performed a song in her father’s native Spanish language. With her guitar, Flores-Wiseman churned out Ángela Aguilar’s “La Llorona,” bringing some of the panel to their feet. Flores-Wiseman ended up finding a place on Levine’s team after the Maroon 5 frontman provided the best pitch over the other judges, hoping to win her for their respective teams.
“I’ve got to tell you a story about Brandi Carlile because what struck me about her was it was a voice you couldn’t ignore because it was so different,” Levine told the singer. “And when you were singing, especially when you were doing the things that nobody in the world does that has the potential to do what Brandi did, which was to disrupt and change the way that people perceive what good singing is, and that versatility and that passion and all of that, you have it all in spades.”
Levine wasn’t the only one to compliment Flores-Wiseman for her voice. Legend compared her vocal tone to a mixture of Janis Joplin and Amy Winehouse. Flores-Wiseman ultimately selected Levine because she had a connection to Carlile, having shared the stage with the country artist before.
Levine also added 22-year-old Fran Posla to his team, calling the hopeful’s vibrato “slow” and “mesmerizing.”
“I just love that you’re different, and being a part of that means a lot to me,” he told the singer, who captured coaches with her rendition of Jackie DeShannon‘s “What the World Needs Now Is Love.”
Overall, judges were picky when it came to turning for contestants. But all of them have continued stacking their teams with potential winners, with Ballerini adding two strong country singers to her team. They were Hailey Wright, a 19-year-old Redwater, Texas, native, who is a proud representative of the Choctaw Nation, and Robert Hunter, a 33-year-old Chief Deputy of Raleigh, North Carolina.
Wright dazzled folks with Freddy Fender’s “Before the Next Teardrop Falls,” earning turns from Bublé and Ballerini — who happen to be rivals this season, going head to head for several participants.
“After my last record, I called Willie Nelson and said, ‘Would you do a duet with me?’ The record before, Dolly Parton,” Bublé said, trying to persuade Wright for his team before acknowledging Ballerini’s chance of reigning victory. “I feel like, she’s Wonder Woman, and I’m the guy that can shoot a bow and arrow…. I know, it’s a long shot. I know, there’s girl power, but I’d love for your consideration to go off the board and choose me.”
Ballerini challenged Wright to sing an on-the-spot acapella portion of LeAnn Rimes’ “Blue” before telling the singer, “I just wanted to show you that I get you. I can’t wait to work together more as we get to know each other, hopefully.”
Ballerini didn’t have to put up much of a fight when collecting Hunter for her team. After he performed a memorable rendition of “‘Til You Can’t” by Cody Johnson, he brought his family to the stage and let his toddler daughter decide which judge to go with between Ballerini and Bublé.
Legend kicked off the show on a high note as he was the first to add a singer to his team. In the beginning minutes of the episode, he landed Kolby Cordell, 32, who channeled Luther Vandross’ “Never Too Much,” showcasing his smooth and controlled tone, impressive falsetto, and r&b-tinged voice.
“You really made the song your own,” Legend raved. “This is such a cool way to sing Luther because he sings silky, and your voice has the perfect amount of grit in it.”
Later in the telecast, Legend gathered Los Angeles resident and Jazz singer Olivia Kuper for his team. The 24-year-old standout blew coaches away with Doris Day’s “Dream A Little Dream,” securing three chair turns. Surprisingly, the only coach who didn’t press his red button was Bublé, with Levine saying he would regret that decision.
“Some voices, in my opinion, you have to turn around for. There’s an ethereal quality to what you do that transcends any one thing,” Levine said. “I was feeling it, and I didn’t think about it. You’re really special.”
Legend also took his turn with the Coach Replay Button, giving 35-year-old professional dancer, Antonio Ramsey a second chance after no one turned around for the singer who delivered a version of Bobby Brown’s “Every Little Step.” Luckily, Ramsey got the chance to sing a few lines of a different song before the final decision was made, making Legend realize “he’s better off on mid-tempo and ballads. He’s got charisma and energy, and I know that fans will love him.”
Bublé, who won last year, could strike again as Ballerini acknowledged he had a good ear for singers. The Canadian star was able to land a few impressive singers to his team, taking Dimitrius Graham and Kaiya Hamilton. He also landed Aaron Rizzo and Kameron Jaso, who didn’t receive full air-time for their respective performances. Legend also gained Nell Simmons, who didn’t get a complete segment on the show.
As with previous episodes, a few contestants didn’t make it past the blind auditions. Emily McGill, a 26-year-old from Nashville, took the challenge of singing Fleetwood Mac’s “Gold Dust Woman.” Although she was confident enough to take on the song, Levine couldn’t help but feel like it was too tall an order.
“Stevie Nicks is the goat. When I hear someone cover her, I get used to the way the original makes me feel,” he said.
While not one of the members of Fleetwood Mac, Elliott Fleetwood, who shares the same title in his last name, also received a similar fate to McGill. He was sent home after singing Young the Giant’s “Cough Syrup.”
“I feel like there was a disconnect between the material and yourself. Don’t be hard on yourself. Don’t feel like this is a failure. This is a bump on the road to your success,” Bublé told Fleetwood.
As coaches continue completing their teams, inevitably, they will not be as liberal about selecting individuals with the blind auditions getting closer to coming to a close. The Voice will return with an all-new episode Monday (March 3). Folks who miss the broadcast can stream the next day on Peacock.
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