Spoiler Alert! THE VOICE Final Blind Audition Recap 10/6; Full Results, Pictures!
By: Matt Tamanini Oct. 06, 2014
40 down, eight to go! As we entered the final night of THE VOICE's Blind Auditions, each coach was still looking for two contestants to round out his or her team. While there hasn't been the top-level talent that we've seen on THE VOICE in previous seasons, the breadth of talent is still as impressive as it ever has been; in fact it still dwarfs that of AMERICAN IDOL.
Tonight was an exciting mix of singers who have a shot to win, or have a chance to be sacrificed in the Battle Rounds. Since all of the coaches had to navigate their limited roster spots, some coaches passed on some talent, and others stretched to pick up singers that didn't seem quite ready for the big stage
Check out my thoughts on each performance, and let me know what you think in the comments below, or on Twitter @BWWMatt.
Contestant: Matt McAndrew
Three-Word Bio: Tatted Music Teacher
Song: "A Thousand Years" by Christina Perri
Chair Turns: Adam Levine, Blake Shelton, Pharrell Williams
Coach: Adam Levin
Three-Word Review: I'd Buy That
Matt's performance was full of so many different dynamics, that even though he was far from a perfect singer, he's just got that special something that makes you want to listen to him. He was effortless, he was smooth, he was honest. Whether it was nerves, or a slight lack of control, his vibrato wobbled a little, but there was so much heart and emotion in his performance, I didn't care about any of the technical issues.
Contestant: Brittany Butler
Three-Word Bio: Berklee Trained Crooner
Song: " The Girl from Ipanema" by Stan Getz and João Gilberto
Chair Turns: Gwen Stefani, Pharrell Williams
Coach: Pharrell Williams
Three-Word Review: Oh, that's cool!
I honestly am not 100% sure how good of a singer Brittany is, but dang is she cool. She picks a song completely out of leftfield, and even though she stayed fairly true to the original, she infused it with a bit of her own personal funk. She clearly has skill, and she has even more personal style, but I think that Pharrell is going to have his work cut out for him a little bit when it comes to vocal technique.
Contestant: Evan Watson
Three-Word Bio: Beer-Brewing Farmer
Song: "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" by The Band
Chair Turns: No Chair Turns
Three-Word Review: Growly Lumberjack Dude
Contestant: Ryan Sill
Three-Word Bio: Opera Singing Off-Spring
Song: "Secrets" by One Republic
Chair Turns: Gwen Stefani, Blake Shelton
Coach: Gwen Stefani
Three-Word Review: Polished, Clear Performer
If this dude doesn't end up in a boy band, he missed out on an incredible opportunity. His voice is crystal clear, and he looks like he came straight off the cover of "Tiger Beat." He had some moments of intonation issues, but what was most impressive was that, in an instant, he was able to correct himself and get back on pitch. He's got range, he's got technique, he's got teeny-bopper looks, he's got a shot to win this thing.
Contestant: Fernanda Bosch
Three-Word Bio: Venezuelan Swim Instructor
Song: "I Try" by Macy Gray
Chair Turns: Blake Shelton, Gwen Stefani
Coach: Blake Shelton
Three-Word Review: Struggled, but Talented
Wow, that was like watching two completely different performances. The first was almost painful to listen to as she rattled around in the dungeons of her lower register. Numerous times, she completely lost the melody and her gravelly voice made it difficult for her to find her note. However, when, out of nowhere, she began to belt, and she finally sounded like she belonged on THE VOICE. Blake is gonna have lots and lots of issues with her, but if he can harness the upper half of her chest voice, she could be interesting.
Contestant: Beth Spangler
Three-Word Bio: Country X-ray Tech
Song: "Best Thing I Never Had" by Beyoncé
Chair Turns: Four Chair Turn!
Coach: Adam Levine
Three-Word Review: Shiny Happy Singer
Despite her leather overalls, Beth was absolutely cute as a button. She appeared to be scared to death, but she gave her heart and soul into performing that song. The coaches seemed to like her vocals more than I did, but she has a very good range; and her ability to connect to her song makes her exponentially more likeable. I'm not sure a squeaky clean, country girl doing a Beyoncé song really showed who she was, but I'm interested to see her development through the Battles.
Contestant: Erin Kim
Three-Word Bio: Martial Arts Soulman
Song: "Latch" by Disclosure featuring Sam Smith
Chair Turns: No Chair Turns
Three-Word Review: Bit too Much
Contestant: Griffin
Three-Word Bio: Bow-Tie Entrepreneur
Song: "It's a Beautiful Day" by Michael Bublé
Chair Turns: Blake Shelton, Pharrell Williams, Gwen Stefani
Coach: Pharrell Williams
Three-Word Review: Just 'Aight Crooner
I guess Pharrell just really wanted a guy to sing baritone in his a capella group, because other than that, Griffin didn't show me anything that made me think he could be a star. From his faux-hawk to his pretentious one-name moniker, everything about him screamed "Annoying!" so loudly that I couldn't actually hear anything else that came out of his mouth.
Contestant: Chandra Knudsen
Three-Word Bio: Iowa's Favorite Batgirl
Song: "Hard to Love" by Lee Brice
Chair Turns: No Chair Turns
Three-Word Review: Middling Country Performer
Contestant: Mayra Alvarez
Three-Word Bio: Jake Worthington II
Song: "Human Nature" by Michael Jackson
Chair Turns: Gwen Stefani, Blake Shelton
Coach: Gwen Stefani
Three-Word Review: Boring Song Choice
Mayra had an interesting, airy quality to her voice, and she was on pitch for the majority of her song, but that's about the best compliment I can give her. She sounded fine, but her performance was really indistinguishable from myriad of other auditions from every other reality singing competition. #BattleRoundCannonFodder
Contestant: Justin Johnes
Three-Word Bio: YouTube N'Sync Teen
Song: "Let Her Go" by Passenger
Chair Turns: Blake Shelton
Coach: Blake Shelton
Three-Word Review: Wow, shockingly good
Maybe it was because he was dressed like Justin Bieber, but I was not expecting to like his Justin nearly as much as I did. This little YouTuber was legit. He had great, great control, great tone, and a seemingly innate musical understanding. Somehow, Blake always ends up with these uber-talented teenagers, and more times than not, he finds a way to make them successful. While he's not a country singer, he very well could be leading Tem Blake to another title.
Now that the teams are fully formed, whose team is strongest? Do you have an early favorite to take home the title? Let me know what you think in the comments below, or on Twitter @BWWMatt. Also, don't forget to follow @BWWTVWorld on Twitter and Like us on Facebook for all of the latest TV news, reviews, and recaps.
Photo Credit: Tyler Golden | NBC
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