It’s night two of The Voice season 7. And the new team of coaches (Adam Levine, Blake Shelton and newcomers Gwen Stefani, and Pharrell Williams) is continuing with the Blind Auditions. Each coach is looking to add to their two singers from last night. But Adam says that he and Blake weren’t even trying yesterday. Now it’s time to get serious.
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Danica Shirey (“Big White Room”)
Danica Shirey’s up first. She actually sang at the Apollo when she was 15 years old, but it’s been hard for her since then. Her dad passed away from cancer and he was always an inspiration to her, and she didn’t perform since his death. Now she’s a stay-at-home mom and her daughter and fiance are there to support her.
Adam turns around right away when she starts to sing “Big White Room.” Then Gwen and Pharrell spin around and it’s on. What’s wrong with Blake? Adam says that she has one of the best voices that he’s heard in a while, but Gwen says she can help with her look, and Pharrell basically begs. “I’m so scrawny, but I know what to do with that voice,” he says. Blake even says he should choose Pharrell. In the end, she does goes with Pharrell! That’s who I wanted her to pick. He really wanted it. “You’re dead to me, Blake,” Adam says. “You can have all your friendship bracelets back.”
Result: Danica chooses Pharrell
Joe Kirk (“Lego House”)
Joe Kirk is so young. He’s going to be a senior in high school. His mom was a singer at a resort and his family called themselves “the modern day Partridge family.” Then his brothers moved to Nashville, and he quickly followed. They’re adorable.
He sings “Lego House,” and Adam and Gwen turn around right away. Blake and Pharrell quickly follow. He got everyone to turn around, so the pressure’s on. Adam and Pharrell both complain about Blake trying to bond over Joe being from Nashville. So Blake strikes back and puts on a big Pharrell hat. Who could take that hat seriously? Gwen asks who his idol is and he says his brothers. Gwen can relate to that. “I too have siblings,” Adam says. Joe winds up picking Adam, which is what I was hoping for. Adam had said that he reminded him of a little brother.
Result: Joe chooses Adam
Menlik Zergabachew (“Santeria”)
Menlik Zergabachew’s parents were born in Ethiopia and came to the United States for a better life and he learned not just to work for himself, but to work for other people. That’s what got him into reggae music. He dropped out of high school and started a reggae band, which his parents were not happy about. They’re supporting him now, though, but they haven’t even been to one of his shows. “I do not have any type of backup plan, so this has to happen for me,” he says.
Adam immediately starts singing and dancing along when he starts singing “Santeria.” It’s a really fun performance, and finally Blake turns around. Then Gwen turns around at the very last moment, and Blake’s pissed. “Oh my god! He’s so cute!” Gwen squeals. “Be honest. Since she turned around, I’m screwed, aren’t I?” Blake says. Adam says he has no chance, but Blake says it was the greatest technical performance he’d heard today. “I wish things could have been different,” he laments. Gwen has a Team Gwen T-shirt ready for him, but Blake counters that he can make him a drink. I really want him to pick Blake after all that, but he does pick Gwen, which we all saw coming. Adam and Blake are even now after the whole Danica incident.
Result: Menlik chooses Gwen
Jimi Milligin (“Get Ready”)
Next up is Jimi Milligan, who was in a singing family. He’s doing this for his dad, who passed away. He’s a father now too and is also in a band. People always comment that he’s a big guy. “What? Fat people don’t sing?” he says.
He’s singing “Get Ready,” and he’s definitely talented. I do think it’s missing something, though, and the coaches are hesitating. In the end, it’s just not enough. Nobody turns around. He didn’t really take enough chances in his performance.
Reagan James (“Give Me Love”)
Reagan James is from the same town as Kelly Clarkson and wants to follow in her footsteps. Her stepdad is her biggest influence and she’s just 15 years old. That’s so hard to believe.
She’s singing “Give Me Love,” and she has a very unique voice.
I love her performance. The coaches notice because Blake and Gwen turn around pretty quickly. She had been hoping for Pharrell, but still, she turned some chairs. Gwen even gets up and crosses the line and says, “I want you on my team. Please.” She wasn’t allowed to do that. Blake says that Gwen’s never won before, but she’s never done it before. “That’s technical,” Blake argues. Pharrell, meanwhile, hangs his head in shame when she says that her favorite genre is R&B. “I’m sick to my stomach right now,” he says. He should be. She was amazing. She ultimately picks Blake, which I did not see coming, but Pharrell wants to steal her.
Results: Reagan chooses Blake
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Taylor Phelan (“Sweater Weather”)
Taylor Phelan left his band after his daughter was born, but now he’s ready to start singing again. His daughter’s absolutely adorable, by the way.
He’s singing “Sweater Weather” with his guitar, and he has an amazing voice. I love his version of the song.
Adam, then Blake, turns around and they are quickly followed by Pharrell and Gwen. And the battle is on. He gets a standing ovation, which is much deserved. Pharrell even stands up again. Taylor says he thought he was going to go with Adam, but after the coaches talked, he goes with Pharrell, and Pharrell bows down. “I cannot believe you picked me,” he says. He even comes out to meet Taylor’s family and the baby.
Result: Taylor chooses Pharrell
Caitlin Lucia (“You’re the One That I Want”)
I really like Caitlin Lucia. I always root for the awkward contestants. She collects Pez dispensers, and she even describes what they are, but we all know what they are. Right? She has almost 1,000 and one can actually be worth a couple hundred dollars. Okay. I didn’t know that.
She’s singing “You’re the One That I Want” with just her guitar and I love her version of the song, but none of the coaches turn around. I thought it was a cute performance. She needs to come into her own more, though, and Blake thinks she might not be able to hold a note, but it was just her style. She says that her nerves got to her.
Sugar Joans (“Chain of Fools”)
Sugar Joans’ dad sang with a bunch of famous singers including Sergio Mendes, but she wants this to be her journey. She’s a manager at a shoe store and plays with a wedding band.
She’s singing “Chain of Fools,” and there’s no doubt that she’s got talent.
Blake tries to get Pharrell to turn his chair around, but he’s hesitating. His hand’s over the buzzer, but he doesn’t do it. At the last second, though, both Gwen and Blake turn around. They all lose it when they find out what her name is, and Pharrell gets pretty upset he didn’t hit his button. “You vomit and it’s like in key,” he says. He even pretends that his button jammed, but it doesn’t work. This is the second time he’s regretting not turning around. Gwen wants to help her let her personality out, while Blake wants to do a duet of “Me and Mrs. Jones” with her. In the end, she picks Gwen and Blake’s devastated. Gwen even has to ask if she’s sure because she’s so surprised.
Result: Sugar chooses Gwen
Taylor Brashears (“You Ain’t Woman Enough (To Take My Man)”)
Taylor Brashears loves her job working with her brother on a food truck, but music’s her real passion. She loved seeing Sarah Watkins play the fiddle and she got fiddle lessons the next day. Then she started singing along, and moved on to singing.
She sings “You Ain’t Woman Enough (To Take My Man)” and I think it’s a really fun performance. It’s pure country. Adam’s really into it. He hits his button and Pharrell immediately follows suit. Blake turns around at the very end, and Adam’s pissed and starts screaming “No!” He tells Taylor to break the mold and that Blake almost didn’t press his button, while Pharrell just wants to work on her album. Blake says he was just taking it all in because he was listening to a cover of such an iconic performer. “Good save,” Adam says. She goes with Blake, which was the obvious choice.
Result: Taylor chooses Blake
Andy Cherry (“Everybody Wants to Rule the World”)
Andy Cherry sings at church. He met his wife while working at a coffee shop. He saw her and turned to a co-worker and said she was the most beautiful woman he saw, which is adorable. He actually got a Christian record deal, but he felt compromised. He didn’t get good sales and was let go, but now he’s ready to try again.
The coaches hear the beginning of “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” and immediately get excited, but nobody turns around. He didn’t have enough control and he got too overdramatic. He also changed the song too much. I get what they were saying, but I liked his energetic performance.
Maiya Sykes (“Stay with Me”)
Maiya Sykes comes from a very musical family and her mom helped her pay for Yale by working three jobs. She went because she wanted to be a lawyer, but her mom convinced her to pursue music. And she definitely has the credentials.
And boy does she have an incredible voice. She gets all of the coaches to turn around immediately when she starts singing “Stay with Me.” They just get to sit back and enjoy her incredible performance. Her voice is out of this world. Pharrell even stands up. She actually crouches down because she’s so happy and nervous. Gwen starts talking about how she can bring out her style and even starts bribing her. “I’ll get you a spa day,” Blake says. All of the coaches start playing dirty at this point, but in the end she picks Pharrell, which is what I was hoping for. He stood for her.
Result: Maiya chooses Pharrell
So at the end of the second night of the Blind Auditions, Pharrell has five singers with the addition of Danica, Taylor and Maiya; Adam has three with the addition of Joe; Gwen has four with the addition of Menlik and Sugar; and Blake has four with the addition of Reagan and Taylor. So Pharrell has the most singers on The Voice so far, and he got Maiya, who is my favorite.
The Voice airs Mondays and Tuesdays at 8pm on NBC.
(Image courtesy of NBC)
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
