The Voice kicked off its season 3 premiere week with three days of blind auditions, producing several memorable contestants to keep an eye on. Here are our 10 favorite blind auditions from week 1.
The gentlemen took premiere week with some of the better auditions, but with nine seats left to fill on Team Xtina, 11 on Teams Adam and Blake and 12 left on Team Cee Lo, there’s still time for the ladies to blow us away.
1. Trevin Hunte
Cee Lo didn’t recruit many contestants for his team in the first week of season 3, but he did get one of the best singers of the competition so far in 18-year-old Trevin Hunte. Singing Beyonce’s “Listen,” Trevin led Cee Lo to predict he “might be THAT dude” who wins the title this season.
2. Aquile
Christina fought off Adam and Cee Lo for Aquile – a biracial crooner who grew up in Wyoming and learned to play guitar after breaking his jaw. Adam described Aquile’s voice as “rich” and “buttery” following his rendition of Elton John’s “Your Song,” but we would also add “soothing” to descriptors of the 24-year-old’s voice.
3. Nicolle Nelson
A self-proclaimed hippy, Nicole blew all four judges away with her performance of “Hallelujah.” She’s also easily the best female vocalist of the week.
4. Joe Kirkland
Texas native and frontman for pop punk band Artist Vs. Poet Joe Kirkland earned himself a spot on Team Adam after his take on The All-American Rejects’ “Gives You Hell.” He had trouble with breath control but the rest – his use of falsetto and growl, in particular – was noteworthy. He’s good-looking, already has a following and makes interesting choices with his voice. He could go far.
5. Terry McDermott
Scottish rocker Terry didn’t have the saddest story or the brightest personality (though he did have the cutest kid), but his classic rock sound won over three of the judges just as he concluded his performance of “Baba O’Riley.” He ultimately chose Blake, who joked that Terry’s accent could win him the competition.
6. Mackenzie Bourg
Anyone described as “Harry Potter meets Justin Bieber” deserves mention on Hypable. Not only did he have the hipster look down pat, but the 19-year-old, who last year had a life-threatening virus that started shutting down his organs, gave an energized rendition of “Pumped Up Kicks.”
7. Bryan Keith
As the first four-chair performance of the blind audition, Bryan proved to be one of the best singers of week 1. His take on Bruno Mars’ “It Will Rain” wasn’t particularly original, but there was no doubting the voice (and its delicious rasp), which Christina called “signature.”
8. Nelly’s Echo
Nelly’s Echo is a 32-year-old Nigerian refugee who caught Christina’s attention with his performance of “Ain’t No Sunshine.” The name is “based on the premise that music is a two-way street” and his music is just as creative.
9. Daniel Rosa
Having auditioned in season 2 without getting any chairs to turn, 21-year-old Daniel Rosa didn’t let that deter him. He returned for season 3 and convinced Cee Lo and Blake to push their buttons with his unique and airy rendition of “Somebody That I Used To Know.”
10. De’Borah
Other than Team Cee Lo’s diva, Domo (“In China, I’m like Lady Gaga”), Chi-Town native De’Borah had the best dance moves of the first week of blind auditions. Unlike Domo, De’Borah was actually likeable with her bright getup, “I am who I am” sass and her supportive parents in tow. She listened to “The Voice Within” and joined Team Xtina following her performance of Train’s “Hey Soul Sister.”
Honorable Mention
Julio Cesar Castillo
The first ever full-Spanish audition on The Voice had to get a little recognition. Singing “La Bamba” and a little bit of “El Rey,” Julio Castillo wowed Blake with his vocals and guts. It’ll be interesting to see what kind of music Julio sings in the battle rounds.
Tune in for more blind auditions tonight, Sept. 17 at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.
Photo Credit: Paul Drinkwater/NBC