The Voice is back for season 7 with some new coaches, and a whole lot of really talented contestants. Check out who we thought stood out from the pack in week 1 of the blind auditions.
Oh, it’s so good to have those red spinning chairs, the middle-school-cool peace sign logo, and the aggressive “This. IS! THE! VOICE!!!” theme song back on our television screens once again. So maybe Carson Daly is still the least genuine host on reality television; we love him anyway.
The blind auditions are the best part of the show, and not always because of the contestants themselves. The coaches are hugely entertaining, and the addition of two new coaches has not changed the chemistry one bit. Gwen and Pharrell are proving they fit in just fine, and they’re not afraid to fight with the big dogs, Adam and Blake.
And, if we’re being completely honest, not only is Gwen Stefani just as cool as we always dreamed she’d be, but she is also so pretty it is almost painful to look at her. And she brought t-shirts! Each new member of Team Gwen gets their very own fancy gold-screen-printed “Team Gwen” t-shirt.
Tuning up the season 7 coaches
In Voice tradition, all four coaches took the stage to perform together. This year the group performed new coach Gwen Stefani’s band No Doubt’s hit “Hella Good.” Gwen was obviously in her element, but the song seemed to suit the guys as well. Though it’s weird to see Blake without a guitar, and we’re pretty sure “Hella” is not a word he uses in regular conversation. It’s always good to see a new group of coaches getting along so well together.
Blind audition standouts
In addition to Luke Wade and Damien, whose auditions we already previewed, (and who chose Team Pharrell and Team Adam, respectively) there were some other very promising auditions to kick off season 7.
Clara Hong
Clara Hong was born in South Korea, and moved with her family to America when she was eight years old and spoke no English. To learn the language, she listened to American music non-stop, and became a big Pharrell fan along the way. Her performance of Rickie Lee Jones’ “Chuck E.’s in Love” had Adam, Gwen, and Pharrell pushing their buttons right away. And though she came in with her heart set on Pharrell, Adam’s persuasive ways won her over to his team.
Taylor John Williams
Taylor John Williams reeled us in with an acoustic version of Kanye’s “Heartless.” Though he’s not the first to do an acoustic version of the hip-hop hit (lookin’ at you, Kris Allen), Taylor’s was much more of a slow jam. Adam turned early on, and Gwen not long after. Adam said he’d cry like a baby if Taylor didn’t choose him, but mop up those tears Adam, because Taylor’s headed to Team Gwen.
James David Carter
Everybody loves a good ’90s jam, and The Voice coaches are no exception. So when James David Carter did a country take on The Tony Rich Project’s 1996 hit “Nobody Knows,” all four coaches wasted no time pushing their buttons. Blake called it one of the best country auditions they’ve seen. They all fought for him, and though he was grateful to Gwen for teaching him how to spell “bananas” (B-A-N-A-N-A-S), he went with his gut and chose Team Blake.
Danica Shirey
Danica Shirey has seen her share of success, even singing at the Apollo as a kid. But when her biggest supporter, her dad, died, she stopped singing, and hasn’t performed since. But her performance of Jessie J’s “Big White Room” had Adam, Gwen, and Pharrell bowled over. Blake didn’t sit this one out, though, campaigning hard for Pharrell. And in the end, Danica decided to make him “Happy” and join Team Pharrell.
Menlik Zergabachew
No one had the coaches singing and bopping along more than Menlik Zergabachew, with his performance of Sublime’s “Santeria.” Though Adam enjoyed the song choice the most, it was Blake that turned around first, almost winning Menlik by default, until Gwen turned at the last moment. It’s hard to imagine a reggae kid picking Blake Shelton over reggae lover Gwen, and Adam took great pleasure in Blake completely losing this battle, as Menlik chose Team Gwen.
Taylor Phelan
Texan Taylor Phelan spent years playing in a band with his friends, but when he settled down, getting married and having a baby girl, he left music to help support his family. He and his wife started a design business, but now he’s decided to return to his first love: music. Though he comes across as pretty mild-mannered, his performance of The Neighborhood’s “Sweater Weather” was perfect, powerful, and sexy. The judges were all impressed, and all pushed their buttons, but in the end, Taylor chose Team Pharrell.
Maiya Sykes
You kind of have to hate Maiya Sykes on principle, because she triple-majored at Yale, and then still decided to pursue her dream of music. She obviously must be some kind of alien. But an alien who’s also a really freaking good singer. Her rendition of Sam Smith’s “Stay With Me” had the coaches hitting their buttons within the first ten seconds of Maiya opening her mouth. She was very humbled that they all chose her, and said she would be honored to work with any of them. But in the end, she chose to join Team Pharrell.
The Voice blind auditions will continue next Monday and Tuesday at 8 p.m. on NBC.