Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Last week, Blake Shelton said Usher and Shakira are fighting harder than ever for the artists they want in their second season on The Voice.

Here’s evidence: Four singers earned four-chair turns on last week’s episodes. Two landed on Team Usher.

Blake Shelton and Adam Levine vie for a contestant on The Voice. (NBC Photo)

If you want more information on those four-chair turn recipients — Biff Gore, Bria Kelly, Christina Grimmie and Cary Laine — head here.

In fact, if you follow that link, you’ll find bio blogs and videos of pre-Voice performances for all 13 contestants who landed spots on teams last week.

Hey, and it’s worth keeping in mind that only two coaches turned for Jacquie Lee during last year’s blind audition. Only one turned for Cole Vosbury. They still managed to make quite a mark on Season 5.

Tonight, we meet more contestants, and I’ll be grading each blind audition and following up with more bio blogs later in the week.

Ryan Whyte Maloney, 33, Traverse City, Mich.: He performed in several bands growing up, but says he was “pretty lost” in what he wanted to do after high school. He became a garbage man, gigging at night. He got married, but it sounds like he and his wife are now separated, with her living in Florida with their two children. He says he’s now doing music full time. He’ll sing “Lights.” Not thrilled with the tone of his voice, but three coaches turn around in a heartbeat, leaving only Usher facing in the other direction. Ryan is showing off nice range during this audition. He sure doesn’t have trouble reaching high notes. Usher also turns his chair at the last minute, saying he wanted Ryan to work for the chair turn. Blake says he “freaking loves” Ryan’s high voice. Shakira says they’re a “match made in heaven.” Ryan decides to join Team Blake. That’s his first four-chair turn contestant. Grade: B

DeShawn Washington landed on Team Shakira on The Voice.

DeShawn Washington, 23, Natchitoches, La.: Deshawn says he started singing at age 4 with his two brothers in church. He says he went to college for one semester, but then dropped out to help support his family through a difficult time financially. He predicts the coaches will hear a tone that “shocks them” when he sings. He’ll sing “Twistin’ the Night Away.” Hey, he’s a pretty good performer. Not sure this is a great song to showcase his vocals. He’s consistently solid vocally, and that’s enough to get Shakira to turn her chair well into the performance. Well, there won’t be any lobbying for a coach this time. No one else turned their chair. Shakira’s reaction: “Guys, get over it. I’m the only smart one here.” Grade: B–

Sam Behymer, 25, Morgan Mill, Texas: Next up, a nanny to two boys, ages 2 and 4. Sam says she grew up singing in church where her father was a music minister. She likes the fact that music pushes her “outside myself.” She says her parents don’t believe she can support herself making a living as a musician, and said that has led her to doubt her interest in a music career and consider becoming a librarian. She makes a smart song choice, auditioning with “Royals.” And she’s performing it pretty well. Nice unique tone to her voice — one that entices Adam to turn around early in her performance, joined by Usher about midway through. And Sam’s performance seems to get stronger as the performance goes on. Really enjoyed that audition. Usher says he liked the quirky quality of her voice. Adam calls her audition “weird and wonderful.” And Sam joins Team Adam. Grade: B+

Brendan Ryan, 24, Braintree, Mass.: He says his parents met through music and were in a wedding band when he was a kid, so he grew up around music. He says he loves music, but also performed comedy throughout college. He says his parents suggested he give music a year to see how it went. He’ll sing “Love on Top.” Brendan showed a lot of range during that performance, but it seemed to lack control. And no one turns. Grade: C–

The Brothers Walker earned a spot on Team Usher on The Voice.

Cody Walker and Clint Walker, both 26, Bernie, Missouri: They’re identical twins, perform as the Brothers Walker and say they started singing shortly after their birth. At age 7, they impressed Johnny Cash and got to open at one of his shows. Clint is now a teacher; Cody is an audio engineer. And they run a recording studio, which rekindled their love for music. They’ll sing “Keep Me in Mind.” And the country vibe sounds like they belong on Team Blake. After all, he had success with the Swon Brothers. Actually, these two guys sound very good together. But the coaches are slow to turn. Usher pushes his button with his foot at the very last minute, giving the guys a spot on the show. “I’m not an authority on country music, but I do know quality,” Usher says. Grade: B–

Clarissa Serna turned all four chairs on The Voice.

Clarissa Serna, 27, Corpus Christi, Texas: She works at a real estate company with her parents, but says music is her passion. She volunteers with an after-school program that helps young girls cope through music. She says she played her first show at age 17, performed with different bands and is hoping for a spot on Team Usher. She’s going to sing “Zombie.” Sorta a haunting voice to open the audition. And that prompts Adam to turn around. Clarissa has a nice rasp to her voice, too. Now she has Shakira facing in her direction. And a huge note gets Blake to spin as well. And, at the final second, the other three coaches are joined by Usher. I think I have a new favorite audition of the night. Blake said he was going to stay out of it, “but you just beat me down with your voice.” Adam said he “thoroughly” loved the entire performance. And Clarissa becomes a member of Team Shakira. And that’s Shakira’s first four-chair turn team member. Grade: A–

Also finding spots on teams: Lindsay Pagano singing “Lady Marmalade” landed on Team Shakira; Joshua Howard, singing “This is What it Feels Like” landed on Team Adam; Tanner James, singing “Heaven” scored a spot on Team Usher.

Robert Lee, 29, Stevenson, Ala.: He delivers mail for a living, a job he’s had for four years. He calls it a great job, but says his passion is music and he’s going to “keep fighting to do that.” He says he gigs four nights a week. He has a daughter from a previous marriage, and he and his second wife are now expecting twins. Having played “every dive bar,” Robert says it’s time to take his music to the next level. He’s singing “The Weight.” It sounded like his nerves were working on him early in that performance. But the guy has a nice voice. Unfortunately, none of the coaches turned around, despite a nice little wrinkle at the end of that song. Grade: B–

Melissa Jimenez landed on Team Usher on The Voice.

Melissa Jimenez, 29, Fort Lee, N.J. Her dad has a 10-piece band called the Something Special Orchestra. She started singing with the group at age 15, has performed lots of different genres as a result and says she landed a recording contract at one point, though it didn’t work out. She’s singing “If I Ain’t Got You.” And she started out a cappella, showing nice range and a really strong voice. But that doesn’t prompt a chair turn. Now she’s performing part of the song in Spanish. Given her big voice, I’m sorta shocked none of the coaches have turned around. Hold it. Both Usher and Shakira do, at the very last moment. Usher says the opening really showed the quality of her voice. And Melissa decides to join Team Usher. Grade: B

Patrick Thompson, 35, Festus, Missouri: He says his mom had a big family and they played in a folk band — almost like a “campfire type band.” He decided he wanted to play guitar with the group. He now plays in a pair of bands and also plays acoustic shows. He also says he’s had a lot of odd jobs, too, but his first love is music. He’s auditioning with “Can’t You See.” He has a nice rasp to his voice. Sounds like he’s tailor made for Team Blake. And right now, Team Blake could use some singers. Sure enough, Blake turns around. But so does Adam. Meanwhile, Patrick turns in a nice solid performance, and a very nice ending. Adam says he needs “grit” on his team, and Patrick represents grit. And Patrick joins Team Adam. Grade: B

Allison Bray, 17, Louisville, Ken.: She says she grew up in a large, conservative Baptist family that doesn’t want her doing bar gigs because she’s not 21. She says she prefers music from the 1950s, 1960s and old classic country songs. She’s going to sing “Where the Boys Are” in an effort to grab the coaches’ attention. And she starts off showing a very strong voice. She might have oversung that in a couple of spots. Wow, and I’m really surprised no one turned for her. Allison heads off sounding determined to audition again someday. Folks, she would have been perfect for team Blake. Grade: C+

Sisaundra Lewis, 44, Orlando, Fla.: She says she grew up picking fruit in the orange groves of Florida. She says she’s a preacher’s daughter and her parents supported her singing in church. At one point, she moved to Atlanta and became a vocal director for Celine Dion. She stepped away from performing to spend more time with her three children. Now she’s back to doing music. She’ll sing “Ain’t No Way.” And you just know from the opening notes this is going to be one of the night’s best vocals. OK, two lines in you know it’s going to be the night’s best vocal. So do the coaches. Adam, Shakira and Blake are already facing Sisaundra. Usher is playing hard to get again. Wow, what a final note. And, yep, Usher turns around at the last moment once again. It’s a ploy he’s already used several times this season. Shakira compliments Sisaundra, saying she has a “ravishing voice.” Blake says he realizes “I’m in completely over my head” but also says he’s glad he turned around in time to enjoy her performance. But he also says he would buy her record “if it came out tomorrow.” Sisaundra joins Team Blake. Wow, surprised. Grade: A