Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Nina Howland performs during the blind auditions on The Voice. (NBC Photo)

The Voice introduced fans to 10 more Season 30 contestants Monday night as auditions draw to a close.

Two of those contestants — Nina Howland and Kayleigh Mathews — turned the chair of all four coaches.

Nina dazzled the coaches with her version of “Love Me Like a Man” and decided to join Team Kelly.

Kayleigh turned every coach’s chair with a Vince Gill classic “When I Call Your Name,” then joined Team Latifah, a very smart strategic move.

Here’s a recap of Monday’s show, with Voice Views’ picks for the best performances of the night.

The Season 30 blind auditions conclude Tuesday with an 8 p.m. show on NBC. Oh, and the battles begin too.

Editor’s Note: Follow the links for a profile of each artist, with information about music they’ve already released.

BEST OF THE NIGHT

Nina Howland, 24, New York, N.Y., “Love Me Like a Man” by Bonnie Raitt: Wow, Nina’s opening screamed soul and sass and performance know-how. Her first belted line had Kelly Clarkson and Queen Latifah turning chairs with gusto. And Nina sure performs with gusto, like she owns The Voice stage. Her big ending got Riley Green and Adam Levine to turn too. My only question: What took them so long? Riley said he’s seen a lot of great auditions, but Nina’s delivered the most attitude, by far. Kelly gave Nina the hard sell, reminding Nina of her history of singing show success. Adam complimented Nina on a big, beautiful voice capable of anything. Queen Latifah loves her command of the song and the performance. Nina joined Team Kelly.

RUNNERS-UP

Kayleigh Mathews, 31, Tucson, Ariz., “When I Call Your Name” by Vince Gill: Kayleigh’s lovely country tone enticed an early chair turn from Adam Levine. But that lovely tone really shined once she hit the chorus and prompted a cascade of turning from the other three coaches. Kayleigh’s voice is rich and loaded with emotion. Adam called Kayleigh a “magnificent” talent and loved the way she filled the room with her voice. Latifah called her Queen Kayleigh and said her performance became a spirital moment. Riley said he loved every minute of her performance. Kelly says Kayleigh has the musical baby of several female singers she admires. He also reminded Kayleigh that she released a duet with Vince Gill. Kayleigh decided to join Queen Latifah.

Dakota Cohen, 25, Los Angeles, Calif., “Changes” by Ozzy Osbourne: Dakota says she grew up singing rock music and you can hear that in the rasp and grit in her voice. Adam Levine nearly turned early in the performance. But the coaches made Dakota work for it. Adam and Riley Green didn’t turn until the last second. Adam praised Dakota’s song choice and her handling of it. Turns out Dakota sang at a restaurant Adam was eating at, sang a Maroon 5 song and got a thumbs-up from Adam. He seems to remember the moment. Riley assures Dakota he would have given her two thumbs up had he been there. Dakota opted to join Team Adam.

ALSO MADE THE SHOW

Brandon Diaz, 29, Ashburn, Va., “Drink You Away” by Justin Timberlake: Brandon auditioned for The Voice at 14 and didn’t turn a change. That won’t happen this time. He’s barely started his performance when he gets a chair turn from Queen Latifah. Brandon performed with lots of confidence and energy and that enticed a chair turn from Kelly Clarkson as well. He also delivered a big ending. Kelly complimented him on the ability to sing his butt off. Queen Latifah suggested he needs some new Voice energy since none of the coaches turned for his first audition on the show. And she said Brandon has the talent to win. Brandon decided to join Team Latifah.

Marilyn Hucek, 34, Washington, D.C., by “La Tortura” by Shakira: She performed in Spanish and earned a quick chair turn from Queen Latifah. She delivered plenty of sass and energy and that eventually prompted Adam Levine to turn as well. Adam called her “awesome” and complimented her on the fine job she did covering Shakira, who he said is a hard artist to cover. Queen Latifah suggested Marilyn has the talent to win The Voice. Though he didn’t turn, Riley complimented Marilyn for being different enough to stand out on the show. Marilyn decided to join Team Adam.

Keiyana Osmond, 32, Salt Lake City, Utah, “Kiss Me” by Sixpence None the Richer: Wow, lovely tone. And that tone enticed a quick chair turn from Riley Green. Keiyana continued to deliver a solid performance, but none of the other coaches turned, meaning Keiyana automatically became Team Green. Riley said he liked the stylistic choices Keiyana made on the cover and the way she made the song her own.

Luke Cope, 33, Kernersville, N.C., “Burning House” by Cam: Luke has a really unique, authentic tone. But he was nearly to the end of his performance before anyone turned. Then Queen Latifah and Adam Levine turned almost simultaneously. Adam called him a “unique one” and complimented the big power he showed at the end of the performance. Kelly Clarkson praised the emotion in his audition. Queen Latifah said she loved the way Luke sang from the heart and said Luke moved her. Luke opted to join Team Latifah, who said he needs to use his emotion as a super power.

Luke Curran, 31, Sarasota, Fla., “Operator” by Jim Croce: Luke’s unique singer-songwriter sound got an almost immediate chair turn from Riley Green. Adam Levine quickly followed. Adam loved Luke’s voice and his song choice. Riley praised Luke’s story-telling ability and said it only took him a couple of notes to know he needed to turn his chair. Adam said he grew up listening to the type of music Luke opted to sing for his audition. A day-one Voice fan, Luke said he had to join Team Adam.

Matthew Chiu, 25, Brooklyn, N.Y., “Home” by Daughtry: Matthew started a little shaky, but kept pushing and pushing and woundup putting together an impressive performance with one heck of a glory note near the end. That prompted a turn from Kelly Clarkson, who wound up being the only coach to turn. That meant Matthew automatically became Team Kelly. Kelly praised his bold song choice, calling “Home” a rangy song to cover. She also said she thinks Matthew has the ability to prove the other coaches were wrong by not turning for him.

Brandy Neelly, 31, Louisville, Kentucky, “Lesson in Leavin'” by Jo Dee Messina: She delivers her country with a dash of spice. This should be interesting, because in her bio segment, we find out that she makes cakes and made one for Riley Green’s birthday. And she’s about halfway through this performance when Riley turns. That seemed to send Brandy into another gear, and she enticed a chair turn from Queen Latifah as well. Latifah liked her energy and her voice. Riley complimented the soul in her voice and said that sound will help her stand out. He also vowed to make Brandy a cake is she picked him as her coach. Kelly Clarkson called it “a tasty victory.”

Dakota Cohen interacts with coaches after her blind audition on The Voice. (NBC Photo)