Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Below is a list of albums and EPs released by former contestants from The Voice during 2016.

Whenever possible, I’ve included one of my favorite songs from the releases in the Spotify playlists at right.

You can find more details reviews, outlining top tracks for each album and EP here. But that blog also includes more than 80 videos, so it tends to load slowly.

This is an abbreviated version of that blog.

And, please, if I’ve missed anyone, let me know by commenting below or emailing me at [email protected].

Angie Keilhauer, “Wild”
Released: June 24, 2016; Finish: Knockout round, Season 10
About: The gal who paid her dues singing for passengers on the Carnival Cruise line delivered her sophomore album just months after Season 10 ended.

Audra McLaughlin, “Audra McLaughlin” EP
Released: April 14, 2016; Finish: Top 8, Season 6
About: The country singer from Philly goes mostly up-tempo on her five-track debut EP. “Tennessee Cowboy” was the lead single.

Barrett Baber, “Room Full of Fighters”
Released: Nov. 4, 2016; Finish: 3rd, Season 9
About: A solid first post-Voice album from Barrett, who released a pair of albums and an EP before the show. This isn’t on Spotify, so you won’t find a sample at right.

Blind Joe, “By the Fans, For the Fans”
Released: May 5, 2016; Finish: Knockout round, Season 9
About: “Blind Joe” Bommersbach took down all his pre-Voice music, then released this 12-track album that includes new recordings of his three covers from The Voice, studio versions of a couple of originals and live tracks from some of his shows.

Brittnee Camelle, “Disruptive Behavior”
Released: Oct. 8, 2016; Finish: Knockout round, Season 6
About: Seven tracks of smooth and sexy R&B, but it isn’t on Spotify yet. It is available on Brittnee’s Soundcloud page.

Cary Laine, Miss Alabama
Released: Sept. 7, 2016; Finish: Battle round, Season
About: Cary has a great country ache in her voice and puts it to good use on her 10-track debut album.

Caitlin Caporale, “Canvas” EP
Released: Nov. 29, 2019; Finish: Top 20, Season 8
About: A six-track debut EP from the young woman who sang with idol Christina Aguilera during her audition.

Caroline Glaser, “Caroline Glaser”
Released: June 24, 2016; Finish: Top 16, Season 4
About: With three EPs already to her credit, Caroline serves up her first album-length problem, a nine-track self-titled singer-songwriter album.

Cassadee Pope, “Summer” EP
Released: June 3, 2016; Finish: 1st, Season 3
About: On the heels of her “Think of You” duet success with Chris Young, Cassadee released this four-track EP. “Summer” was the lead single.

Cassandra Cleveland Robertson, “Hold On”
Released: Nov. 11, 2016; Finish: Battle round, Season 9
About: A 10-track gospel/Christian release from Cassandra, a worship pastor pre-Voice. The title track was the lead single.

Chevonne and the Fuzz, “Chevonne and the Fuzz”
Released: July 15, 2016; Finish: Knockout round, Season 3
About: The band gets louder and brasher on its second album since Chevonne Ricci, former background singer for Lady Gaga, appeared on the show.

Chris Jamison, “I am Chris Jamison” EP
Released: Aug. 19, 2016; Finish: 3rd, Season 7
About: Yet another Voice finalist whose post-show record deal didn’t produce music. So Chris released this four-track EP of songs he wrote.

Chris Mann, “Constellation”
Released: May 6, 2016; Finish: 4th, Season 2
About: Chris’ first post-Voice album (“Roads” from 2012) was chock full of covers. Here, the classically trained vocalist intentionally turns the focus to self-penned pop tunes.

Christina Grimmie, “Side A” EP
Released: Feb. 21, 2016; Finish: 3rd place, Season 6
About: “Side A” must stand for addictive, because this was one of the best pop EPs we’d gotten from a former contestant on The Voice. All four tracks are winners.

Cody Belew; “Love Drunk Crazy” EP
Released: Oct. 7, 2016; Finish: Top 8, Season 3
About: After releasing a pop album post-Voice, Cody goes country, which isn’t entirely new since he once recorded a country single with Season 8 runner-up Meghan Linsey. EP includes five tracks.

Cody Wickline, “Son of a Working Man”
Released: Feb. 23, 2016; Finish: Knockout Round, Season 8
About: A standout 12-track debut country album from a 21-year-old who calls West Virginia home. Most impressive are the 10 originals.

Corey Kent White, “Long Way” EP
Released: May 27, 2016; Finish: Top 8, Season 8
About: A four-song country EP from the 22-year-old includes a ballad called “When I’m Lonely,” which features background vocals from Hannah Ellis, another Season 8 auditioner.

Curtis Grimes, “Undeniably Country”
Released: Nov. 18, 2016; Finish: Top 12, Season 1
About: An eight-track album of throwback country music from Curtis. This marked his fifth major release since the show.

Ellie Lawrence, “If You Knew Me” EP
Released: July 29, 2016; Finish: Top 24, Season 9
About: The blue-haired singer-songwriter hit her Kickstarter goal in two days when planning this five-track EP.

Emily Keener, “Breakfast”
Released: Nov. 18, 2016; Finish: 12th, Season 10
About: The third full-length album — first since The Voice — and the best yet from Emily, who just turned 18.

Evan McKeel, “Live Sessions No. 1”
Released: Jan. 19, 2016; Finish: 11th, Season 9
About: Evan said he was ready to hit the ground running after the show and proved it, releasing this seven-song collection just a month after Season 9 ended.

Faultlines, “Telephone Philosophies” EP
Released: Aug. 16, 2016; Finish: Knockout round, Season 8 (Ashley Morgan)
About: A five-track sophomore EP from a California-based, indie-folk trio that features Ashley, Todd McCool and John Flanagan.

Fuente (Brian Fuente), “Water” EP
Released: April 29, 2016; Finish: Battle round, Season 2
About: Brian Fuente was fronting a pop-rock band called Newmatic pre-Voice. Now he’s fronting a four-member alternative rock band that bears his last name and released its first two EPs in 2016.

Fuente (Brian Fuente), “Castaway” EP
Released: Nov. 11, 2016; Finish: Battle round, Season 2
About: The second EP of the year from the alternative rock group fronted by Brian Fuente features four songs. Brian is married to former Voice contestant Jordan Pruitt.

George Horga Jr., “Giants”
Released: Aug. 14, 2016; Finish: Knockout round, Season 5
About: He was billed as a teenage pop heartthrob on The Voice, but the first major post-show release from the native of Romania is a nine-track Christian album.

Grant Ganzer, “Grayspaces” EP
Released: Jan. 19, 2016; Finish: Knockout round, Season 7
About: Grant was just 16 when he auditioned for Season 7 and advanced to the knockouts. His debut EP features four tracks.

Holly Henry, “King Paten”
Released: July 1, 2016; Finish: Knockout round, Season 5
About: After two EPs, Holly releases her first album, named after a character she’d pretend to be while playing make believe as a child.

Holly Tucker, “Steel”
Released: June 25, 2016; Finish: 6th, Season 4
About: The third country album from the Texas gal is her first since The Voice and easily her most mature and accomplished to date.

Jake Barker and the Blended Babies, “Trip”
Released: April 22, 2016; Finish: Top 20, Season 6
About: Jake began the year releasing a single a week — a mix of originals and covers — then put all the originals together on this album.

James Dupre, “Stoned to Death”
Released: June 17, 2016; Finish: Knockout round, Season 9
About: The country singer’s second album features 10 tracks and he sounds especially good when he slows things down. His debut album came out way back in 2010.

Javier Colon, “Gravity”
Released: April 15, 2016; Finish: Winner, Season 1
About: This marked Javier’s first album since 2011’s “Come Through for You,” which was his post-Voice debut. The album features 13 tracks.

Jeremy Gaynor, “Dream Chaser” EP
Released: Jan. 15, 2016; Finish: Battle round, Season 8
About: Jeremy is the vocalist with the West Point Band who turned heads when he auditioned with “Superstar.” This pop EP includes just three tracks.

Jessie Pitts, “California Ghost” EP
Released: Dec. 9, 2016; Finish: Top 12, Season 7
About: This four-track singer-songwriter release marked the debut EP for Jessie.

Jon Peter Lewis (Midas Whale), “two thousand ten”
Released: Dec. 23, 2016; Finish: Knockout round, Season 4.
About: A collection of eight covers he says helped him get through a rough year in 2010.

Jordan Rager, “Southern Boy” EP
Released: Oct. 28, 2016; Finish: Battle round, Season 2
About: His first major release with Broken Bow Records features four tracks, including his “Southern Boy” duet with Jason Aldean.

Jordan Smith, “Something Beautiful”
Released: March 18, 2016; Finish: 1st Season 9
About: Released just three months after his victory, this album marked the quickest turn-around ever by a winner of The Voice. It also set records for best Billboard 200 debut (#2) and first-week sales (54,000). But the 12 tracks include just four originals.

Josh Kaufman, “Josh Kaufman” EP
Released: June 14, 2016; Finish: 1st, Season 6
About: Josh’s first post-Voice release features six songs and came two years after the show and after he got out of a post-show record deal that turned out to be more of a hindrance than a help.

Juliet Simms, “From the Grave” EP
Released: July 15, 2016; Finish: 2nd, Season 2
About: The second major release since the former lead singer of Automatic Loveletter appeared on The Voice in Season 2 features eight strong tracks.

Justin Rivers, “Maybe Monday” EP
Released: Feb. 1, 2016; Finish: Top 16, Season 4
About: A solid five-track county EP from a guy who just missed the finals on Season 4. Pre-Voice, Justin was part of a Dove Award winning and a Grammy-nominated Christian group called Austins Bridge.

Justin Whisnant and Cold Water County, “Justin Whisnant and Cold Water County” EP
Released: July 5, 2016; Finish: Top 24, Season 10
About: Justin’s pre-Voice band was in the middle of cutting this record when The Voice opportunity came along. A fine seven-track country-rock collection.

Keith Semple, “Anytime Anywhere” EP
Released: Feb. 26, 2016; Finish: Top 20, Season 9
About: Veteran musician Keith Semple traveled to Nashville to record his first post-Voice EP, and you can certainly hear the country influence on the five-track collection.

Lindsay Bruce, “Tumbleweed” EP
Released: June 24, 2016; Finish: Battle round, Season 6
About: A California gal who’s moved to Nashville, singer-songwriter Lindsay serves up her third post-Voice country EP.

Lyndsey Elm, “Onward” EP
Released: May 9, 2016; Finish: Battle round, Season 9
About: The first post-show offering from a California gal who turned four chairs with her blind audition, this four-song EP was produced by fellow Team Gwen Stefani member Tim Atlas.

Madi Davis, “Above the Waves”
Released: July 9, 2016; Finish: Top 6, Season 9
About: Singer-songwriter Madi was just 16 when she made it all the way to the Top 6 on The Voice. Months later, she was back with her first full-length album.

Manny Cabo, “Stratospheric”
Released: Feb. 16, 2016; Finish: Battle Round, Season 9
About: Pharrell Williams called Manny’s voice “stratospheric” at one point in Season 9, so the veteran rocker borrowed the term as the title of his first post-show, four-track EP

Mark Andrew Band, “Eclectic Electric”
Released: April 25, 2016; Finish: Battle round, Season 3
About: After a brief appearance on The Voice, Mark made Top 16 on Season 14 of American Idol then delivered this 12-track album.

Matt McAndrew, “Rush in Slowly” EP
Released: Sept. 9, 2016; Finish: 2nd, Season 7
About: After the record deal he dreamed about yielded just one single, Matt turned to fans to help fund this six-track EP.

Matt Snook, “Guitars, Girls, Green Grass and Guns” EP
Released: Jan. 5, 2016; Finish: Battle round, Season 8
About: The first post-show release from a prolific country singer who auditioned for The Voice at age 41 and already had three EPs to his credit.

Matt Tender, “California Mercy Me” EP
Released: Oct. 7, 2016; Finish: Battle round, Season 10
About: The guy who once represented Nashville at the International Blues Festival serves up a debut album that’s a mix of blues and rock and roll.

Megan Ruger. “Rockstar”
Released: Sept. 1, 2016; Finish: 2nd battle round, Season 6
About: On The Voice, she was the Nashville singer who would rather rock than twang. Mission accomplished on her post-show debut EP.

Mia Z, “Mia Z” EP
Released: July 1, 2016; Finish: Top 12, Season 8
About: Mia got rave reviews as a 16-year-old blues singer on the show and stays true to that direction in this eight-song collection.

Michelle Chamuel, “Feel It” EP
Released: Aug. 9, 2016; Finish: 2nd, Season 4
About: Michelle wrote, mixed, mastered and produced this six-track EP, her first major release since her 2015 post-Voice “Face the Fire” album.

Mike Schiavo, “Mike Schiavo” EP
Released: Dec. 16, 2016; Finish: Battle round, Season 10
About: A five-song debut EP from the pop singer-songwriter. “Without You” was released as the lead single.

Monique Benabou, “Goin’ Nowhere” EP
Released: Jan. 29, 2016; Finish: Battle round, Season 2
About: She earned a spot on Team Christina way back in Season 2 covering Kelly Clarkson’s “Mr. Know It All” serves up a four-track pop dance EP.

Morgan Wallen, “The Way I Talk”
Released: July 29, 2016; Finish: Top 20, Season 6
About: One of two country singers signed to a new label, Big Loud Records, Morgan’s debut EP features fives songs.

Nadjah Nicole, “The Journey to Become Nadjah Nicole”
Released: June 10, 2016; Finish: Top 24, Season 9
About: The nine-track debut from Blake Shelton’s Season 9 comeback artist includes three spoken word pieces set to music.

Nicholas David, “With These Hands”
Released: April 15, 2016; Finish: 3rd, Season 3
About: The first full-length album since 2009 for the veteran performer from Minnesota who turned a single chair turn into a spot in the finals on Season 3.

Owen Danoff, “Love on Your Side” EP
Released: Sept. 24, 2016; Finish: Top 11, Season 10
About: The third major release from Owen came just four months after his appearance on The Voice and features six songs.

Paul Pfau, “Great American Love Story” EP
Released: Sept. 30, 2016; Finish: Knockout Round, Season 8
About: Paul tells the love story of a couple from the 1950s or 1960s in a five-song collection.

Paxton Ingram, “Recover” EP
Released: Oct. 28, 2016; Finish: Top 8, Season 10
About: A solid six-track debut EP from the first contestant we met in Season 10. “Sober” was he lead single.

Queen Hilma (Andi & Alex), “Is Everything OK?” EP
Released: Aug. 16, 2016; Finish: Knockout round, Season 9
About: Four original tracks from the identical twins who changed their name because, in Andi’s words, they wanted fans “to see us as creative artists, and not just two girls who could sing pretty on TV.”

Ray Boudreaux, “First Train” EP
Released: April 19, 2016; Finish: Top 8, Season 5
About: Blake Shelton called his sound “swampy” and the young man from Louisiana serves up a mix of funk and soul on a six-song EP.

Reagan James, “Have a Nice Day”
Released: Jan. 29, 2016; Finish: Top 10, Season 7
About” Reagan was just 15 when she auditioned for Season 7 of The Voice, and she sounds much older than her years on this sophomore effort.

Riley Biederer, “To Me and You” EP
Released: May 4, 2016; Finish: Season 9, Top 20
About: The young pop singer with more than 24 million views on her YouTube channel delivers a high-energy six-track pop EP.

Rudy Parris, “Makin’ My Way”
Released: June 24, 2016; Finish: Knockout round, Season 3
About: Pre-Voice, Rudy spent eight years performing at Buck Owens’ Crystal Palace in Bakersfield, Calif., and he vowed to keep the Bakersfield sound alive on an album filled with rollicking country tunes.

Ryan Quinn, “Some Dreams” EP
Released: Sept. 27, 2016; Finish: Top 24, Season 10
About: A diverse five-song, first-ever release from a guy who impressed The Voice coaches with his incredible range.

Sam James, “It Never Happens” EP
Released: Sept. 30, 2016; Finish: Knockout round, Season 3
About: An impressive five-track EP from a singer-songwriter who admits “I wanted to be like other artists instead of finding myself” in his immediate post-Voice days.

Sarah Potenza, “Monster”
Released: Aug. 19, 2016; Finish: Top 20, Season 8
About: After three albums with Sarah and the Tall Boys, Sarah moved to Nashville pre-Voice to pursue a solo career. This 11-track album featuring touches of rock, country and blues.

Sarah Simmons, “Freedom”
Released: Aug. 26, 2016; Finish: Top 8, Season 4
About: The first major post-show release features 12 tracks; “Staring at the Sun” was the lead single and the video for the song featured actor Wes Studi.

Sawyer Fredericks, “A Good Storm”
Released: May 13, 2016; Finish: 1st, Season 8
About: The debut album from the teen who ran away with The Voice Season 8 crown featured only six new songs since four of the tunes were on an EP released in November 2015.

South Haven (Nicolette Mare), “Crossing Lines”
Released: Oct. 28, 2016; Finish: Battle round, Season 8
About: An 11-track debut EP from a new country gal group that also includes Brit Willson, Ray Taaffe and former Idol finalist Maddie Walker.

The Swon Brothers; “Timeless” EP
Released: Jan. 29, 2016; Finish: 3rd, Season 4
About: This six-track EP marks a solid followup to a successful debut album from the most successful duo ever to appear on The Voice.

Tamar Davis, “I am the Storm”
Released: Sept. 29, 2016; Finish: Top 24, Season 10
About: A 13-track album from the R&B singer who was once a member of Prince’s house band and once a member of a girl group that included Beyonce and Kelly Rowland.

Tawnya Reynolds, “8 Track”
Released: Feb. 1, 2016; Finish: Knockout round, Season 4
About: The third album from Tawnya is also her first since 2010. It features a more traditional country sound on eight songs she wrote.

Taylor John Williams, “Hiraeth” EP
Released: July 5, 2016; Finish: 5th, Season 7
About: The second post-Voice EP from the guy we met when he was working as a barista at the Sniff Dog Hotel. Features four tracks.

Taylor Phelan, “Where the Ocean Shallows”
Released: April 1, 2016; Finish: Season 7, Top 20
About: Taylor serves up a 12-track alternative rock album that he calls “the best project I’ve ever been a part of.”

Teresa Guidry, “Teresa Guidry” EP
Released: Sept. 2, 2016; Finish: Battle round, Season 10
About: As good as any EP you’re ever likely to hear from someone we didn’t get to hear on The Voice because both of her performances were montaged. Six country tracks with a dash of sass.

Tony Lucca, “Sessions Volume 1: Sun Studio” EP
Released: Feb. 26, 2016; Finish: 3rd, Season 2
About: New versions of three previously released songs from Tony, recorded at Sun Studio in Memphis earlier in 2016.

Tony Lucca, “Sessions Vol. 2: Muscle Shoals”
Released: Aug. 5, 2016; Finish: 3rd, Season 2
About: Tony takes another look back at his music career in a three-track EP of songs recorded during a visit to Muscle Shoals, Ala., about 10 years ago.

Tonya-Boyd Cannon; “Muzic is Life”
Released: Jan. 5, 2016; Finish: Top 20, Season 8
About: The first post-show album from Tonya is a 13-track R&B/soul collection, marked by heavy jazz influences.

2Steel Girls; “Red, White and Blue Girls” EP
Released: June 1, 2016; Finish: Battle round, Season 3
About: A five-track country EP from the only mother-daughter duo (Allison and Crystal Steel) to ever compete on The Voice.

Vedo, “State of Mind”
Released: April 8, 2016; Finish: Top 12, Season 4
About: Vedo released an album called “93” in 2015, then followed up with this six-track EP.

Xenia, “Artemisa” EP
Released: April 7, 2016; Finish: Top 8, Season 1
About: The second EP from Xenia features five tracks and takes on more of a singer-songwriter vibe than her very pop sounding “Sing You Home” from late 2011.

Zach Seabaugh, “Zach Seabaugh” EP
Released: June 1, 2016; Finish: Top 6, Season 9
About: The 17-year-old who mesmerized female fans of The Voice with some Elvis-like dance moves serves up a nice mix of fun pop-country and ballads on his debut release.