Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Kelly Clarkson landed three singers during Monday’s third blind audition episode of Season 15 of The Voice.

But she certainly sounded most excited when she out-lobbied Blake Shelton for the services of a young country singer.

That would be young Chevel Shepherd, a talented teen from Farmington, N.M.

In fact, Chevel wound up being the night’s most successful contestant in turning chairs, enticing Jennifer Hudson to do so too for her cover of “If I Die Young.”

Meanwhile, fans met the third contestant in The Voice’s new Comeback Stage challenge: Lynnea Moorer, who didn’t turn a chair with her cover of “Location” but sounded oh, so good when she sang a snippet of “Someone Like You.”

Here’s a recap of Monday’s show. Follow the links for singer profiles.

Dave Fenley, 39, Nashville, Tenn.: He’s gotten married since appearing America’s Got Talent. He says some of his earliest memories are listening to country music on the radio with his dad. He dropped out of school and eventually reached the point where he was gigging enough to make ends meet. He’ll audition with Travis Tritt’s “Help Me Hold On.” This guy is a great singer. I can’t imagine him not making this year’s live shows. It takes about two lines for Kelly Clarkson to turn. By the time Dave hits the chorus, Blake Shelton turns too. Well, those are the two chairs Dave sounded like he was hoping to turn. Blake gives Dave kudos on his song selection. Kelly points out that Travis Tritt is her favorite male country artist. Dave decides to join Team Blake so his mom can get a neck hug from his new coach.

Steve Memmolo, 35, Boston, Mass.: He always gets told he looks like Ben Affleck. He performs in a wedding band called Classic Yellow, but hopes to eventually find a way to do his own music. He also does comedy routines, but says music is his real love. He’ll audition with “Spooky.” Steve seems to be having a bit of trouble cutting loose on stage. But he shows off nice range and a nice tone. And a high note near the ends prompts a chair turn from Jennifer Hudson. Adam Levine had already turned. Adam says he’s a combination of Ben Afflect and Aretha Franklin. Adam says Steve is really special. Jennifer says his vocal approach is “dope and amazing.” Steve opts to join Team Adam.

Audri Bartholomew, 19, St. Louis: Her dad was a rapper growing up, so she had plenty of musical inspiration. She grew up in Pasedena, but moved to Missouri for her dad’s job promotion. The transition was rough for Audri, she says, until she joined the choir. Her acceptance once she made friends there was a lesson in the power of music. She’ll sing Loren Allred’s “Never Enough.” Hey, and look at that: The Voice notes that Loren is a former Voice contestant. Audri immediately shows off a very nice tone. Wow, Audri is doing a very nice job and no one’s turning. Until she holds a note forever and Jennifer Hudson finally turns right at the end of the performance. Jennifer says anyone who sings that song needs to be on Team JHUD. She also compliments Audri’s style. Jennifer joins Audri on stage to sing a snippet of “Never Enough.”

Rachel Messer, 19, Fort Gay, W.Va.: She lives in a rural area of West Virgina where there isn’t even a cell phone signal. Her grandpa was in a bluegrass band and her dad plays guitar. They formed the foundation of her musical background. She’ll audition with “I Want to Be a Cowboy’s Sweetheart.” And Kelly Clarkson, determined to land a country singer, turns quickly. The song allows Rachel to show off her yodeling skills. Naturally, Blake Shelton joins Kelly with a chair turn late in the song. Nice, energetic performance from Rachel. Blake notes that Rachel’s denim and his denim matches. Kelly swears there’s “life beyond Blake” in country music. Blake talks about Rachel’s clear love of traditional country music. Rachel joins Team Blake.

Brent Morgan, 30, Madison, Ala.: As a kid, he figured out he could play anything he heard on the radio. So he started writing songs. Eventually, he started writing jingles and says at one point, he had hundreds of jingles in use. But his dream isn’t to be a jingle writer. He wants to be a singer-songwriter, and he started streaming his original content. That’s also led to opportunities to help other artists get their original content out. Brent is going to audition with “Feel It Still.” Surprised it’s taken the coaches so long to turn, especially as Brent really starts digging into the song. Yikes, no chair turns. Watch this: Comeback stage, here comes Brent. Adam calls the vocal flawless, but says something just needed to jump out a little more. Well, we’ll have to wait to find out if Brent makes the comeback stage.

Chevel Shepherd, 16, Farmington, N.M.: She’s 4-foot-10 and absolutely adorable. She was named after the car brand Chevelle, partly because of her dad’s love of the model, partly because he thought it sounded like a superstar name. But she loves working on cars with her dad. She says she started singing when she was 2, mostly Carrie Underwood. She says she performs at her church, school, and weddings. She’s going to audition with “If I Die Young.” Now there’s a classic country voice. Nice song choice too. Kelly’s still determined. She turns for Chevel. That prompts a big smile from Chevel. And, yep, Blake Shelton turns too. Wow, Jennifer Hudson joins them near the end of the song. Tiny Chevel gets a three-chair turn. Jennfier calls her voice “pure and beautiful.” Oh, my, Chevel shares a birthday with Blake. Chevel joins Team Kelly Clarkson. That’s a bit of a surprise.

Bryan Cherry, 28, Woodbrige, Va.: He’s singing Sam Cooke for his audition, and dedicating the song to his girlfriend who lives in Bermuda; he lives in Virginia. Despite the distance, they’ve been dating for five years. Bryan’s 9 to 5 job is in the IT field. He’s hoping for a chair turn to help him pursue his dreams of focusing on music. His song: “Nothing Can Change This Love.” Nice opening by Bryan. But even with a nice ending, Bryan can’t entice a chair turn. So he’s the next candidate for the Comeback Stage. Oh, the drama. I’m just hoping The Voice doesn’t start montaging performances by singers who make the show to build that Comeback drama.

Delaney Silvernell, 21, Los Angeles, Calif.: When she said announced her interest in music, she says her family wasn’t sure what to do with her. She was into wrestling big time as a child; so was the rest of her family. But then she transitioned to music and musical theater with her family’s support and says she moved to L.A. about six months ago. Her cover of “In My Blood” prompts an early chair turn from Kelly Clarkson. Delaney has a big voice and shows it off over the course of that performance. Kelly winds up being the only coach to turn, meaning Delaney automatically becomes a member of Team Kelly.

Anthony Arya, 15, Santa Cruz, Calif.: He’s a sophomore in high school who specializes in folk music. He started learning guitar seven years ago and starting busking around San Francisco three years ago. He says he and his mom have been watching The Voice since the first episode. He auditions with “Danny’s Song” and gets a quick chair turn from Adam Levine. Only Adam turns, so Anthony is a member of Team Adam. Adam compliments the way he engages with an audience and predicts fans will fall in love with Anthony. Kelly says Anthony looks like a Greek god playing an instrument.

Natasia Greycloud, 29, Nashville: She says she was born into this. Her grandparents were in entertainment. In her senior year, she performed in “Little Women” and got bit by the performing bug. She got married early, but split with her husband after four years. Her friends eventually convinced her to move to Nashville, where she found more artistic opportunities. She’ll audition with “I’m Not the Only One” and immediately displays a big soulful voice. Jennifer Hudson and Kelly Clarkson are debating who should turn. Then Natasia hits a big high note and both do. Natasia go with Team Jennifer Hudson. She seemed to head into the audition leaning toward Kelly.

Lynnea Moorer, 19, Monterey, Calif.: She has over 200,000 subscribers on her YouTube page and her cover of “I Hate You, I Love You” attracted 4 million views. Her mom inspired her, but her mom “got into the drug business,:” Lynnea said. Her mom got arrested and it appears as though Lynnea is being raised by her grandparents. Lynnea looks a tad nervous. She’s going to sing “Location.” And those nerves quickly fade. That said, her vocal gets a little shaky at spots and no one turns. Lynnea sings a snippet of “Someone Like You” and sounds fabulous. And Lynnea becomes the Comeback Stage artist, meaning Bryan and Brent — whom we met earlier in the show — do not.

Kymberli Joye, 26, Windsor, Conn.: She loves gospel music and how it makes people come together. She had her first solo in church at age 12 and says people immediately gave her a standing ovation. She travels the country singing background with a gospel group and recalls a performance as a background singer on the Jimmy Fallon show. “I’m not content staying in the back” she says, expressing a pre-audition preference for Jennifer Hudson or Kelly Clarkson. She gets an immediate chair turn from Kelly. When Kymberli hits the chorus, Jennifer turns around too. Kymberli’s voice soars as the song reaching its climax. Carson has been teasing a block all night. Here’s guessing it just happened. Yep, Kelly blocked Jennifer. But hang on, Blake turned around as well. Blake touts his success with a wide range of vocalists on the show. Kelly reminds Kymberli she just used her only steal on her. Kymberli joins Team Kelly.