Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Here’s a look at the albums and EPs released so far this year by former contestants of The Voice. With 17 seasons in the books– and 48 artists per season, many of whom have changed stage names since the show — it’s quite possible I’ve missed someone. If so, let me know by commenting below or emailing: VoiceViews@comcast.net. The links take you to Apple Music. Happy listening. For singles from 2020, head here.

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Jordy Searcy
“Love ? Songs”
Released: Feb. 14, 2020
Finish: Battle Round, Season 7

Jordy has established himself as one of the top male singer-songwriters to come off The Voice and this marks his third major release since. Most of the eight tracks were already released as singles, including “Fire” with nearly 800,000 streams on Spotify and “Better” with nearly 650,000. But my favorite tracks are “Rich,” in which Jordy warns his lover he’ll probably never be; and “friendship?” in which he wonders if a friendship should be something more.

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Tyke James
“Light + Sun” EP
Released: Feb. 14, 2020
Finish: Top 13, Season 15

Tyke’s second EP since The Voice includes just three songs, but two of them are singer-songwriter gems. Those would be “Abilene” and espeically “Oh.” The latter’s about a gal who prompts that reaction. Tyke’s also still releasing music, albeit more alt rock, with his pre-Voice band This Moss.

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(R!ot) Jake Barker
“Hopeless” EP
Released: Feb. 14, 2020
Finish: Top 20, Season 6

This four-song EP marks Jake’s first major release since 2016 and was actually released as R!ot, a take on the producer’s stage name, Riot. The fine title track comes courtesy of Jake and Season 6 Voice colleague Paula DeAnda. And Jake is promising another R!ot EP later this year.

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Will Champlin
“Great Divide”
Finish: 3rd, Season 5
Released: Feb. 7, 2020

Will’s released plenty of music since the show, but this marks his first full-length album since 2014 and he says the 12-song collection was two years in the making. “This is my body of work in which I can be at peace with and know I’ve resonated w real messages,” he writes. That’s especially the case with the superb title track. “Rivers,” “Party Drug” and “Pulse of a Nation” are among the other tracks you need to check out. Oh, and Will’s started performing as Kill Will, in a nod to his musical evolution.

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Royce Lovett
“Keep Moving” EP
Finish: Knockout round, Season 17
Released: Jan. 24, 2020

When he was eliminated from The Voice, Royce said he’d be back soon with new music. He didn’t wait long to deliver, releasing three of the four songs on this collection as singles before dropping the EP. Royce serves up a mix of reggae-flavored soul, hip-hop and rap, a combination that’s most effective on “Everyday Problems,” the first of those post-show singles.

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Jamie Lono
“I Feel Free” EP
Finish: Battle round, Season 2
Released: Jan. 21, 2020

Jamie has rather quietly released lots of excellent music since 2018. That said, there’s nothing quiet about this four-song collection that’s sure to get your feet moving and your head bobbing. That’s especially true of “Everything You Need” and the superb “Free.” This is a followup to Jamie’s impressive 2018 EP “Prove It.” And for Jamie in singer-songwriter mode, check out his 2018 and 2019 releases under the stage name Sheffield.

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Aria Bléu (Kelsea Johnson)
“Familiar Stranger”
Released: Jan. 17, 2020
Finish: Top 24, Season 14

Adopting a stage name after The Voice represented a rebirth, a chance to start over, Kelsea said upon releasing lead single “On and On.” Well, she says she found her sound while working on the five-song debut EP. And more. “Familiar Stranger was supposed to be a reintroduction of myself to you all, instead it became a reintroduction of myself to myself.” Be sure to check out the song “Reminiscing.”

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LAWS (Luke Wade)
“LAWS” EP
Finish: Top 8, Season 7
Released: Jan. 17, 2020

LAWS is short for Lucas Anthony Wade Songs and represents an alternative rock side project from the Season 7 standout. Luke says the EP was two years in the making. And worth the wait since there isn’t a weak track among the first four LAWS songs. “Plastic Love,” about the L.A. dating scene, was the first single. But my favorite from the project is the closing track about a girl who has not trouble getting a guy’s “Attention.”

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Jacquie (Jacquie Lee)
“Infinity” EP
Finish: 2nd, Season 5
Released: Jan. 10, 2020

The first EP in more than five years from a young lady who landed on The Voice stage at 16 and says she found herself labeled as “a type of artist I knew I didn’t connect with” coming off the show. The best of the four tracks is “Break,” a song about stepping back to discover oneself. Jacquie says that just what she did, stepping away from music to train for a marathon and rediscovering her passion for music in the process.

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