Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Nakia and His Southern Cousins reunited for a reunion show this weekend, and the former Voice contestant celebrated with an EP release.

Remember Nakia from Season 1 of The Voice?

Well, before belting his way to a Top 8 finish on the show, the soulful blues rocker performed around Austin, Texas, with a backing band as Nakia and His Southern Cousins.

In fact, they released an EP in 2007 and a well-received album called “Wine to Water” in 2009.

This weekend, Nakia and His Southern Cousins reunited for a reunion show in Austin with another former Voice contestant, Suzanna Choffel as an opening act.

And to celebrate the occasion, Nakia received “Wine to Water (The Outtakes),” a collection of seven songs that didn’t make the cut the first time around.

That’s something you might find hard to believe when you listen to the bluesy anthem “Nuthin’ But,” the funky rocker “Lincoln Continental” and the impassioned EP-closing ballad “Cold.”

This is hardly Nakia’s first release since The Voice. He followed up his appearance on the show with two other EPs — “Drown in the Crimson Tide” from 2013 and “Live at the Good Music Club” in 2014.

You can keep up with Nakia through his Facebook page and website. On Twitter, he’s simply @Nakia.

Oh, and yes, the blonde locks are new. On Facebook, Nakia refers to them as his “shaggy blonde fantasy” and thanks the hair stylists who helped make the look possible.