Idol Chatter & Voice Views

The Voice has once again rounded up incredible talent for Season 6.

The best news of all for music lovers — lots of these singers have already released music you can download from iTunes.

Over the next couple of weeks, I’ll feature some of my favorites in this spot.

Each day — time permitting — I’ll add a video to this collection and also embed it in the featured video spot to your right.

Congrats to the artists on the fine music they’ve already released. I, for one, can’t wait to see what’s next.

Christina Grimmie — “Tell My Mamma”

Will the gal who kicked off Season 6 with her splendid cover of “Wrecking Ball” make The Voice finals? We’ll find out sometime over the next two weeks. Meanwhile, enjoy this delightful pop tune off her 2013 “With Love” album.

Sam Behymer — “Degrees of Separation”

Yep, I know she was eliminated from the competition last week, but I just had to include this song in the Before the Voice blog. It’s from Sam’s 2011 EP called “Bluebirds In,” a title taken from the lyrics in this song.

Dawn and Hawkes — “Holler”

I was disappointed to see the duo of Dawn and Hawkes eliminated from The Voice Monday night. And I still think it’s incredibly difficult for a duo to excel in The Voice battle round format. But, as this blog explains, Miranda and Chris have big plans. Meanwhile, check out this song from their 2012 “Golden Heart” album.

Clarissa Serna — “Hold Your Hand”

Clarissa Serna turned four chairs when she auditioned with “Zombie” on The Voice. We’ll be reintroduced to her Monday night when the battle rounds continue. Meanwhile, check out this catchy dance tune she released as part of a self-titled 2011 EP.

Josh Murley (with Someone Like You) — “Same Difference”

Before he auditioned for The Voice, Josh Murley was singing with a group called Someone Like You back in Texas. Here’s the group’s performance of a great tune called “Same Difference,” which Josh released as a single last month. Josh was eliminated from The Voice earlier this week in one of the second round battles.

Sam Behymer — “Besides”

Sam was eliminated from The Voice in the second round of battles Monday night. But if you’ve become a fan, there’s no shortage of music to check out. Sam released lots of it pre-Voice, including this catchy tune from her 2009 album called “Heartmouth.” To learn about her other releases, head here.

Kat Perkins (with Scarlet Haze) — “Hero”

Pre-Voice, Kat Perkins spent years as lead singer for the rock band Scarlet Haze. Check out this great power ballad from the band’s 2012 album, “One Bad Bitch.” Apparently, the song was released to support Japanese earthquake relief efforts in March 2011, about a year before the album came out.

Ryan Whyte Maloney — “Michigan Moonlight”

He turned four chairs during the blind audition, but we missed most of Ryan’s battle round match with Cali Tucker. Fortunately, there’s no shortage of Ryan’s music to check out, since he released a full-length album called “Where I’ve Been” last year. Here’s one of my favorite tracks. Head here to learn about more.

Cali Tucker — “Right Where I Want Ya”

We didn’t get to see the battle round that resulted in her elimination, but Cali Tucker drew a tough assignment in being matched up with Ryan Whyte Maloney, who turned four chairs in the blind auditions. Forget that and check out this sassy country-rock song Cali released on a self-titled EP back in 2012.

Cary Laine — “Best of Me”

Cary Laine turned four chairs in her blind audition on The Voice, but was eliminated in a battle round Tuesday night. Regardless, check out this single she released in 2011. You don’t have to be a parent to appreciate the sentiment in the simply beautiful tune.

Austin Ellis — “False Alarms”

Austin Ellis of Annapolis, Md., was eliminated from The Voice Monday night despite an impressive showing against Josh Kaufman in the battle round. If you liked what you heard on the show, check out this great ballad from his 2012 album “Coming of a.G.E.” Oh, and check out the great compliment he gets at the end.

Dawn and Hawkes — “Ten Leap Years”

Of all the audition songs from Season 6 of The Voice, Dawn and Hawkes (Miranda Dawn and Chris Hawkes) scored the biggest hit on iTunes with their cover of “I’ve Just Seen a Face.” And it looks like we might be reintroduced to the couple during this week’s battle rounds. In the meantime, enjoy this lovely ballad fom their 2012 Golden Heart EP.

Lindsay Bruce — “Only Thing Hung Up Here”

Lindsay Bruce of Team Shakira is one of the promising country singer/songwriters on Season 6 of The Voice. And this adorable tune is one of 10 tracks from a “Lindsay Bruce Acoustic” album she released last year. And it’s far from the only one worth hearing, so you might be seeing another Lindsay Bruce song in this package later on.

Jeremy Briggs (with Relic 45) — “Cherrington Lane”

Clarissa Serna won a battle round match this week, eliminating Jeremy Briggs from Season 6 of The Voice. But she said she was disappointed he wasn’t saved by another coach because he has such a fine rock voice. That’s evident in this track, off a 2012 EP released by Relic 45, with Jeremy as the lead singer.

Lexi Luca — “It’s Not Over”

Lexi Luca was eliminated from The Voice Monday night, and we didn’t get to see nearly enough of her on the show. But check out this single she released last year as part of a teen suicide prevention effort. Like all of the other songs I’m featuring in this blog, you can download it from iTunes.

Paula DeAnda — “Besos”

One of the disappointments from the opening night of battles on The Voice was the elimination of Paula DeAnda, who drew the incredibly tough assignment of singing against Sisaundra Lewis, the former vocal director for Celine Dion. Paula, now in her mid-20s, scored a couple of pop hits during her teens, but she’s also released three recent singles, including the catchy dance number I’ve embedded below. Besos, by the way, is Spanish for kiss.

Christina Grimmie — “I Bet You Don’t Curse God”

We’ll start off, appropriately enough, with the young woman who kicked off the Season 6 auditions. Having listened to Christina Grimmie’s “With Love” album, I’m surprised she isn’t already known for her own music. It features lots of catchy pop tunes. It also features this lovely track. Wow, fabulous vocal.