Idol Chatter & Voice Views

What a difference a year makes?

A year ago, four-chair turn recipients were flocking to Team Adam.

In the Season 8 premiere Monday night, Adam Levine not only failed to lure a four-chair turn singer to his team, he finished the night empty handed.

Meanwhile, Blake Shelton, who landed only one of 12 four-chair turn auditioners in Season 7, has already landed two in Season 8.

But Pharrell might have gotten the biggest catch, 15-year-old Sawyer Fredericks, who was the iTunes leader from the season premiere. To check out who else cracked the iTunes singles chart, head here.

Let’s see how the coaches do on night two.

Anthony Riley, 27, Philadelphia, Pa.: He says he probably sang before he talked, and says he loves “my Motown.” He sang in choir in high school and told his dad he wanted to be a professional singer. Now he’s a street performer in Philadelphia. “Loving what I do makes it a lot easier,” he says. At one point, he was arrested for singing in a Philly park, took the case to court and won. He wound up being named the top street performer in Philadelphia. He says his eight years of performing have prepared him for The Voice. He launches into an energetic performance of “I Feel Good.” And within seconds, all four coaches are facing in his direction. Yep, the eight years of experience have served Anthony well. Christina liked the way Anthony worked the audience. Pharrell says he likes Anthony’s spirit. Anthony joins Team Pharrell, giving him a pair of four-chair turn singers.

Gabriel Wolfchild, 26, Seattle, Wash.: He chose the name. His parents attend a Rainbow Festival, where that’s part of the tradition. His dad is Blue Mountain. He says he began playing guitar in art school. Fellow students told him he should be playing music, and he decided they were right. He’s now an indie-folk artist who says “I don’t make a lot of money, but I always make enough.” He’ll sing a Bob Dylan song he learned after a woman broke his heart. That song: “Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright.” He’s only a few words in, when Adam turns around. About midway through the performance, he’s joined by Blake. Gabriel delivered a nice, tender performance and also got Christina to turn around. Adam calls him “the coolest dude ever.” Gabriel joins Team Christina.

Brooke Adee, 16, Tampa, Fla.: She recalls her parents taking her to a performance of “Annie.” The singers were so great, Brooke decided she wanted to perform for a living. The family moved from Georgia to Florida after her mom was diagnosed with Lupus. For Brooke, that meant leaving friends behind. But she said she’s started singing in area restaurants for tips. For her audition, she’ll sing “Skinny Love.” A great opening prompts early chair turns from Adam and Blake. She winds up turning in a very solid performance, but the other coaches don’t turn. Blake says Brooke looks and sounds like “a future star.” Adam says she could “100 percent” wind up in the winner’s circle. And Brooke joins Team Blake.

Dylan Dunlap, 18, Studio City, Calif.: His father is a film composer and he says he connected with his father through music. Dylan attended Berklee and made it through his freshman year before his father announced he wouldn’t fund his second year at school. So Dylan headed for the streets, playing a small guitar. Someone with The Voice walked by, liked what he was doing and invited him to audition. Dylan said he’s flipping Jason Derulo’s “Talk Dirty” for his blind audition. Interesting. But none of the coaches turn around.

Tonya Boyd-Cannon, 35, New Orleans, La.: She says she came up singing in the church and has a degree in music education. “I don’t care how many jobs I have to work, as long as music is involved, I’m there.” Turns out she works with a prison choir. She says she’s inspired by the inmates’ stories. Tonya says she started singing professionally when she was 16. Her family also lost everything in Katrina. She’ll audition with Pharrell’s own “Happy.” This is a good match of singer and song. Adam realizes it and turns around quickly. Before she’s done, he’s joined by Christina and Pharrell. Tonya ends with a flourish, too. Christina calls it so much fun. Pharrell liked the chances she took with his own song. Tonya joins Team Adam. Wow, Adam has his first singer of Season 8.

Joe Tolo, 21, Sacramento, Calif: This singer is from American Samoa, though he’s now living in California. He’s the youngest of eight children and says they all enjoy music as well. After high school, he says he wanted to pursue music, but didn’t know how. A senior in college, he saw an ad for a Voice boot camp. He wound up winning a makeover and an audition on the show. His audition song: “To Love Somebody.” And he pulls Christina in in a heartbeat. And Joe throws in some very nice vocal wrinkles near the end of that performance, including a high note that shows great range and a big glory note that pulls Blake in. Christina says they’re a “match made in heaven.” Joe says he wants to sing soul music. And Joe joins Team Christina.

Drew Parker, 23, Covington, Ga.: He’s from a one-traffic-light town. He says he wanted to be a baseball player growing up, but also sang in churches all over the southeast. “It turned into this dream of playing music for a living,” he said. But he’s also practical, realizing music might not pay the bills. So he put music “on the back burner” for a little while and works as a X-ray technician. He says his desire to help people medically stems in part from watching his brother struggle with asthma. He sings “Working Man Blues,” but can’t get a coach to turn around.

Mia Z., 15, Pittsburgh, Pa. Her grandmother and grandfather were in a band together; then her uncle and mother got in a band too. Now Mia Z is the lead singer for that band. She says at 15, she’d rather spend her weekends performing with the band than going to the movies with friends. She’ll audition with “The Thrill is Gone.” Mia has a big voice and a touch of rasp to it. Really nice range, too, and that’s what entices Pharrell to turn around late in her performance, which ends with a nice frill. Pharrell praises her range. Blake calls her audition one of the best he’s heard. Mia says she prefers to sing the blues. Mia decides to join Team Pharrell. No surprise there.

Blaze Johnson, 23, Columbus, Ohio: He’s from the Bahamas, but his dad moved the family to Ohio, looking for a better life. His dad wanted to attend school to become a minister, but also worked at Blaze’s school as a janitor. That led to a lot of teasing from fellow students. He tried out for a school play, but didn’t make it. He thought about giving up on music; his dad convinced him to do otherwise. Now the family is back in the Bahamas but Blaze has stayed behind and is a music minister at a local church. He auditions with “How to Save a Life.” He’s turning in a very nice performance. Adam turns around early into it. Blake joins him at the midway point. Blaze ends strong, but no one else turns around. And so it’s Blake against Adam again. Blaze opts to join Team Adam.

Bryan Pierce, 39, Charlotte, N.C.: His parents divorced when he was really young, which led to hard times. “I know what it’s like to eat out of a garbage can,” Bryan says. He wound up in the construction industry for 11 years, but says he never enjoyed the job and made a pact with himself that he’d make a living with his music one day. He put out an album, hosts a karaoke night and says he’s now ready to pursue his passion again. He’ll audition with “Rocket Man.” Really nice opening. But that opening might have been the highlight of the performance. No one turns around for Bryan.

Deanna Johnson, 18, Hazlehurst, Ga.: She auditioned in Season 5, but didn’t turn a chair. She says she hadn’t performed a lot to that point and was awestruck by the performance. After going back home, she says she didn’t feel good enough to sing in front of people. In fact, she stepped away from music for about six months. Her dad convinced her to start singing in church again. And now he’s set up a studio in his basement where they work on her music together. “Just coming back and getting over that fear of rejection is a big step right now,” she says. She’ll sing “All I Want.” Deanna has a unique tone. She’s at the midway point in the performance before Blake turns around, but he’s quickly joined by Christina and Pharrell. Deanna has a very neat little break in her voice. And, at the last minute, she gets Adam to turn around, too. Blake says she seems like “a star.” Deanna is now a member of Team Adam, giving him his first four-chair turn of Season 8.

/caption]