Idol Chatter & Voice Views

New post-Voice music out includes country singles from Jared Blake, Hailey Steele and Dave Fenley.

Ryan Innes and Cory Jackson have also released new covers recently.

Here’s a bit about each of those releases. The links take you to the songs on Apple Music. Or you can check out the Spotify snippets below.

* Jared Blake from Season 1 is back with a new single after a bit of a health scare. Back in late May, he was rushed to the hospital with what was suspected to be Covid-19. It turned out to be pneumonia, complicated by blood clots in his lungs. The new song is “From Here to Where the Sun Shines,” and it’s about lasting love, Jared says in a Facebook message to fans. The song, which he co-wrote with two friends, was inspired by his grandparents, who were married for 77 years before his grandfather died at age 96. “To my knowledge, they were always in love,” Jared says.

* Hailey Steele from Season 2 released her first brand new single of 2020, “All I Need,” last Friday. Hailey calls it a song “about trying to find that delicate balance in life as a woman who wants to have a career and family … For me, the song is so personal because I’m admitting that sometimes I wish just one of those things were enough for me. I wish I could just be a wife or just wanted to be a mom. Or just wanted to be only a musician. Because it would truly make it easier to be satisfied that way.” Hailey appeared on The Voice as part of a country duo called The Line. She released live versions of three of her older songs earlier this year.

* Dave Fenley from Season 15 released “Country Birthday Song” Friday. It’s a shorty, clocking in at just more than a minute. But it accomplishes Dave’s mission. “I wanted to write a birthday song with a little grit but also some heart.” You can check out the YouTube performance video here.

* Ryan Innes from Season 4 recently released a slowed-down version of the classic Pat Benatar rock hit “Heartbreaker.” In fact, there are two versions of his cover available. Ryan’s had a busy year. He released an eight-song album “What I’m Looking For” in April and appears on the Season 2 premiere of NBC’s “Songland” as one of the featured songwriters.

* Cory Jackson from Season 17 recently released a cover of the country classic “Mountain of Love.” “Been holding on to this for awhile now. Glad to finally drop it on the first day of summer! Hope this brings you all lots of joy during this time.” Cory has also released an original called “Forgive My Anyway” since appearing on the show.