Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Conor James listens to the coaches’ feedback following a four-chair turn audition on The Voice. (NBC Photo)

Through three blind audition episodes, John Legend and Adam Levine remain the only Season 27 coaches on The Voice to lure a four-chair turn artist to their teams.

John Legend landed his second Monday night when BDII — aka Brian Darden II — closed the show with a four-chair turn performance of Miguel’s “Adorn.” Last week, John convinced Bryson Battle to join Team Legend.

Meanwhile, Adam Levine was the team of choice for Conor James following a performance of “I Say a Little Prayer.” That marks Adam’s fourth four-chair turn as Conor joins Grace Miller Moody, Ethan Eckenroad and Britton Moore as four-chair turn artists on Team Levine.

Also earning spots on The Voice Monday night were Jacquelyn George, Barry Jean Fontenot, Page Mackenzie, Jessica Manalo, Divighn, Tinika Wyatt and Tyler Kae.

Meanwhile, here’s hoping in future seasons The Voice mutes the coaches’ mikes during the blind auditions allows fans to enjoy the contestants’ blind audition performances uninterrupted.

The chatter between coaches was particularly annoying during Monday’s show while Page Mackenzie was delivering a fine performance of “Hell on Heels.” C’mon, Voice producers. Your coaches get enough facetime, enough talking time that we don’t have to hear them talking DURING a blind audition. Ugh.

Here’s a recap of Monday’s show. Following the links will take you to a bio for each contestant, complete with information on music they’ve already released.

BEST OF THE NIGHT

Conor James, 28, Bridgewater, Mass., “I Say a Little Prayer” by Dionne Warwick: Conor’s tender opening prompted almost immediate chair turns from John Legend and Michael Buble. When the song swelled, Adam Levine and Kelsea Ballerini joined them, giving Conor a four-chair turn. He ended with a pretty impressive glory note too. John called the performance “so beautiful” and “tasteful.” And said he thinks Conor will go super far on the show. Kelsea said she’s obsessed with Conor. Adam said he loves Conor’s spirit and it reminds him of coaches he’s led to victory on the show. Conor opted to join Team Adam.

RUNNERS-UP

Jacquelyn George, 27, Franklin, Tenn., “I Have Nothing” by Whitney Houston: Wow, Jacquelyn picked an ambitious audition song, but sounded fabulous on her opening. Her first glory note got a chair turn from John Legend. She delivered a very nice ending too, finally getting another chair turn from Adam Levine. Honestly, that deserved more chairs. John loved the way she handled the modulation in the song. Adam said the performance was very impressive, especially considering the difficulty of the song. Upon learning that Jacquelyn sang “Ordinary People” at her wedding, John approached the stage and sang a snippet of the song with her. That sealed the deal. Jacquelyn joined Team Legend.

BDII (aka Brian Darden), Hampton, Va., “Adorn” by Miquel: Brian’s smooth opening prompted quick chair turns from Michael Buble and Kelsea Ballerini. Adam Levine soon joined them. Late in the performance, John Legend turned as well, giving BD a four-chair turn. Kelsea blocked Adam in an effort to land Brian. She said she doesn’t have an artist like Brian on her team and heard a lot of pop in his voice as well as soul and R&B. Adam called him “world class.” Michael also said BD would be unique on his team. John called the performance so good and loved Brian’s laid-back approach to the song. BD decided to join Team Legend.

ALSO MADE THE SHOW

Jessica Manalo, 31, from Las Vegas, Nevada, performed “Unholy” by Sam Smith and Kim Petras: A big note just before the chorus earned Jessica a chair turn from Michael Buble. Midway through the performance, Kelsea Ballerini turned as well. In spite of a solid performance, the chairs of the other two coaches didn’t budge. John complimented her on a “cool take” on the song. Kelsea loved the way she rearranged the song and said Jessica has an identifiable sound and style. Michael said he loved the performance as well.

Divighn, 33, Gardena, Calif., “I Got You (I Feel Good)” by James Brown: Showing off great stage presence, Divighn delivered a fun and vocally impressive performance. Midway through the performance, Kelsea Ballerini turned. Michael Buble joined her late in the performance. Michael said he sounded great and is quite the entertainer. Kelsea called his performance divine and said she knew he was a performer without even turning around. Divighn opted to join Team Michael.

Tyler Kae, 22, Olympia, Wash., “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” by Cyndi Lauper: Tyler’s slowed-down approach to the song and lovely tone prompted quick chair turns from Adam Levine and Kelsea Ballerini. Only Kelsea was immediately ruled out as a coach for Tyler because Adam blocked her. Kelsea called Tyler “amazing.” Adam loved the poise Tyler showed and awesome moments early in the performance. Since only he and Kelsea turned, Tyler automatically became Team Adam.

Page Mackenzie, 32, Charleston, S.C., “Hell on Heels” by Pistol Annies: Page turned in a sassy performance and showed off a bit of rasp too, but it wasn’t until the closing seconds of the song that Kelsea Ballerini and Michael Buble turned, almost in unison. Michael noted that Canada loves country music too. He says he was impressed with Page’s range. Kelsea said Page’s performance made her feel “giddy.” And she argued that she’d be the best coach to help a fellow female country artist. Page opted to join Team Kelsea.

Tinika Wyatt, 50, San Diego, Calif., “Sorry Not Sorry” by Demi Lovato: Tinika showed off nice stage presence and powerful vocals, especially as the song wound to an end. But the coaches, surprisingly, stayed put. John Legend said he was so close to turning. Michael Buble loved her light. Tinika then pulled out a made-up song she submitted for an audition a decade earlier that name checked Blake Shelton and Adam Levine. And that prompted Adam to push his replay button and award Tinika a spot on the show.

Barry Jean Fontenot, “I Wish It Would Rain” by The Temptations: Barry’s smooth and soulful delivery prompted an early chair turn from Michael Buble. At one point, Adam Levine said, “We should all turned.” Shockingly, none of the other coaches did. Kelsea loved the soul and growl in Barry’s voice. Adam said he really liked Barry’s voice. John Legend liked the honesty in Barry’s voice. Michael says he thinks he landed “an incredible artist.”

John Legend does his best to lure Jacquelyn George to his team during The Voice blind auditions. (NBC Photo)