Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Sundance Head has announced plans for a first album since winning Season 11 of The Voice.

That’s one of the reasons I wasn’t the least bit disappointed when the show failed to land its fifth Emmy earlier this week.

The record contract the show awards winners has proven a hindrance as often as it’s been a help.

And when it comes time to book guest performers for results shows, producers show a clear preference for proven stars with no connection to The Voice rather than alumni with new music that could benefit from the show’s exposure.

But in my fantasyland, the show’s producers wake up, They realize that with two other singing shows competing for the best undiscovered talent, it would be in their best long-term interest to support the talented singers who have helped make their show such a success.

And in process, they could demonstrate that while The Voice hasn’t produced a Kelly Clarkson or a Carrie Underwood, lots of former contestants — including non-winners — have enjoyed post-show success.

Should that happen, here are four contestants deserving of guest performance spots in Season 15.

* Sundance Head (Season 10): After Sundance won The Voice, coach Blake Shelton implored Republic Records to do its best to turn his subsequent album into a hit. Turns out, there wasn’t even an album. Sundance has said the “hip-hop label” wasn’t quite sure what to do with a nearly 40-year-old Voice winner who wanted to sing southern soul. But Sundance has bounced back, releasing an impressive single called “Leave Her Wild” last week and planning an album called “Stained Glass and Neon” on Dean Dillon’s Wildcatter Records.

* Koryn Hawthorne (Season 8): Just a teen when she finished third behind Sawyer Fredericks and Joshua Davis, Koryn released her debut gospel album earlier this year. The lead single, “He Won’t Do It” has been at number one on Billboard’s gospel singles chart for an astounding 26 weeks.

* Morgan Wallen (Season 6): Folks might forget that Morgan finished Top 20 on The Voice before embarking on what’s turning out to be a successful career as a country singer. With an assist from Florida Georgia Line, Morgan scored a number one country hit with “Up Down.” He co-wrote “You Make It Easy,” which became a Top 10 hit for Jason Aldean. And he released his debut album. Not a bad year, huh?

* Loren Allred (Season 3): She’s the voice behind the song “Never Enough” from “The Greatest Showman” soundtrack. The song went gold, hit number 88 on the Hot 100 and cracked the Top 100 on the singles chart in five countries. Loren finished in the Top 20 on Season 3.