Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Johnny Bliss listens to the coaches’ feedback on Season 14 of The Voice. (NBC Photo)

Johnny wound up joining Team Alicia Keys. Though he turned four chairs, he couldn’t select Kelly Clarkson because Adam Levine used his one and only block to keep Johnny from her team.

That marked the third block used this season — Kelly has the only one remaining. It also marked the third time the coach who used the block still failed to land the contestant they used it on.

In other developments, the montages are back. Jamella and Angel Bonilla were the singers we didn’t get to hear. What’s more, the show didn’t post their full performances on YouTube either.

I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again: That’s inexcusable.

We’ve now seen five full performances from contestants who didn’t make the show. But the show doesn’t have time to let us hear Jamella and Angel, who made the show? What sense does that make?

This makes less sense: The show has the full videos posted from the no-chair-turn performances. But it hasn’t posted full videos of Jamella and Angel singing.

Why not? Did the cameras break down when they were singing?

Or perhaps the four-months-plus since the blinds were taped didn’t provide the show with enough time to edit their performances. Yeah, that must be the case.

On to the recap:

THE BEST

Johnny Bliss, 26, New York, N.Y.
The song: Preciosa by Marc Antony
The chair turns: Adam Levine turned within the first few notes. He was soon followed by Kelly Clarkson and Alicia Keys, though Kelly quickly learned she’d been blocked. Blake Shelton then turned, giving Johnny a four-chair turn.
The performance: That four-chair turn was just the third of Season 14 and was well earned thanks to a powerful pinpoint vocal with lots emotion thrown into the mix.
The outcome: Johnny picked Alicia after she revealed that she was named after her Puerto Rican godmother and sang to Johnny in Spanish.

2. Jackie Foster, 21, Poway, Calif.
The song: “What About Us” by Pink
The chair turns: Jackie enticed a chair turn from Kelly Clarkson as soon as the song swelled; Alicia Keys turned late in the performance.
The performance: Wow, what a lovely tone Jackie showed off on the opening lines of that performance. But she said in her bio package that she often rocks out on stage, and she displayed impressive power as well.
The outcome: Jackie opted to join Team Kelly.

THE REST (In no particular order)

Austin Giorgio, 21, Rochester, N.Y.
The song: “How Sweet It Is” by Marvin Gaye
The chair turns: He prompted chair turns from Kelly Clarkson and Blake Shelton.
His performance: Austin showed a bit of swagger, a lot of charisma and threw a few nice wrinkles into a performance that prompted a debate over who knew Michael Buble best — Kelly or Blake.
The outcome: Austin, the crooner, went with Blake, the country coach.

Brett Hunter, 30, Oakland, Calif.
The song: “She’s a Bad Mama Jama” by Carl Carlton
The chair turns: Playing the ukulele, Brett prompted a chair turn from Blake Shelton midway through the performance, but he wound up being the only coach to turn.
The performance: Brett, accompanying himself on ukulele, turned in an entertaining vocal, and it was a big note that got Blake to turn, proclaiming that he’d just landed “the next Tiny Tim.” I’d agree with one of the other coach’s assessment though: Brett might have earned more chair turns with a totally stripped down ukulele version of the song.
The outcome: Because Blake was the only chair turn, Brett automatically landed on Team Blake.

Christiana Danielle, 22, Fort Wayne, Ind.
The song: “Hotline Bling” by Dake
The chair turns: Adam Levine turned just 11 words into the song. Before the performance ended, Alicia Keys and Kelly Clarkson had turned as well.
The performance: Christiana started the song with an incredibly sweet tone that won over Adam in a heartbeat. He called Christiana one of the “greatest gifts we’ve been given on this show.” And she displayed enough vocal gymnastics over the course of a minute and a half to prove she’s the real deal even if she isn’t as experienced as some of the other contestants.
The outcome: Christiana decided to join Team Alicia.

Jamai, 28, Chester, Pa.
The song: “U Got It Bad,” by Usher
The chair turns: A soaring note in the middle of the performance prompted simultaneous chair turns from Alicia Keys and Kelly Clarkson.
The performance: Jamai has enough personality and style for a whole team full of contestants, showed impressive potential with that performance and might have hit the night’s biggest glory note.
The outcome: Jamai picks Team Alicia.

Jorge Eduardo, 24, Dallas, Texas
The song: “Despactio” by Luis Fonsi ft. Daddy Yankee
The chair turns: Kelly Clarkson turned just a couple of notes into the performance, but she wound up being the only one to do so.
The performance: Once Kelly stopped her whooping, viewers could focus on Jorge’s smooth vocal, which I thought was one of the absolute best of the night. Why only one coach turned, I have no idea. On that point, I’d agree with her: “Y’all are dumb.”
The outcome: Since Kelly was the only chair turn, Jorge automatically joined Team Kelly.

Mia Boostrom, 24, Boston
The song: “Pillowtalk” by Zayn Malik
The chair turns: Adam Levine turned when Mia’s voice soared in the last third of the performance.
The performance: It was a big note that showed off Mia’s impressive range that prompted the chair turn, but I thought Mia showed a unique tone much earlier in the song, too.
The outcome: Because only Adam turned around, Mia automatically became a member of his team.

Reid Umstattd, 34, Austin, Texas
The song: “Take Me to My Pilot” by Elton John
The chair turns: Reid got almost simultaneous chair turns from Adam Levine and Alicia Keys before he even hit the song’s chorus but couldn’t quite entice the other coaches to join them.
The performance: You had to like Reid’s easy-going style on stage. Adam complimented him on a “killer voice, killer range and (for having) soul for days.” Alicia praised the power in his voice.
The outcome: Reid opted to join Team Adam.

THE MONTAGED

Jamella, 21, Mission Viejo, Calif.
The song: “Dive” by Ed Sheeran
The chair turns: Kelly Clarkson and Blake Shelton turned
The outcome: Jamella decided to join Team Kelly.

Angel Bonilla, 31, Los Angeles, Calif.
The song: “Lay Me Down” by Sam Smith
The chair turns: Apparently, only Adam Levine turned.

NO CHAIR TURNS

Mitch Cardoza, 22
The song: “No Woman, No Cry” by Bob Marley

Kayla Woodson, 23
The song: “On the Radio” by Reba McEntire