Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Four-chair turn-arounds haven’t exactly been easy to come by on Season 3 of The Voice.

Given his background, it’s not all that surprising Bryan Keith earned one.

And seven episodes into the season, his is arguably still one of the best male voices we’ve heard based on his 90-second audition.

Bryan, 22, of The Bronx, is the son of Ray de la Paz, two-time Grammy winner with the Spanish Harlem Orchestra.

“My dad is definitely my hero,” Bryan told The Voice. “When I was 14, I used to wach my father play. It was magic to me. I realized then music was what I wanted to do my whole life.”

But he’s also been reluctant to use his father’s connections to pull strings in the music business.

“I’m here to prove I can do it on my own,” he said. “People are going to know me for me.”

When his 90-second opportunity came, he launched into Bruno Mars’ “It Will Rain,” and the judges sensed something special pretty quickly.

Blake turned around almost instantly, followed by Christina, Cee Lo and, finally, Adam, marking the first time in Season 3 all four judges were vying for the same contestant.

Christina praised Bryan for having “a signature voice.”  But Adam lobbied the hardest.

“Oh, my God, you are special, my friend,” he told Bryan. Later adding: “I am dying to have you on my team.”

Mission accomplished.

What the show didn’t show: Bryan’s bio on The Voice website says he taught himself to play the guitar and drums. On Facebook, he describes his music as “classy/rock/acoustic,” and makes it clear he’s a songwriter as well as a singer. You can hear one of his original songs below. To hear more Bryan, head to his YouTube channel. In his Voice blog, he writes that he’s having the time of his life preparing for the show. “For the first time in my life I’m surrounded by raw singers who can all chime in with each other anytime and whatever comes out is record worthy,” he writes. “Preparing for blinds has given me the chance to get to know how other people approach achieving their dreams. We sing because it feels good, we sing because it changes people, we sing because it is medicine … it heals.”

Update: The son of a Grammy winner, Bryan performed Bruno Mars’ “It Will Rain” in the blind audition and got all four judges to spin their chairs. Next up: a battle round match with Collin McLoughlin during which they were asked to sing Sublime’s “Santeria.” In the knockout round, Bryan was pitted against pop singer Joe Kirkland and prevailed with a version of “Everything I Do, I’ll Do It for You.” He was voted into the finals after singing “Iris” in the live playoffs. His Top 12 version of Amy Winehouse’s “Back to Black” was the fourth most popular Voice performance on iTunes of the week, charting at number 49 on the singles chart.

Editor’s Note: Check back for live blogs throughout the finals on The Voice.

Bryan Keith performs “These Four Walls”