Idol Chatter & Voice Views

His audition: Cody Ray Raymond, 26, of Seattle, Wash., auditioned with “Born Under a Bad Sign” by Albert King. He turned in an impressive audition, but it wasn’t until late in the performance that Kelly Clarkson and Jennifer Hudson turned around. Cody Ray opted to join Team Kelly.

His background: Out of school, he joined the military and wound up being based near the North Pole. His guitar kept him occupied and kept him company, and he decided he wanted music to remain part of his life after leaving the service. Originally from Albany, Oregon, he moved to Seattle and began pursuing music more serious. He’s also into the martial arts and calls himself more of a laid-back person.

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Cody Ray Raymond might not be the best candidate for Team Blake Shelton on The Voice.

In an interview earlier this year, he says he doesn’t mind country music, but doesn’t prefer to perform it.

And he recalled a wedding gig where he was asked to perform a country song during the bride’s walk. “I messed that song up bad,” he said.

But Cody certainly doesn’t mess up his own music. In fact, he’s got quite a distinct style that we might get to see on The Voice.

He’s one of the artists who has announced that he auditioned for Season 15, which begins Sept. 24 on NBC.

Here’s more about Cody.

* He grew up in Oregon and enlisted in the Air Force.

* After leaving the service, he told After 5 TV that he hit a rough patch and decided to move to Tacoma to pursue music and “follow a dream I had since I was a child.”

* For a while back in 2014, that meant living out of his car and performing for gas money and food.

* Eventually, open mic night performances led to paying gigs and he and his band now performs as Cody Ray and The New Favorites.

* Now Seattle-based, Cody Ray describes the band’s sound as a “retro sound on modern grounds,” a combination of neo soul, funk, pop and R&B.

* The New Favorites also includes Jesse Turcotte on bass; Isaac Guerra on drums, Reggie Turner on keys and Thene Singleton on drums.

* The band does not appear to have officially released music, but there is a five-song “Live At Jesse’s” EP available on Bandcamp. By Jesse’s, they mean Jesse Turcotte’s living room. It was released to Bandcamp early last year.

* Cody Ray has also released a trio of solo songs — “Vibe,” “Reflection’ and “Hope” to Bandcamp. You can also check all of those out at the YouTube link below.

* Cody told After 5 TV one of his favorite songs he’s written is called “Breathe,” which you can check out below. “It’s about taking a moment to relfect and understand that, whatever is going on in your life, if we take time to reflect and breathe, clarity will come to us,” he explained.

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