Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Here’s a look at some of the latest music released by singers who formerly appeared on The Voice.

This week we have a duet from a pair of Season 16 contestants, new singles from Sugar Joans, Dwight and Nicole, Jonathas, Tyke James and Jason Warrior and new covers from Nolan Neal and Keith Paluso.

* Jacob Maxwell from Season 16 is preparing to release a debut EP and, this week, released the second song from that EP, “Power Invested in Us.” What makes this release special is that he wrote and recorded the song with Season 16 Team Legend colleague Celia Babini. They previously collaborated on a cover of “I’ve just Seen a Face,” which you can find on Jacob’s YouTube channel. Last month, Jacob released his first single since the show, “All I Want.”

* Sugar Joans from Season 7 released “Secrets” on Friday, a song she says has tested me more than any other piece of music I have ever written. It’s the most honest and vulnerable I have ever been. I was so afraid to put it out, but I realized I needed to do it for everyone that has been living in fear of judgment like myself … I am a grown woman with a life and past, and this is me. Take it or leave it. Messy, sexy, imperfect, proud — all the things. You can’t put me in a box.” It follows “Invisible” as the second recent single from Sugar, the Top 12 finisher on The Voice.

* Jonathas from Season 2 is working on a new album called “Issues” and released a catchy new song, “Beat Over Her Own Drum” on Friday. Jonathas has released a steady stream of original music since appearing on the show in Season 2, including an EP called “L.I.F.E.” late last year. He was also a Top 50 contestant on Season 10 of American Idol.

* Tyke James from Season 15 recently released a new acoustic single, “2029.” It marks the fifth single this year from Tyke, who hails from Hawaii and turned 19 last month. He’s also about to embark on a short West Coast tour with fellow singer-songwriter Jenn Blosil. It kicks off Oct. 9 in Seattle and you can check out all the dates on Tyke’s Facebook page.

* Dwight and Nicole dropped a soulful new single this week called “Wasting All My Time.” Dwight and Nicole are Dwight Ritcher and Nicole Nelson, and they were performing — and releasing music — together since before Nicole appeared on Season 3 of The Voice. Last year, they released a fine five-song EP called “Electric Lights.”

* Jason Warrior from Season 10 has transitioned from pop to Christian and gospel music and released a new single, “No One Like You,” late last month. He’s also preparing to release the music video for “So Great,” a song he droppeded back in June. In addition to The Voice, Jason appeared on the inaugural season of The Four on FOX. That singing show foray did not go very well.

* There are also a couple of impressive new covers out, including Nolan Neal’s soulful version of Elton John’s “Tiny Dancer” and Keith Paluso’s version of “Angel of Montgomery.” Nolan was a Season 11 contestant and just celebrated his 39th birthday. Keith calls “Angel” a song that taught him “the storytelling power of songwriting.”

See also …
Post-Voice Albums and EPs released in 2019
Post-Voice singles released in 2019