Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Time to meet more of the Season 9 contestants on The Voice.

Last week, we met 18 of those individuals. That means there are 30 more spots on teams Blake, Adam, Gwen and Pharrell up for grabs.

Want to know more about the singers we met last week? Just head here for links to bio blogs that provide more info than you got on the shows, pre-Voice video from each singer and a look at the music they’ve already released.

Morgan Frazier, 22, Nashville: Morgan told her parents she wanted to make a CD at age 9. And it sounds like Morgan went door-to-door selling it. She says she sold 30,000 copies because people couldn’t resist a young girl in a cowboy hat. At age 16, Morgan moved to Nashville on her own. She says competing for attention in the crowded music scene there is difficult. She plays at a bar two nights a week, but is looking for a break that takes her beyond that. She’s going to sing “I Want You to Want Me.” Gwen turns at the first line. Love this young lady’s sound. She was featured in the blog of 10 contestants to watch I posted about a week ago. At the very end, Blake turns as well. It’s about time, Blake. This young lady is very good. Gwen liked the creativity Morgan showed by singing a Cheap Trick song. Blake compliments Morgan on a fragile, beautiful voice. Morgan joins Team Blake.

Amanda Ayala, 17, New York: Amanda says she loves rock and roll and joined her first band — Dead End — when she was 12. Two years later, she got her first show in New York City.l Amanda just graduated from high school, and she has to decide whether to pursue music or head off to college. She’s going to sing “Mississippi Queen” for her blind audition and thinks the coaches will be surprised to hear someone so young play a classic rock song like that. She also expresses a pre-audition preference for Team Gwen. Amanda is well into the song before Blake and Pharrell turn around simultaneously. So does Adam. Amanda’s a little rough around the edges, but she has a powerful voice. Pharrell compliments her on a beautiful tone. Adam liked the strength in her voice and sasy she has the potential to make lots of progress. Amanda joins Team Adam.

Jeffery Austin, 24, Chicago: This young man is thankful for all the family members who helped his music career. His dad used to sing with him, but died when Jeffery was 9 because of complications stemming from an enlarged heart. Jeffery was involved in lots of school musicals, then went off to college and studied public relations. He got a job in public relations, but was in New York, where everyone was pursuing their dreams. Watching The Voice on TV, he decided he just had to audition. He says it’s been six years since he performed on any major stage. He sings “Lay Me Down.” The his singing voice is much different from his speaking voice. He has a really nice tone. Someone will certainly turn for this guy. And Gwen does, before he even hits the chorus. And he ends very powerfully. Somehow, Gwen is the only coach to turn. Gwen calls it “a perfect performance.” And Jeffery is on Team Gwen.

Want to learn more about the artists we met last week on The Voice? Head here for links to profile blogs on each artist.

Lyndsey Elm, 22, California: She comes from a town known as cow town and works for the family’s pest control business. Her dad actually does the pest control spraying; Lyndsey handles the computer work. Lindsey says she was more into athletics than music in high school. But she was given a guitar as a high school graduation present and decided to trade basketball for music. She calls her Voice audition the biggest thing that’s happened to her. She’s going to give us a stripped-down version of Meghan Trainor’s “Lips Are Moving.” Gwen spins two lines in. And Lyndsey sounds a lot more experience than she is. She’s also earned early chair turns from Adam and Pharrell. Hey, Lyndsey is really good. She has nice style, too. Oh, and did I forget to mention — a four-chair turn? Yep, Blake joined the party. Gwen liked the fact that Lyndsey has the voice and the personality to perform. Blake liked the creativity Lyndsey showed with her version of the song. Lyndsey opts to join Team Gwen.

Joe Maye, 23, Baltimore, Md.: Joe comes from a large family and wants to show his young nephew that it’s important to follow your dream. His first job was on an entertainment cruise ship. “It was really corny. It got me comfortable with singing,” Joe says. He now performs in a band that does a wide range of music. He’s going to sing “Word Up,” a song from the ’80s, for his blind audition. It’s immediately apparent Joe has some great stage presence. Wonder if that’s something he learned on the cruis ship. But try as he might with a strong ending, Joe can’t entice a coach to turn.

Manny Cabo, 45, Elizabeth, N.J.: Manny is a professional photographer, but his lifelong dream is to rock out a stage. He says he grew up in the 1980s loving rock and roll and has been in more bands than he can recall. And those bands have performed a wide range of music. As a photographer, he’s a freelancer and pay is inconsistent. He’ll sing Whitesnake’s “Here I Go Again.” Adam turns around almost immediately. He’s soon joined by Blake. This is another guy who clearly knows how to work a stage. He entices Pharrell to turn around as well. And Gwen finally does as well. That’s even before Manny hits a note that reaches the stratosphere. Blake says Manny is a great singer and was doing hair band stuff without any hair. Pharrell loved the dynamics in his voice. Gwen liked the control he showed. Adam says Manny might be 45, but he acts 20. Manny joins Team Adam.

Madi Davis, 16, McKinney, Texas: Madi says she loved to sing when she was young, but didn’t know if she was any good because she had hearing problems. Reconstructive ear surgery solved the problem and she fell in love with music. She joined a youth choir that got to tour the world. That said, she’s heading to the stage guitar in hand and tackling a singer-songwriter song, Carole King’s “It’s Too Late.” Her vocals sounds very distinctive at the start of the song, prompting early chair turns from Pharrell and Gwen. Madi’s vocal seemed to waver a bit after that, but she’s still blessed with a very unique sound. Perhaps she was overcome with emotion, because she’s clearly moved by knowing she has a spot on The Voice. Gwen calls her “so natural and so talented.” And Madi opts to join Team Pharrell.

Caleb Lee Hutchinson, 16, Dallas, Georgia: He says he started singing when he was 9 and started playing guitar at age 12. But at one point, he wanted to be a ninja, he admits. He says there aren’t many places to play music around his home. I’ll have to fill in the rest of Caleb’s story later. Dang computer decided to reset my connection in the middle of his story. He’s singing “The Dance.” Wow, the auditions are absolutely loaded with country singers this year, aren’t they? No one turns for Caleb, unfortunately.

Time for a three-singer montage. Perfect timing, right? We’re introduced to a singer who doesn’t even make the show, then we get no introduction to …

Riley Biederer sings “Invincible” nd lands on Team Pharrell
Cassandra Robertson sings “Ghost’ and lands on Team Adam
Daria Jazmin sings “Dear Future Husband and lands on Team Pharrell.

I hate montage packages on The Voice.

Chris Crump, 31, Texas: He was home-schooled from second grade on. And he was part of a family band growing up. Chris says he loves all types of music, but pop is his favorite. He and his wife, April, has only been married for four months. In fact, they left their wedding reception to head off to The Voice auditions. Chris says he’s supported himself and his wife through a variety of jobs, including a stint as a salesperson of lady’s shoes. He’s going to sing “Thinking Out Loud.” He hits the chorus and all four coaches turn almost simultaneously. Chris has a really nice pop voice. Blake liked the emotion Chris showed in the performance. Gwen liked the intimacy in Chris’ performance. And Chris decides to join Team Blake. Interesting.

Tyler Dickerson, 21: He works with his dad’s fence company. His dad calls Tyler his right-hand man. But he’d prefer to see him on stage playing muisc. As a young boy, Tyler was known as The Outlaw Kid. At 13, he got a record deal and went on tour. He worked with John Rich. But then the record company went out of business. Tyler will rock out The Voice stage by belting “Hard to Handle.” And he’s certainly delivering a high-energy performance. Big voice and a big ending from Tyler. And he’s got a spot on Team Blake because no one else turned around. “What in the hell is wrong with you three?” Blake asks the other three coaches.

Jubal and Amanda: He’s a veteran performer; she runs a music school. And they’re a couple. Jubal’s dad is a songwriter who wrote the Eagles’ song “Seven Bridges Road,” and that’s the song Jubal and Amanda will be singing. “It’s amazing the things we can accomplish together,’ Jubal says. Note: We haven’t had a duo on The Voice in two seasons. And these two sound very good together. Finally, Pharrell and Gwen turn their chairs. Pharrell says he liked the ambition of what they sounded like. Gwen sensed a special energy in the performance. Amanda says they’ve only been performing together for 18 months. Blake asks if they’re married. Amanda’s response: “Not yet.” Then Jubal drops to his knee and presents her with a ring. “I’m been waiting for this day for a long time,” Amanda says. The two singers talk it over, then join Team Pharrell.