Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Twenty-eight spots have been sealed, but there are still 20 more available on Season 7 of The Voice.

Which means there will be more singers to meet tonight — and probably more next week — as the blind auditions continue.

Last night, Gwen Stefani lured a four-chair turn recipient to her team for the first time.

Today, that singer — Anita Antoinette — was the top charting among last night’s contestants from the show. For how all the singers were doing on iTunes this morning, head here.

1. Katriz Trinidad, 15, San Diego, Calif. Her parents moved to the U.S. from the Philippines to pursue a better life. She started entering singing competitions at age 8 and has won 14 championships since then. “I was very determined at a young age because I fell in love with music,” she says. Katriz is auditioning with “At Last.’ An old favorite for these type of situations. But Katriz has quite a big voice. And that big voice is welcomed by the coaches, with Blake, Gwen and Pharrell turning quickly early in the song. Wow, that young lady knows something about glory notes. Pharrell gets down on his knees he wants Katriz on his team so badly. Blake says he thinks Katriz was “born to be a star.” Gwen says she’s close to a “perfect singer.” Katriz is getting the hard sell from all three coaches, and with good reason. Katriz decides to join Team Pharrell.

2. Ethan Butler, 25, Chicago, Ill. His dad was a pastor and led the band on Sunday mornings, so Ethan says all he heard was gospel music for the first half of his life. He says he’s been pursuing a career in secular music for the last year and a half. His mom says his turn toward secular music is a little tough to get used to, but at least he’s not singing anything “nasty.” Ethan’s sister has cerebral palsy, and he’s dedicating his performance to her. Ethan will sing “Beneath Your Beautiful.” This guy has really nice range. And he gets early chair turns from Blake and Adam. Really solid performance from Ethan and a strong ending, but no one else turns around. Adam says he “loved it.” He calls his performance “soulful” and “in the pocket” from start to finish. Blake says Ethan “is more than ready” for this competition. Ethan joins Team Adam, in spite of voicing a pre-performance preference for Blake.

3. Tanner Linford, 17, Kaysville, Utah: He’s another returnee from Season 6 when he auditioned with “Stay” and failed to land a spot on the show. He admits he felt really nervous and wasn’t quite ready. He said failing in Season 6 gave him more determination, and friends and family encouraged him to try again. This time, he’s decided to audition with “”When You Say Nothing At All.” Solid opening by Tanner, who doesn’t seem nearly as nervous this time around. And a really pretty ending prompts Blake to turn his chair. Blake immediately recognizes Tanner as a returning performer. Adam says his improvement was “noteworthy.” Pharrell compliments him for pouring his heart out in the performance. Blake says he showed “awesome control” and “great pitch.”

4. Roem Bauer, 37, San Francisco, Calif.: This gent says his wife is a political organizer. He stays home with their two children during the day and gigs at night. In college, he pursued opera as a tenor and “started winning little awards.” Then he decided that voice would translate to rock and roll. He’s looking for someone who can serve as the musical mentor he’s never had. His audition song: “Pretty Woman.” This is a pretty good Roy Orbison imitation, but it fails to turn a chair. Adam says it was too close to the original.

5. Jean Kelley, 29, Nashville, Tenn: Jean says her dad was obsessed with bluegrass music and her mom loved Elvis and 1950s and ’60s pop, which means she grew up with varied musical influences. “Eventually, I started to come into my own.” Her mom always encouraged her to sing. But the year before she entered middle school, the family was heading on vacation when her mom died of a heart problem. Jean went to college for music business, but then moved to Atlanta and joined a band. Now she’s going to try making it on her own. She’s auditioning with “Already Gone,” the Kelly Clarkson hit. Jean shows off nice range, and a great ending entices Gwen and Blake to turn their chairs. Jean’s reaction: “Holy crap.” Jean opts to join Team Gwen.

6. Chris Jamison, 20, Pittsburgh, Pa.: He’s a college student at Capital University where he delivers the mail. He’s also part of a rock ensemble in college, an experience that he says prepared him for the show. He’s also a triplet, with two sisters. When he was in 10th grade, he earned a roll as the pepper shaker in “Beauty and a Beast” in high school and now says he’s been performing for the past four or five years. He’ll audition with “Gravity.” Really nice opening by this guy from Pittsburgh. And that’s enough to convince Blake and Pharrell to turn around. Another prolonged high note has Adam joining them. At the end, Gwen joins them, giving Chris the first four-chair turn of the night. Adam compliments him on the emotion in his performance. Gwen calls him a “freak of nature.” Pharrell calls his voice “crazy.” Chris joins Team Adam.

7. Craig Wayne Boyd, 35, Nashville, Tenn.: He says he always knew he wanted to play music. After high school, he honed his skills in local rock bands. But all his friends told him he has too much twang in his voice and should be a country singer. So it was off to Nashville for Craig. He’s been performing music for the past 11 years, but has never gotten his big break. Now he has a 2-year-old son he’s also trying to provide for. His audition song: “The Whiskey Ain’t Workin’.” This guy seems a whole lot more at home on the stage than many of the contestants we’ve seen. And his big voice and country-rock vibe prompts a chair turn from Blake, then another from Pharrell just before the song ends. Pharrell says he doesn’t know the song, but there were a couple of original wrinkles that impressed him. Blake liked the edge in Craig’s performance. Craig opts to join Team Blake.

8. Tini Grey, 38, Samoa: His dad developed a reputation as the singer of the island and traveled all the time, so he didn’t encourage his kids to pursue music. Tini pursued architecture and started playing Hawaiian music on the side. When his dad had a stroke, Tini decided he needed to start getting serious about music. He will sing “Sara Smile.” His opening is actually a little shaky. But he soon settles in and displays a nice warm tone to his voice. Still, there’s a lot of inconsistency in his performance, and Tini fails to turn a coach’s chair.

9. Toia Jones, 29, Montgomery, Ala.: She says she grew up singing in the church choir starting at age 7. Her father’s old-school blues music was also an early influence for Toia. But she lost her father at age 16 and says she’s struggled for years getting her music career started. She and her boyfriend are now members of a band. She’ll sing “One and Only.” And, wow, she immediately displays a big, powerful, soulful voice. Very nice. And that audition just kept getting stronger and stronger. Pharrell and Adam couldn’t help but turn around. Not sure what Blake and Gwen were thinking. Pharrell compliments her for singing from “her heart.” Adam reminds Toia she’ll have a distinctive spot on his team. Her spot might not be so distinctive on Team Pharrell. Nevertheless, she joins Team Pharrell.

10. Amanda Lee Peers, 29, Rochester, N.Y.: She grew up in the church, and that’s where she started playing music. She’s gay and says that prompted her to leave the church. It also prompted her to give up music for a while because she equated music and church. She went to college to study graphic design, but her girlfriend convinced her to try music again. She joined a band and says they had a good run. Now she’s trying to make it as a solo artist. Her audition song: “Put the Gun Down.” This young lady has a nice edge to her performance, and tons of stage presence. The combination gets Gwen to turn her chair in a heartbeat. None of the other coaches follow, meaning Amanda is on Team Gwen. Gwen calls her “amazing” and says the guys are stupid for not turning around.

Also earning spots on The Voice

Gianna Salvato, singing “Glitter in the Air,” lands a spot on Team Gwen.
Rebekah Samarin, singing “A Case of You,” lands a spot on Team Adam, who also prompted Gwen to turn.
Grant Ganzer, singing “Unaware,” earns a spot on Team Blake.

11. Jonathan Wyndham, 22, Lexington, S.C.: He says he was a bit of a dork as a kid and struggled with a speech impediment. But his mom discovered he didn’t have the problem when he sang. So singing became a place of comfort for him. Oh, and as he travels and performs, he’s become a bit obsessed with eating at Cracker Barrel restaurants. He’s going to sing “Say Something.” And he’s displaying a nice voice in a performance loaded with conviction. More importantly, his performance is getting stronger and stronger. And Blake starts a wave of chair turns that doesn’t end until every coach is facing in his direction. Gwen compliments him on his sincerity. Adam says he loved the delicate vulnerability in his voice, but also sensed Jonathan’s nerves. Pharrell, too, loved Jonathan’s conviction. Jonathan opts to join Team Adam, giving him both of tonight’s four-chair turns.