Idol Chatter & Voice Views

I was wondering where The Voice was hiding all the country singers who must have auditioned for Season 11.

We met at least three during Tuesday’s fourth blind audition episode as Josh Gallagher, Preston James and Khaliya Kimberlie took the stage with country tunes.

And you might as well add Austin Allsup, who put a definite country spin on The Rolling Stones’ “Wild Horses.”

Three of the four opted to join Team Blake with Khaliya being the lone holdout; the teen went with Team Miley.

We wound up meeting 12 new contestants during Tuesday’s episode, though I use the word “meet” loosely. Preston and Christian Fermin had their performances montaged, which meant only a few seconds of airtime. For that reason, I’ve embedded the iTunes version of their audition songs at the end of this blog.

Here are my three favorite auditions of the night, followed by the rest as they occurred.

1. Nolan Neal: The 35-year-old returnee who failed to earn a chair turn last season auditioned with Elton John’s “Tiny Dancer.” He displays nice raspy vocals and delivers several moments over the course of the performance. Blake Shelton and Adam Levine turn quickly, followed by Miley Cyrus and Alicia Keys. Adam predicts Nolan will be the first guy to go home one season and win the next. Miley says Nolan’s voice reminds her of her dad. Blake reminds Nolan that he has a proven track record of getting singers to the finale. Nolan picked Team Adam.

2. Halle Tomlinson: The 18-year-old auditioned with Billy Joel’s “New York State of Mind,” showing off impressive bluesy, jazzy vocals that prompted almost immediate chair turns from Adam Levine and Alicia Keys. Alicia says Hallie has an instantly
recognizable voice and that she liked her effortless performance. Adam liked the creativity Hallie showed by stripping down the song and said she has lots of potential. Hallie joined Team Alicia.

3. Austin Allsup: He sings “Wild Horses,” putting a big of a country spin on the Rolling Stones’ tune. Blake turns early in the performance. But despite turning in one of the night’s best vocals, Austin can’t entice any of the other coaches to turn. Very surprising because that was solid from beginning to end.

The rest

Aaron Gibson: He auditions with a slowed-down version of REM’s “Losing My Religion,” showing off nice raspy vocals. Midway through the song, Blake Shelton, Miley Cyrus and Alicia Keys turn in rapid succession. Alicia calls his voice “such a special, powerful tone” and liked the way Aaron made it his own. Miley says Aaron’s voice is one she’d like to listen to in her car. Aaron joined Team Miley.

Simone Gundy: The 25-year-old single mom opted to perform “I Who Have Nothing” by Shirley Bassey. Her first big note prompted
chair turns from Miley Cyrus and Adam Levine. Simone shows off a big voice, which leads to a spirited tussle between Miley and Adam as they try to convince her to join their teams. Miley praises Simone’s performance and vocal skills. Adam called her performance “crazy good” and can’t fathom why the other two coaches didn’t turn around. Simone joined Team Adam.

Josh Gallagher: Once an aspiring baseball player, he auditioned with “Stay a Little Longer” by Brothers Osborne. Blake Shelton turns at the first run-through of the chorus. Eventually, Josh’s solid country vocal prompts a chair turn from Alicia as well. Alicia complimented Josh on his voice and reminded him that country, the blues and soul “are all brothers.” Blake pitches him commitment to country music. Josh joins Team Blake.

Gabriel Violett: The 28-year-old former Broadway performer sings “Treat You Better” by shawn Mendes. He gets an early chair turn from Alicia Keys and a last-second chair turn from Blake Shelton. Gabriel says he wants to sing R&B pop with his own little twist and is trying to figure out what that twist is. Blake liked the precision in Gabriel’s performance. Gabriel joins Team Alicia.

Michael Sanchez: He auditioned with “Use Me” by Bill Withers. Michael said people are surprised, because he sounds different
than he looks. Well, he’s got that right. He’s also turning in a solid performance. Alicia Keys pushes her button at the last
moment, giving Michael a spot on the show.

Darby Walker: The 17-year-old was featured in the post-Olympic special, singing “Stand by Me” by the Drifters for her blind audition. She displayed a unique tone and singing style, prompting chairs turns from Miley Cyrus, Alicia Keys and Blake Shelton in that order. Miley says she imagines they have similar voices, then joins Darby on stage to sing “Jolene.” Alicia liked the power and control in Darby’s voice. Before the banter ends, Darby gets to sing “No One” with Alicia. Darby decided to join Team Miley.

Khaliya Kimberlie: Just 16, she auditioned with “Dibs” by Kelsea Ballerini. Her performance prompted chair turns from Miley Cyrus and Blake Shelton at the midway mark. Blake says he can help Khaliya go home with a trophy. Miley vows to work extra hard with her artists. At Blake’s prompting, Khaliya says she loves singing country music, but would like to give it an indie / alternative twist. Miley says Khaliya’s too young to be boxed into a genre. Khaliya chooses Team Miley.

Montaged contestants

Christian Fermin performed “Brother” and earned a spot on Team Blake.

Preston James peformed “Nobody to Blame” and landed a spot on Team Blake.