Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Stephanie Skipper listens to the coaches’ feedback on The Voice Season 14. (NBC Photo)

A block finally worked.

And, hallelujah, The Voice managed to show us full blind auditions for 10 singers that earned a spot on Season 14 witout montaging a single one.

See that, producers, it can be done.

Meanwhile, the coaches continued to be stingy with their chairs turns. I mean, there’s one more night of blind auditions,
but I can’t remember a season of The Voice with so few three- and four-chair turns.

On to the recap, beginning with my selections for the top two auditions of the night.

THE BEST

1. Stephanie Skipper, 33, of Nashville, Tenn.
The song: “Piece by Piece” by Kelly Clarkson
The chair turns: Adam Levine and Blake Shelton turned late in the performance, one that reduced Kelly to tears.
The performance: A magical vocal. How all four chairs hadn’t turned for Stephanie’s lilting vocals by the second line is beyond me. That was as good as any audition we’ve heard this season.
The outcome: Stepahnie decided to join Team Adam.

2. Tish Haynes Keys, 38, of St. Louis, Missouri
The song: “Chain of Fools” by Aretha Franklin
The chair turns: Kelly Clarkson and Adam Levine turned. Kelly looked at Alicia and Blake in disbelief. “What is wrong with you?” she asked. I was wondering the same.
The performance: Wow, such a rich, powerful vocal. And Tish showed what she’s capable of without over-embellishment. Kelly was so impressed, she said if Tish doesn’t win the show, she can go out on tour with her at any time. Adam said he had to turn for her voice on a show called The Voice.
The outcome: Tish opts to join Team Adam.

THE REST (in no particular order)

Hannah Goebel, 21, of Nashville, Tenn.
The song: “If I Ain’t Got You” by Alicia Keys
The chair turns: Adam Levine and Kelly Clarkson turned quickly. Blake Shelton followed and so did Alicia Keys, only to find she’d been blocked by Kelly.
The performance: Really, really nice soulful and powerful performance from Hannah, who also displayed a very nice rasp in her voice. Though blocked, Alicia praised the power in her voice.
The outcome: Hannah picked Team Kelly, the first coach to use a block and wind up with the artist it was used on.

Livia Faith, 17, of Stanton, Ken.
The song: “Dream a Little Dream of Me”
The chair turns: Blake Shelton turned midway through the performance. Alicia Keys and Kelly Clarkson eventually joined him.
The performance: At just 17, Livia put a nice twist on a classic song. She also displayed unique vocals that could help her stand out on Season 14. And fans appreciated the performance. It was one of the first to chart on iTunes.
The outcome: Before she performed, Livia said she might squeal if Blake turned. But she wound up choosing Team Alicia.

Bransen Ireland, 27, Fairview, Tenn.
The song: “Tulsa Time” by Don Williams
The chair turns: Blake Shelton turned early in the performance, Adam Levine followed.
The performance: There hasn’t been a lot of country music on The Voice this season, and Bransen certainly turned in a solid performance on a country classic. Really nice voice.
The outcome: Bransen said he promised his sons that if Blake turned, he’d join Team Blake. He kept that promise.

Gary Edwards, 26, of Dallas, Texas
The song: “What’s Goin On” by Marvin Gaye
The chair turns: Adam Levine and Blake Shelton turned for Gary’s performance.
The performance: Gary unleashed a unique version of the Marvin Gaye classic with tons of soul and lots of power, but a few more frills than I prefer. Loved the fact that he introduced his grandmom to the coaches.
The outcome: Gary opted to join Team Adam.

Jordan Kirkdorffer, 28, Franklin, Tenn.
The song: “In Case You Didn’t Know” by Brett Young
The chair turns: Adam Levine turned midway through the performance, joined by Blake Shelton just before the song ended.
The performance: The full-time accountant, part-time singer prompted the by now familiar Adam vs. Blake showdown. He also had Blake praising him for a “great voice” and proclaiming he might be “a solid contender” on Season 14.
The outcome: Jordon picked Team Blake.

Miya Bass, 29, of Jamaica, New York
The song: “Issues” by Julia Michaels
The chair turns: Adam Levine turned as soon as Miya hit the chorus.
The performance: Miya showed off really impressive power over the course of that performance, power that was deserving of more than just one chair turn.
The outcome: With Adam as the only turn, Miya automatically became a member of Team Adam.

Shana Halligan, 44, of Los Angeles, Calif.
The song: “Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)” by Cher
The chair turns: Alicia Keys was the only coach to turn.
The performance: Loved the song choice and Shana did a nice job of avoiding a straight-up cover. Again, I found myself wondering why more coaches didn’t turn.
The outcome: Shana automatically became a member of Team Alicia.

Teana Boston, 16, San Leandro, Calif.
The song: “Unfaithful” by Rihanna
The chair turns: Kelly Clarkson turned late in the performance, giving Teana a spot on the show.
The performance: Teana, an Alicia Keys fan, showed off a really nice tone, but her inexperience showed just a bit too, especially early in the performance.
The outcome: Since only Kelly turned, Teana automatically became Team Kelly.