Idol Chatter & Voice Views

When Ian Flanigan and Eli Zamora turn just one chair with those performances …

Well, that’s just a sign of the incredible job The Voice casting team did in rounding up talent for Season 19.

Delayed for a month by the pandemic, Season 19 got off to an impressive start Monday night.

John Legend landed the night’s only four-chair turn (Tamara Jade) as well as the artist who ended the night in sterling fashion (John Holliday).

But there was ample talent to go around.

Here’s a recap of Monday’s show with Voice Views’ picks for the night’s best performances.

BEST OF THE NIGHT

The artist: Tamara Jade, 30, Bowie, Md.
The song: Lizzo’s “Cuz I Love You”
Chair turns: Her big opening prompted immediate chair turns from Kelly and John. Gwen and Blake turned late in the performance. Kelly called her “incredible” and said she’ll “be in the finale.” John said Tamara showed she “can do everything.”
Her choice: Tamara joined Team John.

RUNNERS-UP

The artist: Jim Ranger, 38, Bakersfield, Calif.
The song: “Blue Ain’t Your Color” by Keith Urban
Chair turns: He prompted quick chair turns from John and Gwen and Blake turned as well for his passionate performances of the Keith Urban hit. John said he felt “the spirit.” Blake said he loved the build in Jim’s performance.
His choice: Jim opted to join Team Blake, who predicted Jim would be great in “the lives.”

The artist: Payge Turner, 27, Trinidad
The song: “Call Out My Name” by The Weeknd
Chair turns: She got an early chair turn from Blake, who kept motioning for the other coaches not to turn. Gwen ignored him and turned anyway. Gwen called her voice “beautiful” and praised her control. Blake loved her stage presence as well.
Her choice: Payge opted to join Team Gwen.

ALSO LANDED SPOTS ON THE SHOW

The artist: Lauren Frihauf, 16 Byers, Colorado
The song: “Come to My Window” by Melissa Etheridge
Chair turns: Midway through the performance, she prompted turns from Gwen and John. Gwen called Lauren her “dream person to work with” and was surprised to discover her voice came from someone so young.
Her choice: Lauren joined Team Gwen.

The artist: Joseph Soul, 34, of Hana, Hawaii
The song: “Is This Love” by Bob Marley
Chair turns: Joseph was well into the song before Kelly and Blake turned around. Blake said he was surprised Joseph wasn’t a four-chair turn. Gwen said she’d never heard such a unique version of the song.
His choice: Joseph opted to join Team Kelly.

The artist: Ian Flanigan, 30, Saugerties, N.Y.
The song: “Colder Weather” by The Zac Brown Band
Chair turns: Blake turned midway through the performance. He’s the only coach who turned despite a nice, gritty vocal from Ian. Blake says his voice sounds like he gargles broken glass.
Gwen called his voice “beautiful.”
His choice: Ian automatically landed on Team Blake.

The artist: Eli Zamora, 25, El Paso, Texas
The song: “Ya Lo Se Que Te Tu Vas” by Juan Gabriel
Chair turns: Kelly turned midway through the performance. And despite an emotional performance from Eli, she was the only coach to turn. Kelly’s reaction: “You are so great. So much passion. I’m fighting tears.”
His choice: With only one chair turn, Eli automatically became a member of Team Kelly.

The artist: Mariso Corvo, 33, Staten Island, N.Y.
The song: “Perfect” by Pink
Chair turns: A huge glory note near the end of an energetic performance was followed by chair turns from Gwen, Blake and Kelly. Kelly predicted she could make the finale and says she has range for days.
Her choice: Marisa joined Team Kelly

The artist: John Holiday, 35, Rosenberg, Texas
The song: “Misty” by Johnny Mathis
Chair turns: John turned immediately. Kelly followes shortly thereafter, but was blocked by John. Gwen turned late in the performance. Kelly called his range “incredible.” John called everything John Holiday did “so beautiful.” Gwen loved his “retro” vibe.
His choice: John Holiday opted to join Team John Legend.

NO TURNS

The artist: Corey Ward, 33, Hartsville, S.C.
The song: “Way Down We Go” by Kaleo
Chair turns: No one turned, through John called Corey “a fantastic singer.”

The artist: Hailey Green, 14, St. Martin, Mississippi
Song: “Soulshine” by Allman Brothers
Chair turns: No one turned for Hailey’s performance, though she started strong and showed off a big voice.