Idol Chatter & Voice Views

WIlkes performs “One Headlight” on The Voice Tuesday night. (NBC Photo)

I mean, four episodes into the blind auditions, we’ve only had three four-chair turns. There haven’t been too many three-chair turns either.

It’s not for a lack of impressive performances. To my ears, Tuesday’s performances included some of the best yet.

Of course, Tuesday’s show also brought some disappointment.

In a season where country talent seems a bit sparse — hmm, is that intentional producers? — I was eager to hear from JessLee.

She was montaged.

After seeing Megan Lee’s social media numbers, I was looking forward to hearing from the former “Make It Pop” star too.

She was montaged.

Look, Voice contestants, there are now more than 650 of you. Don’t you think it’s time for a petition drive or a protest of some sort to stop the montages.

On to the Tuesday night recap.

THE BEST

1. Terrence Cunningham, 36, Los Angeles, Calif.
The song: “My Girl” by The Temptations
The chair turns: Adam Levine and Alicia Keys turned very early in the performance. Kelly Clarkson and Blake Shelton weren’t far behind as Terrence became just the fourth four-chair turn of Season 14.
The performance: Accompanying himself on the keys, Terrence transformed the Motown hit into a heartfelt ballad, dedicated to his daughter, displayed wonderful vocals and range and pretty much won over the entire coaching panel in a span of 90 seconds. A well-deserved four-chair turn.
The outcome: Terrence decided to join Team Alicia.

2. Wilkes, 34, Waleska, Ga.
The song: “One Headlight” by The Wallflowers
The chair turns: Blake Shelton and Adam Levine turned surprisingly late in the performance considering the strength of the performance.
The performance: Nice song choice for starters, but Wilkes also displayed a unique, raspy voice with lots of dynamics in the second half of the song. I’ll be surprised if he doesn’t become a fan favorite on Team Blake.
The outcome: Walks decided to join Tam Blake.

THE REST

Alexa Cappelli, 18, Upland, Calif.
The song: “I’ve Got the Music in Me” by Kiki Dee
The chair turns: Alexa prompted chair turns from Adam Levine and Kelly Clarkson
The performance: The teen turned in a fun, high-energy performance, showing off the power in her voice and delivering one heck of an ending. Adam praised the soulfulness in Alexa’s voice, but couldn’t quite compete with the facts that: a) Alexa is a big Kelly Clarkson fan; b) she auditioned for her performing arts high school singing a Kelly song.
The outcome: Alexa decided to join Team Kelly.

Jaron Strom, 29, Shelby, N.C.
The song: “This Magic Moment” by The Drifters
The chair turns: Jaron was nearly through his performance when Blake turned around.
The performance: Jaron turned in a solid vocal, one Blake deemed too good to leave without a spot on the show. But the real highlight came when he broke out his happy dance after landing on Team Blake.
The outcome: Since Blake was the only chair turn, Jaron automatically became a member of his team.

Spensha Baker, 24, San Antonio, Texas
The song: “Blackbird” by The Beatles
The chair turns: She got chair turns from Blake Shelton and Kelly Clarkson midway through the performance.
The performance: Spensha was a Star Search sensation as young girl, and her voice soared effortlessly when she hit the chorus, prompting Blake and Kelly to spin. Blake said he thinks Spensha could be a difference-maker in country music.
The outcome: Spensha opted to join Team Blake.

THE MONTAGED

Just in case my readers need a reminder, I hate montages. I think The Voice could easily avoid them. (Note that we’ve heard more singers who haven’t made the show than the number of singers who were montaged.) And, at minimum, The Voice should put the full performances of the montaged singers online, as they did back in Season 12. Alas, the show clearly doesn’t care whether montages are fair enough.

JessLee, 26, Stuart, Fla.
The song: “I’m With You” by Avril Lavigne
The chair turns: Kelly Clarkson and Blake Shelton turned.
The outcome: JessLee joined Team Blake.

Jordyn Simone, 17, Los Angeles
The song: “Tennessee Whiskey” by Chris Stapleton
The chair turns: It appeared that Alicia Keys was the only coach to turn. At least that’s the team Megan wound up on.

Megan Lee, 22, Los Angeles, Calif.
The song: “Killing Me Softly with His Song” by Roberta Flack
The chair turns: It appeared that Alicia Keys was the only coach to turn. At least that’s the team Megan wound up on.