For those who haven’t watched NBC’s The Voice to this point, here’s a primer on what’s happened so far.
The concept: Four musician mentors — Christina Aguilera, Blake Shelton, Cee Lo Green and Adam Levine — pick a team of eight contestants, then try to groom the winner of The Voice.
How it started: Potential Voice contestants participated in a blind audition. They sang, and the mentors listened, with their chairs turned away from the contestants. If they heard a voice they liked, they turned their chair to face the contestants. If only one mentor turned around, the contestant went to that mentor’s team. If multiple mentors turned around, the contestant get to choose which team to join.
Eliminations so far: Sixteen of the 32 contestants were eliminated in battle rounds. Over the past four weeks, the mentors paired off their contestants and gave them a song to sing as a duet. After rehearsing, they performed in front of all four mentors. All four mentors, now serving as judges, commented on the performance. But the decision on which contestant to advance and which to send home was left to the mentor/judge for whom the contestants had been competing.
Up next: The live shows begin at 9 p.m. Tuesday on NBC.
Now, here’s a look at who’s left in the competition …
Team Adam Levine:
Casey Weston
This high school senior from Naples, Fla., has been writing and singing her own songs since 2006. In 2009, she released seven songs on a self-titled EP that also included acoustic versions of three of those tunes. You can check out some of her music on her website or on her MySpace page. According to The Voice website, she’s the daughter of two professional volleyball players. My read: Looked and sounded great performing Stevie Nicks’ “Leather and Lace” in the battle round, defeating a teammate 20 years older and far more experienced.
Devon Barley
He looks like former Idol contestant Kevin Covais and was studying medicine before deciding to put that career on hold to compete on The Voice, a decision Devon admits did not thrill his parents. But he sang Jason Mraz’s “I’m Yours” well enough that Adam and Cee Lo Green wanted him on their teams. Devon is 19 and a former choirboy from Massachusetts, according to his bio on The Voice website. My read: Lucky to survive the battle round against folk singer Rebecca Loebe. Their duet was one of the best from the past four weeks.
Javier Colon
This husband and father of two is another musician on The Voice who’s been trying to make a name for himself in the music business for several years. He released two albums with Capitol Records, “Javier” in 2003 and “Left of Center” in 2006, and an independent EP, “The Truth Acoustic,” last August. He classifies his music as acoustic, R&B, soul on MySpace, where you’ll find six of his songs. My read: Battle round foe Angela Wolff could just smile in appreciation at Javier’s superb vocals. An early frontrunner.
Jeff Jenkins
This 22-year-old from Jones Creek, Texas, got all four judges to spin their chairs with his version of “God Bless the Broken Road.” He dedicated his performance to his mother, who recently died of cancer. According to his bio on The Voice website, he’s been singing country music since he was 7 and supports himself showing cows while pursuing a music degree from Belmont University. My read: Sorely in need of one of those full Idol makeovers, but has the best voice of the three male country singers still in the competition.
Team Blake Shelton
Dia Frampton
This 23-year-old from St. George, Utah, was introduced to us as a writer of children’s books. But she’s also been the lead singer for a group called Meg & Dia, and you can head to the band’s MySpace page to find seven of their songs. Meg is Dia’s sister, and the group has a ton of music available on iTunes, including “Here, Here and Here,” released through Warner Brothers in 2009, and “Cocoon,” an 11-track CD released in March. My read: Considering her experience, she seems almost bashful on stage, something she’ll have to overcome quickly.
Jared Blake
He’s the 32-year-old father of six who needed two blind auditions before landing a spot on Blake’s team. On MySpace, he classifies his music as country/southern rock and rock. He’s a veteran of the music business who has worked with Gretchen Wilson, Big and Rich and The Goo Goo Dolls, according to The Voice. He has six singles on iTunes, five released just last month. My read: Managed to make his rock edge shine through on “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” in the battle round.
Patrick Thomas
This 20-year-old from Nashville was the first country singer to audition on The Voice and, of course, landed with coach/judge Blake Shelton after singing “Live Like You Were Dying.” He grew up in Colleyville, Texas. His parents worked on and off Broadway for 10 years. And he’s double majoring in voice and economics at Vanderbuilt University, where he’s on a full scholarship. Oh, and his first name is Albert, according to his blog on “The Voice.” He has a YouTube channel where you find an original song, “Like Grandma and Grandpa Do.” My read: He’s got the look to go with his voice. Won the battle round singing Elvis’ “Burning Love.”
Xenia
At 16, Xenia Martinez is one of the youngest performers on The Voice. She’s also one of the least experienced, admitting during her pre-performance interview that most of her high school classmates probably don’t know she sings. She also plays guitar, harmonica and piano, according to The Voice website. She auditioned with “Breakeven” by The Script. My read: Cried when Blake complimented her voice during rehearsals. Was extremely fortunate to be matched up against equally bashful Sara Oromuchi in the battle round.
Team Cee Lo Green
Curtis Grimes
It doesn’t seem logical, but he’s a country guy picked for Cee Lo’s team after singing Blake Shelton’s “Hillbilly Bone” during the blind audition. He released “Lonely River,” an album of country tunes in 2009. He’s from Gilmer, Texas, and says he taught himself to play guitar after breaking up with a girlfriend and has been playing ever since. You can check out more of his music on MySpace. My read: Got the victory over Emily Valentine in the battle round and sealed it with a kiss. Truthfully, she seemed the more powerful vocalist on Lady Antebellum’s “Need You Now.”
Nakia
He’s the 36-year-old from Austin, Texas, whom Cee Lo identified with because he doesn’t exactly have the pop star look. Of course, it didn’t hurt that he auditioned with Cee Lo’s mega hit “Forget You.” Nakia used to be part of a blues group called the Southern Cousins. He has two albums out, “Playing the Cards” (2007) and “Water to Wine” (2009). You can check out more of his blues/root music/soul on his MySpace page. My read: The Voice seems intent on pounding home the message: It’s all about the voice. Which might explain why Nakia prevailed in the battle round over hunky Tre Austin.
Tori and Taylor
These teens aren’t newcomers to the reality show business, having appeared on the FOX show “American Juniors” back in 2003. The sisters from Santa Maria, Calif., have been singing together since they were kids and were planning to audition for The Voice separately, until an aunt convinced them to do otherwise. They classify their music as alternative/pop on MySpace. “Stuck Like Glue” was their ticket to Team Cee Lo. By the way, Tori’s the blond; Taylor the brunette. My read: They’re the only duet left standing after the battle rounds. Too much bubbly cuteness for my taste.
Vicci Martinez
This 26-year-old is among the more seasoned singer-songwriters on The Voice, with CDs to her credit dating as far back as 2003 (“Sleep to Dream”) and including two full-length albums (“I Love You in the Morning” and “I Could Be a Boxer”) released in July. She labels her music acoustic / blues / folk rock on her MySpace page. You can also check out music on her website. My read: She’s got a wonderful rasp in her voice and literally dominated the stage singing Pink’s “Perfect” in the battle round. An early favorite.
Team Christina Aguilera
Beverly McClellan
She’s been playing clubs and bars in the Fort Lauderdale area for nearly 20 years looking for her big break, according to her bio on The Voice website. Along the way, she’s released five independent albums. The latest, a self-titled CD, was released on Jan. 1 and is available on iTunes. On MySpace, Beverly classifies her music as acoustic, folk, indie. She auditioned with “Piece of My Heart.” My read: Will America embrace a veteran lady rocker? If so, there’s no doubt this one has the stage presence and voice to do well.
Frenchie Davis
This 31-year-old from L.A. gained fame and a touch of infamy during the second season of American Idol, when she qualified for the semifinals, but was then disqualified because of topless photos taken when she was 19. She has since found work on Broadway, appearing in “Rent” in 2003 and, more recently, alongside season two Idol winner Ruben Studdard in “Ain’t Misbehavin’.” The show’s cast album was nominated for a Grammy in 2010. She auditioned with Katy Perry’s “I Kissed a Boy.” My read: I thought her opponent sounded better in the battle round. But I think that Idol storyline was too good for The Voice to pass up.
Lilly Elise
One of the contestants who landed a spot on The Voice on her second chance, Lilly Elise is a 19-year-old from San Anselmo, Calif. She is a student in the popular music program at USC’s Thornton School of Music and lists her genre as pop / R&B on a MySpace page where you can listen to three of her songs and watch two videos of her performing live at USC. My read: She came off as a better performer than singer during the battle round, when she was asked to sing Kelly Clarkson’s “Since You’ve Been Gone.”
Raquel Castro
She’s been known as an actress, not a singer, having starred as Gertie Trinké, the daughter of Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez in the 2004 film, “Jersey Girl.” The New Yorker is 16 now and won a spot on The Voice with her version of “Bleeding Love.” You’ll find just one tune on her MySpace page, “Beautiful Girls.” My read: She’s a diminutive dynamo who rocked out to Rihanna’s “Only Girl in the World” in the battle round and probably won on sheer energy alone.
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