Idol Chatter & Voice Views

The coaching lineup for The Voice Season 27 includes John Legend, Kelsea Ballerini, Adam Levine and Michael Buble. (NBC Photo)

The Voice returns for a 27th season Monday night.

And having researched more than 30 of the contestants rumored to have earned spots on the show, I’d say The Voice casting department has done a brilliant job again.

This cast is loaded with talented artists, many of whom have already released music you can check out right now.

I’ve posted links to profiles of 33 artists below. Check them out. I’m sure you’ll be impressed.

In terms of coaches, only Michael Buble returns from Season 26. He’ll be joined by John Legend, Adam Levine and Kelsea Ballerini.

Kelsea is a rookie coach in name only. After all, she ran the Comeback Stage in Season 15 (anyone remember that two-season gimmick?).

She advised Kelly’s team during the battles in Season 16. And Kelsea filled in as coach for Kelly’s team during the Season 20 battles.

Adam Levine wasn’t exactly the most beloved Voice coach when he left the show at the end of Season 16. (NBC Photo)

Okay, I’m sure the show will treat him as a returning hero.

After all, Adam’s the second longest tenured coach in Voice history, having been on the show for the first 16 seasons.

He’s also the third winningest coach, leading three singers to victory, including Javier Colon in Season 1.

But he also left the show as the least popular coach in the show’s history.

At that point, he hadn’t coached a singer to victory in seven seasons. He didn’t even get a singer into the finals in his last three seasons on The Voice.

More remarkably, he failed to get a single singer as far as the semifinals in Season 16.

Remember when being a member of Team Blake could be a huge boost for a singer? By that point, being a member of Team Adam was a detriment.

How did Adam piss off so many fans? Look no further than the great bathrobe controversy on Top 10 results night in Season 15.

Two of Adam’s singers, DeAndre Nico and Reagan Strange wound up in the bottom three, “competing” for the instant save.

DeAndre performed his save song. Reagan was “under the weather,” unable to sing and watched in her bathrobe.

Yet Adam begged fans to save Reagan. They did. By the narrowest of margins.

And the outrage was immediate. #FireAdamLevine trended on Twitter. DeAndre told his hometown TV station “I just felt like he sold me out.”

And, folks, contestants never, ever criticize their coaches on The Voice.

The show’s attempts to gloss over the controversy the following week were a dismal failure. DeAndre’s pastor mom wound up calling Adam “a liar.”

So the bitterness lingered into Season 16, when rule changes gave fans unique opportunities to show their displeasure.

For the only time in its history, the show held cross-battles instead of knockouts, with fans deciding who won.

Team Adam was decimated. Then came the 24-singer live playoffs. Not a single Team Adam member was voted through. The one singer he could save was eliminated the following week.

And Adam, having already been announced as a coach for Season 17, decided to leave the show, making the announcement three days after Season 16 ended with a very classy announcement on social media.

For anyone who’d like to take a trip down memory lane, here are some links.

Reagan Strange can’t sing, but gets the save anyway
Voice viewers say: Fire Adam Levine
DeAndre Nico of Adam Levine: He sold me out
Reagan and DeAndre are doing fine, but no apology from Adam Levine
DeAndre’s mom: Adam Levine is “a liar”
Adam’s out, Gwen’s back in an inevitable move for The Voice
Reaction to Adam Levine’s Voice departure

And here are the links to those promised contestant profiles.

Aaron Rizzo
Adam David
Alanna Lynise
Angie Rey
Ari Camille
BDII (Brian Darden)
Braxton Garza
Britton Moore
Carlos Santiago
Conor James

Dan Kiernan
Darius J.
Dennis Lorenzo
Dimitrius Graham
Ethan Eckenroad
Fran
Grace Miller-Moody
Hailey Wright
Iris Herrera

Jacquelyn George
Jaelen Johnston
Jay Ammo
Jayden Cree (Olesen)
Jessica Manalo
Lucia Flores-Wiseman
Naomi Soleil
Nell Simmons

Olivia Kuper Harris
Page Mackenzie
Ricardo Moreno
Robert Hunter
Simone Marijic
Tatum Scott
Tori Templet
Trevon Dawson