Idol Chatter & Voice Views

The Voice will have a new combination of judges for Season 8 as Pharrell Williams joins original cast members Christina Aguilera, Blake Shelton and Adam Levine. (NBC Photo)

At least once — probably more than once — a singer will entice all four coaches to turn around.

And he or she will be the toast of the show, at least until it happens again.

But let’s keep this chair-turning in perspective. For instance …

* The Voice has now had 24 finalists in seven seasons. Eight of those 24 — a full third — turned two chairs or less in their blind auditions.

* When Craig Wayne Boyd won Season 7, he became the second singer to do so after turning just two chairs in the blinds. Jermaine Paul was the other.

* Twelve singers turned four chairs in Season 7. Only four of them made the Top 12. In fact, five failed to make it as far as the live shows.

I’ll be live blogging throughout Season 8 of The Voice, beginning with tonight’s show.

And if you’d like a look at what past contestants have been up to, head here. It’s already been a great year for music releases from singers we met on The Voice.

Here we go …

Sarah Potenza, 34, Nashville, Tenn.: She might be from Nashville, but she pronounces that she’s on The Voice to sing rock and roll. She launched a country rock band with her husband, Ian Crossman, but says it’s been a struggle. She’ll audition with “Stay With Me,” the rock classic. Sarah has a bit of rasp to her voice, and quickly earns chair turns from Adam and Pharrell. They’re joined by Blake, and a whirlwind finish entices Christina to spin her chair as well. Folks, we have our first four-chair turn of Season 8. Adam says he wants to make sure Sarah can be “a rock and roll star.” And Sarah picks Blake, the show’s winningest coach. Blake only won one four-chair turn in Season 7.

Lowell Oakley, 19, Durham, N.C.: His dad and uncle Tony were his early musical influences. Lowell says he comes from a long line of businessmen, but his uncle studied opera. He joined an a cappella group when he was a high school junior and wants to merge an R&B/soul sound with classic crooning. He says his fate on The Voice will guide his path toward music or business. He, of course, would prefer the former. He’s singing “Don’t Get Around Much Anymore.” The teen has a really nice tone. And Adam turns around early in his performance. A nice glory note near the end of the performance prompts Pharrell to join him. Adam proclaims OMG when he finishes singing and compliments Lowell for “charming” the crowd. Lowell opts to join Team Pharrell.

Rob Taylor, 22, Donaldsonville, La.: This guy was raised by his mom, who was partially paralyzed by a stroke when he was in sixth-grade. He says he always loved music and his grandparents forced him to perform in church. He says he was accepted to the Berklee College of Music, but it sounds like he decided to stay home to help care for his mom. He’s singing “I Want You.” Hey, this guy has a great, crystal clear voice. Christina turns around. Then Bob’s voice hits the stratosphere, prompting Adam and Pharrell to follow. That was a heck of an audition. Christina rushes the stage to hug Rob. That, folks, was a fantastic audition. And Rob decides to join Team Christina.

Ivonne Acero, 16, Aguila, Ariz.: The teen comes from the capital of the cantaloupe. She started working at the local cantaloupe factory in hopes of earning enough money to buy a ticket to The Voice auditions. She’s going to audition with Pink’s “Try.” She has a nice voice, but also sounds a bit nervous at the start of this performance. From her intro clip, it doesn’t sound like Ivonne has a ton of experience, having just recently joined her high school choir. And Ivonne can’t entice a coach to turn around.

Cody Wickline, 20, Beckley, W.Va.: Cody says he’s pretty much the only person in his family who has anything to do with music. His father is a contractor; his mother is a stay-at-home mom and “they can’t sing a lick,” Cody says. He started singing at age 16 when he sang Feliz Navidad in Spanish class. His pre-audition coaching preferences are for Blake and Pharrell. He’s singing “He Stopped Loving Her Today.” This guy’s got a really, really nice voice, too. Adam turns around just a couple notes into his performance. Blake joins him near the end of the song. Then Pharrell and Christina join him, giving Cody a four-chair turn. Adam calls that one of the best country performances he’s heard on The Voice. Blake likes the Merle Haggard style to his performance. Christina says his gift became undeniable as the audition went on, which is why she turned her chair. Cody joins Team Blake.

Treeva Gibson, 16, Frederick, Md.: This young woman has two deaf parents and learned sign language before she could speak. She says her parents always understood her love of music, even though they couldn’t hear her sing. Her mom teaches at the Maryland School for the Deaf; her dad teaches at the University of Pittsburgh. She’s going to audition with “Young and Beautiful.” Christina and Blake turn around before she even hits the chorus. This young lady sings with emotion beyond her years. Blake says her voice drapes over the band. But Treeva chooses to join Team Christina.

Mason Henderson: He’s singing “Riptide.” We don’t get a pre-audition clip. Carson Daly wants to play along and see if we’d pick him just on the sound of his voice, which is filled with rasp. Yep, I’d turn. Voice coaches have turned for far less. But, alas, no one does.

Joshua Davis, 37, Traverse City, Mich.: This guy started playing guitar when he was 13 and says his family had a huge record collection. Old blues tunes spoke to him, and he started playing folk music in a band. He has one child and another on the way, and has managed to play music while staying close to home. His audition song: “I Shall Be Released.” Wow, he barely sang a line when Adam and Blake turned around. This guy does have a very good voice. And he finishes a fine audition with just those two chairs facing in his direction. Now the lobbying begins, and this should be fun as Blake goes against Adam. Blake says he thinks Joshua’s sound is different than what they typically hear on The Voice. Adam praises his vocals, too. And Joshua decides to join Team Blake.

Meghan Linsey, 28, Nashville, Tenn.: She was formerly half of Steel Magnolia and scored a Top 5 hit with their first single. She even once opened for Blake Shelton. In 2011, she and her partner broke up. Ever since, she’s been working on a solo career — and she’s released a fair amount of music you can find on iTunes. Meghan says she grew up singing “soul” music and thinks she might be a soul singer at heart. She’s going to audition with a country version of the Nazareth classic “Love Hurts.” And she sounds very good on it. Chairs are going to turn for this young woman. But no one does for a very long time. Then Adam, Pharrell and Christina spin their chairs simultaneously. But not Blake. Christina says Meghan made her believe “love hurts.” Pharrell likes the Joplin styling to her vocals. Adam, who has yet to land a singer, praises her potential. Meghan will join Team Pharrell.

Bryce Sherlow, 17, Ho-Ho-Kus, N.J.: This young lady is part of an a cappella group that won nationals. She previously studied ballet and says it wasn’t until high school that she realized she wanted to pursue singing seriously. During nationals, she sang a solo on Pharrell’s “Happy” and said that gave her much more confidence. She’ll sing “Cool Kids.” Shake off the nerves, Bryce. She really doesn’t, and no chairs turn. But as a consolation prize, she gets to sing “Happy” with Pharrell.

Sawyer Fredericks, 15, Fultonville, N.Y.: He lives on his family’s farm with 19 cows, 2 pigs, 1 donkey, 14 hens and 2 roosters. He likes the freedom of living on the farm, but says it’s also a lot of work. “I’ll be a farmer if I need to, but I’d rather be a musician,” he says, adding he loves the sound of his voice as it bounces off the walls of the barn. He started playing guitar about four years ago. He performed at open mics and farmer’s markets. His song choice: “I’m a Man of Constant Sorrow.” And one line in, three chairs have already turned courtesy of Pharrell, Adam and Christina. Blake joins them midway through the performance. Hey, I can see this guy being a fan favorite. Adam pledges to take him to the finish line. Pharrell calls his voice “crazy.”And the night’s final singer and third four-chair turn recipient joins Team Pharrell.