NBC’s ‘The Voice’ review: James David Carter, Allison Bray, John Taylor Williams take over

Tonight, “The Voice” has found its way back on TV, and while the show is showing its age in many ways, there were a few things that stood out about the show tonight featuring Gwen Stefani and Pharrell Williams.

One thing that we will definitely say right here is that Pharrell is fantastic. He comes across very sympathetic and real, while we feel like Gwen tried a little hard with her t-shirts to be over-the-top. Adam Levine and Blake Shelton were there typical selves, and the chemistry between the four probably has not been fully sorted out yet.

We’re not going to really focus on those who didn’t advance here; instead, take a look at some of the singers who did.

Luke Wade, “That’s How Strong My Love Is” – The first audition of the season. Luke has a nice soul-singer voice, but is there anything that was really that special about this performance. We would argue that it was probably not worth the quick four-chair turn, but his pick was no surprise. Team Pharrell.

Clara Hong, “Chuck E’s in Love” – A surprising choice, and she was a pretty smooth jazz singer. We enjoyed the vocal, but once again, did she have enough of a personality? Obviously the coaches disagreed, since three of them turned. Team Adam.

Bryana Salaz, “Problem” – We understand the appeal of choosing the Ariana Grande hit, but Bryana, at 16, just didn’t have the pizzazz to really convince us that she was the perfect fit with the track. If there is one good thing we’d say, though, it is that she has a coach who can bring convince out of her. Team Gwen.

Damien, “It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday” – Watch out for this guy this season. He has a pretty good voice, but to go with that he has a solid coach in Adam Levine, and also a fun story as a TSA Agent. Team Adam.

Allison Bray, “Merry-Go-Round” – We wonder how that band feels that they formed after her first audition, and now she came back and advanced. Also, it was clear from the beginning of the critiques that she was going to pick Blake … who not get it over with? Team Blake.

Taylor John Williams, “Heartless” – We’ve heard this arrangement before in other ways, so we can’t give him credit for that. With that being said, he is a very curious singer with a voice that could do interesting things. We’re interested to see how a guy like him can do with Gwen, who was surprised that he actually picked her. Team Gwen.

Elyjuh Rene, “Xo” – Why spell your name like that? He actually looks a little like Pharrell, oddly enough. We really dig the voice, but what we are more intrigued by is just his natural vibe and cool personality. He will almost certainly be someone to watch. Team Pharrell.

James David Carter, “Nobody Knows It But Me” – If he goes with Blake, you may need to hand him the money right now. This guy is really good, really vulnerable, and he could actually be a great artist in country music. These two guys are together, and this is big trouble for everyone else. BIG TROUBLE. We can’t say that enough. Team Blake.

Snub of the Week – Megg. Her voice was uneven, but she had personality for week.

Who was your favorite contestant tonight? Share below, and head over here to get further news worth singing about via our CarterMatt Newsletter.

Photo: NBC