NBC’s ‘The Voice’ review: Justin Johnes, Beth Spangler, Mayra Alvarez close blind auditions
Tonight marks the final episode of “The Voice” blind auditions, and it really feels like the blew by this year! What, was there a hurry to get us to the super-boring Battle Rounds. Hopefully, this means more time at the live shows.
Typically some of the weaker artists are at the end of the auditions, and we expected that today. Luckily, our expectations were at least somewhat defied by the group we ended up seeing. There were some good singers in the mix! The following are at least the ones who managed to make it through.
Matt McAndrew, “A Thousand Years” – We really like Matt’s voice. We even said so in the preview for tonight’s episode. We also said that he would go with Pharrell based on his pitch, but he surprised us! Adam is the safe choice, but we’re not sure he will fully access his emotional vulnerability. Team Adam.
Brittany Butler, “The Girl from Ipanema” – Interesting song choice here. It’s old-school, but we like it when someone thinks outside the box. She’s got a jazzy vocal, and we really feel like she did make the right choice here. Team Pharrell.
Ryan Sill, “Secrets” – Sometimes, you really do have to think strategically why you are in the middle of a blind audition, and we feel like Ryan did that. With Gwen, he has a chance to compete against few people who are like him, and that’s an easy way to stand out. Plus, his booming voice suits her sensibilities well. Team Gwen.
Fernanda Bosch, “I Try” – Every year, Blake gets one artist who he has no business getting. We have no idea how this is going to work, even if Fernanda has this unique, original Latin rock voice that we haven’t heard much of the show. Team Blake.
Beth Spangler, “Best Thing I Never Had” – Beth with her leather overalls is certainly original, and she is one of the better contestants that we’ve seen. She can hit some huge notes, and she also has style. Team Adam.
Griffin, “It’s a Beautiful Day” – It’s a new Buble! Well, we don’t know if he sounds any different than him when he’s not singing Buble, but we love a good crooner. Given that Blake is such good pals with Buble, we thought that this was a slam dunk. Not so much. Team Pharrell.
Mayra Alvarez, “Human Nature” – Given her past, we thought she was going to sing something contemporary Christian. This was a tricky song to do given the love that’s out there for Michael, but it was pretty strong. The fact that she comes from the same hometown as Jake Worthington, but chose a different coach, is kind of hilarious. Team Blake.
Justin Johnes, “Let Her Go” – We don’t think he connected well to the meaning of the song, but he’s got a young Justin Bieber (not modern Bieber, thankfully) thing going on, and he could get some votes from the ladies in the live rounds.
Who was your favorite tonight on “The Voice”? Share your thoughts with a comment, and head over here to get some more news worth singing about via our CarterMatt Newsletter.
Photo: NBC