NBC’s ‘The Voice’ review: Rudy Parris, Chevonne close out blind auditions

The blind auditions on “The Voice” are finally over, so before we kick things off with what will hopefully be the new-and-improved battle rounds, let’s savor the moment of what is traditionally the best part of this show.

Ultimately, though, we have to say that while the competition is strong this year, there are really too many singers left. Why? We have a hard time still remembering them week to week in between all the sad stories and playful banter from the coaches.

Nathalie Hernandez – Our first contestant of the night, Nathalie did show up with some seriously big dreams. She was very confident for a 15-year old, and wanted to be a mainstream superstar after winning a score of talent shows. Luckily, she has more than just the vocal chops to back this up: she also knows how to tell a story. Even though she sang Taylor Swift’s “White Horse,” her pop leanings led her to Christina Aguilera.

Caitlin Michele – No, don’t assume that she is related to Lea Michele. Caitlin actually looks and sounds a little bit like Florence Welch, so the fact that she performance a Florence + the Machine song was almost a little too much. We do like that she went for the coach in Adam Levine who actually gave her constructive criticism.

Nicole Johnson – Make no bones about it: we are pretty sure that Nashville singer Blake went on the show specifically to work with Blake Shelton, and she performed a country version of a song by one of his good friends in Kelly Clarkson just to put the icing on the cake. We feel bad for Cee Lo Green for having to sit through this.

Chevonne – It’s the female Jermaine Paul, with the one difference being that Chevonne actually spent much of past year touring with Lady Gaga on her Monster Ball Tour. It took the coaches long enough to turn her chair around, but she finally did have a good debate between Cee Lo and Blake. Cee Lo was the choice from the moment she started singing, and we’re glad that this was the choice.

Kayla Nevarez – The problem with “The Voice” is by the time that Kayla’s story about her sick dad came around, we were actually a little bit sad-storied out. We really did not get excited about her until she really started to sing, and she was soulful, smooth and took on a deceptively hard song in “American Boy.” There was a great battle here between Adam and Christina, but she ultimately went with Mr. Maroon 5 Adam, making him the first person to fill his team.

Celice Westbrook – For 16, Celica looks and sounds very mature, which is a good thing on a show where a great deal is going to be expected of these singers very fast. We weren’t completely blown away by her audition, but there is some really great potential here. It was actually the audience who drew her to Christina more than the other two coaches still in the game. With that, Christina’s team is also full.

Rudy Parris – He has been singing for nearly as long as some of these coaches have been alive, and he actually is one of our favorites from the whole season so far. There is something moving behind those country vocals that really endeared us to him, even though we felt as though Cee Lo may have been a more exciting choice than Blake.

Cody Belew – It’s the new Adam “I’ve got a giant black woman trapped inside of me” Brock of “The Voice”! Cody was completely ridiculous in some ways, with his “bang bang” hips and his dressing up like a country star. However, he did find a coach in Cee Lo, who he was so stunned by him turning at the last minute that he completely lost his mind.

Who was your favorite one of the final blind auditions? Be sure to share some more of your thoughts below.