It’s a new season of The Voice with a pair of brand new coaches eager to make their mark and a wealth of fresh talent ready to put their vocal talents to the test. The season technically began almost a month ago with a post Olympics preview and two artists being snatched up. From that moment, we could tell that Miley Cyrus and Alicia Keys were serious threats to the long-running reign of Blake Shelton and Adam Levine, as each of the newbies were well versed in salesmanship and aggressively competing to snap up Darby Walker and We McDonald. But the longtime vets have a proven track record of success on the show and grooming talent that is not to be overlooked. So with that, let’s get a look at which new voices ended up with which coaches:
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As stated, Alicia Keys could be a serious threat this season. Much like Pharrell Williams, she has a way of speaking to the the vocalists and finding that connection that draws them in. Plus, like Christina Aguilera, she’s not afraid to use her own voice as cache to sign along with an artist and sway their vote. It definitely worked as she snagged three vocalists on Night 1.
Alicia started the night off picking up Jason Warrior, a vocalist who chose Stevie Wonder’s “Living for the City,” delivering amazing soulful runs before the song picked up. Adam was the only other chair turn, getting in first on Jason while Alicia waited it out a little longer. Adam’s humble pitch backfired, with him almost selling Alicia to Jason and when she offered some advice that sound like it came from his mother, he was in.
Medical device salesman Dave Moisan seemed like a natural fit for Team Adam with his higher register and unique rendition of Marcy Playground’s “Sex and Candy.” By switching up the arrangement, he was able to show a light and bouncy side mixed with a bluesy vibe and he received a four-chair turn. While Adam had a solid pitch, Alicia did the bigger sell and ultimately won over Dave.
20-year-old Christian Cuevas was her third addition, as he belted out Michael Bolton’s “How Am I Supposed to Live Without You” with an emotion and voice that seemed to surpass his years. Blake and Adam were in simultaneously after the first line, with Alicia jumping in later. But Alicia tapped into the emotion he felt in the song and swayed him to join her team.
Team Blake Shelton
It was a big night for Blake Shelton as well, as he went with the hard sell on the artists he really wanted. Sundance Head was one of the older singers of the night, showing bits of soul, country and southern rock as he belted the Otis Redding classic “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long.” It came down to Adam and Blake and Adam through a fit when he noticed Sundance’s hat and boots. The country leaning vocalist chose Blake.
Dana Harper, the daughter for former NBA star Derek Harper, showed off amazing range during her performance of Nick Jonas’ “Jealous.” During one portion of the song, she hit a low note that immediately yielded simultaneous turns from Blake and Alicia. And by finishing with a standout high note, Adam got in on her performance as well. But during the pitch, Blake spoke about how there weren’t many female artists doing what she did with that low note and it was something to explore. He had the best pitch of the coaches and she chose Blake.
15-year-old Gabe Broussard showed off a voice way beyond his years as he delivered a rendition of Marc Broussard’s “Lonely Night in Georgia.” Though he loves Marc’s music, Gabe is not related. Blake got in almost immediately and tried to ward off Miley Cyrus, but Miley eventually turned as well in appreciation of the performance. But it was Blake’s hard sell that eventually won over Gabe.
Team Miley Cyrus
Miley was an active participant during Night 1, but also took a step back in her push for several artists. There were a few times where she flat out admitted that she loved the performance, but felt that one of the other coaches was a better choice. And only once was she in a highly competitive situation where she won out over the other coaches.
Her first addition of the night was 17-year-old Courtnie Ramirez, who took on a swinging version of Jessie J’s “Mamma Knows Best” that had plenty of sass and some powerhouse vocals. Miley seemed most intrigued and after a little debating, she got in on Courtnie, with Alicia Keys soon to follow. This was a case of Alicia feeling Miley was the best coach for Courtnie, but she still put up a solid pitch. But in the end, Miley’s enthusiasm won Courtnie over.
The second addition to Team Miley was Ali Caldwell, one of the night’s four chair turns. With a sense of soul, power and lots of range, Ali wowed the coaches one by one with her rendition of Ariana Grande’s “Dangerous Woman.” Adam turned first, then Blake, then Miley, then Alicia. Alicia went up to give Ali a hug, while Adam, not to be outdone, waited in the wings for a chance to approach the singer as well. But Miley was the one who intrigued Ali the most with discussion of taking chances with a variety of song styles, so Ali decided to “dare to be different” and go with Miley.
Team Adam Levine
It was a tough night for Adam, who did his best to pitch many of the top voices of the night. But even certain acts who seemed destined to be on Adam’s team decided to go another direction. But Adam did land one singer for his team and it was a good one. 16-year-old Riley Elmore wowed the crowd with a surprise rendition of Dean Martin’s swinging classic, “The Way You Look Tonight.” Blake and Adam both jumped in, while Alicia and Miley held off. While Blake was ready to make a good sell, Adam one-upped him by approaching Riley, singing the song with him and offering him his first bit of coaching by showing him how to loosen up with the song onstage. After that, there was little doubt who he would choose.
And so with that, let’s take a look at who sits atop our rankings for the night:
1. Ali Caldwell (Team Miley)
2. Riley Elmore (Team Adam)
3. Gabe Broussard (Team Blake)
4. Sundance Head (Team Blake)
5. Dave Moisan (Team Alicia)
6. Jason Warrior (Team Alicia)
7. Dana Harper (Team Blake)
8. Christian Cuevas (Team Alicia)
9. Courtnie Ramirez (Team Miley)
