The Voice recap: The fight for the final four
Welcome to the final night of The Voice's Blind Auditions. We have a two-parter to close out this portion of season 20: First, each coach still has one spot available. Six artists will vie for those four spots. After the teams are squared away, The Voice gives us a look back at how each coach selected their artists. It's mostly things we've seen before — save for a few bloopers, which are always welcome — so we'll just be focusing on this last batch of auditions. Ready to find out who will round out each team this season? Let's go!
Denisha Dalton / 22 / Warwick, N.Y.
"PILLOWTALK" by Zayn
Denisha used to build girl groups when she was younger, using recess for rehearsals, and she is bringing that energy to The Voice stage. She has this cool break in her voice that is so interesting it ends up being the cowboy who turns first for this pop/R&B singer. That moment when, as Blake describes it, Denisha sings falsetto for a split-second before jumping back into her chest voice is so unique that Blake thinks Denisha must have invented it. But Blake isn't the only coach fighting for this singer — John and Kelly turn their chairs, too. Kelly calls Denisha's tone "sultry" and loves the rasp in her voice, while John praises Denisha for being "fearless" and "authentic." Denisha grabs that last spot on Team Legend. She is rewarded with the final "Welcome to Team Legend" serenade, this time with a full band accompaniment. It is a gift to us all.
Awari / 35 / Virginia Beach, Va.
"Weak" by SWV
I'll just be over here thanking my stars that SWV's "Weak" has somehow become a staple of The Voice. It's one of the greats. The coaches love the song choice, too, and both Kelly and Nick turn their chairs for Awari, a single dad with a smooth, warm tone, great for R&B and soul music. Nick is influenced by those genres as well and even notes that his latest album shows that off. We also learn that "Weak" is one of Priyanka Chopra Jonas's favorite songs, so there was no way Nick wasn't turning around. Kelly found Awari's runs effortless and tasteful and thought he was really able to sell the emotion of the song. Both Nick and Kelly try to woo Awari with their welcome gifts and it seems like Awari is really debating whether or not he wants a new jacket or his very own Nick's Notebook before deciding to join Team Nick. The heart wants what the heart wants. Speaking of, Nick declares that thanks to Awari, "[his] heart, [his] book, and [his] team are full."
Charlotte Boyer / 17 / Rock Island, Ill.
"Love Is a Losing Game" by Amy Winehouse
Charlotte is a shy teen who comes alive on stage and thinks the format of the Blinds will work in her favor, allowing her to show off her vocals instead of worrying about stage presence. Only Blake and Kelly have spots left, but neither turns their chair. As John points out, Charlotte's voice sounded highly stylized and that, paired with the choice of an Amy Winehouse song, meant that they lost the chance to see who Charlotte is as an artist. Kelly thinks that a lot of it came down to song choice and Blake admits he didn't turn because Charlotte's style felt out of his wheelhouse.
Keegan Ferrell / 21 / Fort Wayne, Ind.
"You Will Be Loved" by Maroon 5
A cute kid playing the piano and singing a pop song with a whole lot of heart seems like the perfect fit for Team Kelly, right? Both she and Blake turn for Keegan after hearing what John describes as a "sweet and angelic" tone, and Kelly makes a solid pitch by reminding Keegan that she "know[s], live[s], and breathe[s] pop music" and she has for 20 years. "This is my lane," she tells him. Sounds like she'd be the right choice of coach, doesn't it? Blake's pitch is that he is friends with Adam Levine and that Adam Levine used to sit in Kelly's chair and now she's there so they must be enemies. Keegan goes with... Team Blake? Kelly can't seem to catch a break today.
Conner Snow / 27 / Maui, Hawaii
"This City" by Sam Fischer
Conner grew up in Hawaii and, influenced by the music there, moved to Los Angeles and put out his own album. He's been working to move his career forward ever since and knows The Voice could be the big push he needs. Unfortunately, his performance is off. Kelly, the only coach left with an open spot on her team, didn't turn because she sensed a lot of hesitancy in Conner's voice and the entire time she just wanted to "'Oh Happy Day' him," citing Sister Act 2. I was unaware that could be a verb but I'm never looking back now.
Ainae / 21 / Washington, D.C.
"Best Part" by Daniel Caesar featuring H.E.R.
Ainae comes from a big musical family: Her father is a rapper and songwriter who ran a music studio in their basement, her mother is in music marketing, and her grandmother and great aunt came to the U.S. from Ethiopia and started a famous jazz club in D.C. Basically, Ainae was born to do this and you can tell. There's so much confidence and control in Ainae's voice, it's only a matter of time before Kelly turns her chair for the final time this season. Kelly knows it took a ton of air for Ainae to sing like she just did, which signals that Ainae knows what she's doing. She tells her that she's "different from anyone else on this show," and welcomes her to Team Kelly. And with that, Ainae closes out the season 20 Blind Auditions.
TEAM STANDINGS
TEAM KELLY: Kenzie Wheeler, Corey Ward, Gean Garcia, Ryleigh Modig, Halley Greg, Gihanna Zoë, JD Casper, Savanna Woods, Anna Grace, Ainae
TEAM LEGEND: Christine Cain, Victor Solomon, Carolina Rial, Pia Renee, Ciana Pelekai, Durell Anthony, Deion Warren, Rio Doyle, Zania Alaké, Denisha Dalton
TEAM NICK: Dana Monique, Devan Blake Jones, Raine Stern, Zae Romeo, Andrew Marshall, Jose Figueroa Jr., Bradley Sinclair, Rachel Mac, Lindsay Joan, Awari
TEAM BLAKE: Cam Anthony, Pete Mroz, Anthony Konzelman, Ethan Lively, Emma Caroline, Avery Roberson, Connor Christian, Jordan Matthew Young, Savanna Chestnut, Keegan Ferrell
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