The Voice Season 24 Premiere Recap: The Queen of Country Reigns Over the First of the Blind Auditions
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Monday marked the dawning of a new era in Voice history — not just the Season 24 premiere but the first episode ever without GOAT Blake Shelton on deck. In his red swivel chair next to returning coaches Niall Horan, John Legend and Gwen Stefani was Reba McEntire, who seemed to fit in so well, you could’ve convinced me that she’d been on the panel for years. And I know I’ll get flak for giving out so many A’s and B’s, but the first of the Blind Auditions were pretty terrific. Read on and see if you agree with the couple of singers that made it through but only scored in the C range.
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Jordan Rainer (Team Reba), “Fancy” — Grade: B | Ha — what a “coincidence” that the whole season would kick off with a Reba cover, eh? Jordan was quite good, but compared to the new coach on the block — and how could you not compare them? — her voice seemed kinda thin. A chair-turn for sure, but four (as she got)? Nah. Side note: How funny was Niall playing back Blake quotes about him in hopes of winning over Jordan, who was pretty damn witty herself?
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Joslynn Rose (Team Gwen), “Arcade” — Grade: A | A magician’s assistant with eight sisters, this 16-year-old sang with impressive tenderness and vulnerability. Quite a range, too. Now she was a four-chair turn to me (but she couldn’t sway John, who quickly came to regret his indifference). “You are an old soul,” Reba declared. And an early frontrunner? Yeah, I could see her going the Gina Miles route.
Deejay Young (Team Legend), “This Woman’s Work” — Grade: A | A principal standby on tour for years with Hamilton, Deejay tackled Kate Bush with such an incredible falsetto that if we hadn’t met him before he started the number, I would’ve sworn in the beginning that it was a woman singing. By the end, though, he showed off a lot more than just his ability to hit high, high notes. Plus, his stage presence was off the charts. Eager to hear what he does next. (“Theodosia Reprise,” please?)
Sophia Hoffman (Team Niall), “Tell Me You Love Me” — Grade: A- | Wowza, this kid was not playing. She hit the stage like a storm, armed with a fierce growl, passion enough to singe our inner inner ears and a winning way with a run. “I could definitely hear that JHud grit,” Niall told the two-chair turn (who’d tried out unsuccessfully in Season 23). Guess the show starts every season with especially promising artists, but at this point, we were four for four.
Jackson Snelling (Team Reba), “If Haven Wasn’t So Far Away” — Grade: B- | After hearing the sweet story of how the 21-year-old with autism helped his lower-functioning autistic brother learn to speak — and how he lost his father — you couldn’t help but root for him to be great in his Blind. He wasn’t quite “great,” but he was good enough, and so quintessentially country, that I thought he’d have been snapped up by Blake in a heartbeat. Reba was the obvious choice for the two-chair turn.
Alexa Wildish (Team Niall), “Songbird” — Grade: A+ | This spirited songwriter dazzled from note No. 1 of her Fleetwood Mac with the purity of her voice. And when she opened up her vocal, Lordie, it was like the clouds parted and the sun shone through. Massive — and massively emotional; that four-chair turn was more than well-earned. (Interesting that the coaches all heard pitch issues that Alexa overcame with the feeling of her performance; can’t say that I noticed.)
Olivia Minogue (Team Niall), “Lay Me Down” — Grade: B | This 19-year-old Niall superfan inspired three chairs to turn with her Sam Smith cover. And although I really liked her performance, it also left me unusally unsure. The “raspier, bluesier” part of her voice that impressed her future coach was super cool, indeed. The power that she wound up demonstrating was impressive, too. I just had this inkling, maybe altogether wrong, that she’d bitten off almost more than she could chew. We’ll see… or, rather, hear.
Kristen Brown (Team Gwen), “Blown Away” — Grade: C+ | The daughter of a professional bass fisherman, this former girl-group member who writes and produces all of her own songs looked absolutely at home on stage. But her vocal lacked a certain richness and power. Can she sing? Definitely. But methinks the two-chair turn is ultimately gonna get “blown away” by contestants with more potent pipes.
Mara Justine (Team TBD), “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” — Grade: C | Using music as the medicine to get her through her mom’s breast-cancer battle, Mara got all four coaches turned in her direction even before she’d reached the chorus of her Elton John cover. I didn’t get it. Her lower register was ear-catching, but overall, the performance seemed sorta shouty to me and — I hate to say it, but… — unpleasant. I actually preferred her impromptu duet with John. Am I alone there? We’ll discuss in the comments…
Speaking of which, drop your thoughts on Mara and all the contestants below. Also, what’s your first impression of this season’s coaching lineup? I thought Niall did Blake proud the way he kept up the silliness.
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