Watch ‘The Voice’ Coaches Battle for Artist That Sounds Like Elvis Presley!
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Austin Montgomery was a three-chair turn for his old-school country performance of a Hank Williams song.
The teams were filling up when 19-year-old Austin Montgomery from Hemet, Calif. took the stage, so coaches Blake Shelton, John Legend, Gwen Stefani and Camila Cabello were being pickier than usual as they each only had a few spots to fill.
But when they heard Austin’s voice, Gwen, Blake and Camila were all willing to use up one of their spots on Austin after hearing him go old-school country with a rendition of Hank Williams’ “I Can’t Help It (If I’m Still in Love With You)”
“I am definitely an old soul,” Austin admitted. “I love the classics, the country music from the ‘40s, ‘50s and ‘60s. A lot of folks don’t expect someone my age to be singing older music. What I try to do is modernize it.”
Gwen turned her chair first, but before Camila and Blake turned, she asked Blake, “Doesn’t he sound like Elvis a little?” And Blake shook his head in agreement.
John, who was the only coach who didn’t turn, asked, “What does a 19-year-old listen to to inform this style?”
“A lot of Jerry Lee Lewis, Hank Williams, Merle Haggard,” Austin replied. “Everybody’s grandpa would know.”
“I hear the legends in your voice,” John said, “The power of your baritone and that vibrato is really impressive. I’m excited for you, so I will let these three fight over you.”
Blake went first: “Austin, I think it would be really important if you were to ask the three of us who sang that song you just performed.”
“What a jerk!” Gwen said as Camila also took Blake to task, saying, “I hate you.”
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Blake continued, “At least one of us knows who wrote and sang that song.”
Camila said, “I know Jerry Lee Lewis.”
Blake asked, “What does that have to do with that song?”
Camila answered, “Because he said Jerry Lee Lewis was one of his influences." Then to Austin she said, "I felt like you sounded a lot like Elvis.”
Blake said, “That was Hank Williams. You probably have to find what you want on some of the old-school channels, right?”
Austin said, “YouTube makes it easy and Apple Music.”
Blake continued, “It’s a gift to have someone like you on the show. I would be honored to be your coach. We could actually do this right.”
Then Camila jumped in: “What does right mean? Would you rather have right, or would you rather have fun, interesting, exciting, unpredictable, like you my man? I was really excited when I heard your voice. That’s a voice I would love to hear on the radio. Our generation doesn’t have voices like yours. I don’t have anybody like you on my team. What I’m looking for is musical diversity. I like people who are unpredictable. I think we could do some cool stuff together and bring your old soul to our generation.”
Gwen was next. She told Austin, “I just love your voice. You sound like you are just straight out of the past and it’s crazy that you are 19 years old. I think I could coach you really, really well. Because you have so much character and so much style that is something I could probably do very well, but musically, if you don’t pick me, don’t pick Camila. I am being real here guys. This is your career. That man right there (pointing to Blake), this is what he loves. He loves what you do and so do I. I would be so happy to coach you, but I want to be real.”
Camila jumped in then, fighting the inevitable, but still trying, saying, “I totally respect that and I think that’s true … I don’t know as much country, that’s the truth, however, if you make me a playlist of your influences, I would go and do my research…”
Blake interrupts saying, “So you could coach her?”
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John had had enough and stopped the pitches, asking, “Austin, who do you pick as your coach?”
Of course, there was no doubt that Austin picked Blake.
Austin was only introduced to music about 2-1/2 years ago by his grandpa, who had an old guitar. When he watched his grandpa play, he looked over and saw his grandma crying and totally moved by her husband’s singing.
“I knew in that moment that’s what I wanted to do,” he said. “I started learning Hank Williams, Elvis, Johnny Cash. I picked the good parts of each of their voices that I liked and tried to make my own sound out of it. Going on The Voice is a huge opportunity because I’ve done nothing. I’ve basically played for myself in my bedroom. When the coaches hear my voice, I hope they’re taken back in time.”
The Voice airs Monday and Tuesday nights at 8 p.m. ET/PT on NBC.
