‘The Voice’ Blind Auditions, Part 5: Did Candace Cameron’s Daughter Bring Down the House?

On Tuesday, the final night of The Voice Season 11’s Blind Auditions, we saw a familiar face from the beloved Full House cast. No, it wasn’t honorary Beach Boy John Stamos crooning “Kokomo” or rocking out on a Jesse & The Rippers song, as awesome as that would have been. (Don’t worry — Stamos made a virtual Voice cameo later on.) Nor was it cast member Dave Coulier belting the alt-rock classic he purportedly inspired, Alanis Morissette’s “You Oughta Know,” which would have been even more awesome. But Candace Cameron-Bure, aka D.J. Tanner herself, was there in the wings with Carson Daly, cheering on her daughter, 17-year-old aspiring songbird Natasha Bure.

Natasha — the eldest child of Candace and Russian hockey player Valeri Bure, and the niece of Growing Pains teen idol Kirk Cameron — nobly claimed that she wanted to make on her own terms, without her famous family’s help. Candace also insisted that she and her husband have been very “hands-off” when it comes to their kid’s career. But of course, The View hostess Candace conveniently failed to mention that time when Natalie sang on The View. Um, that wasn’t very “hands-off,” was it? But of course, denials of nepotism didn’t stop Voice producers from milking Natasha’s Full House connection with a piped-in congratulatory iPad greeting from John “Uncle Jesse” Stamos and Dave “Joey Gladstone” Coulier before Natasha hit the stage.

Well, it seems that Jesse and Joey’s well-wishes just made poor Natasha nervous. Her cover of Elvis Presley’s “Can’t Help Falling in Love” had potential, but her exaggerated facial mugging was distracting (I guess it’s a good thing the coaches couldn’t see that), as were her gimmicky vocal ticks. Overall, her performance seemed contrived and fussy. It was definitely not on the level of stellar versions done in the past by American Idol contestants Jena Irene and Haley Reinhart, or by late, great Season 6 Voice finalist Christina Grimmie. Maybe Natasha should have done “Everywhere You Look” instead.

Adam Levine, in his own way the Uncle Jesse of The Voice, was the only coach that turned around for Natasha. “I heard this self-assured girl singing really well, and it was really pretty, and there was something there that was really different and special” he began. “And then the second — I mean, the second my chair turned around — you had a little bit of a nervous breakdown. And I think that had you not kind of fallen apart there, you would have had more [coaches] challenging me [by also turning]. If you can work on getting your nerves together, there’s something beautiful there.”

Now let’s see if Natasha can truly make a name for herself, on her own — or if we’ll be seeing Bob Saget and Olsen twins dropping by the Voice set in future episodes. In the meantime, let’s recap the other successful final auditions of the season.

Whitney & Shannon

Duos are few and far between on The Voice. For several seasons, I’ve been waiting for the next Swon Brothers, the next Midas Whale — even the next Shields Brothers. (The Shieldses were totally robbed in Season 2, and that still needs to be avenged.) However, even though these sweet twentysomething sisters, Whitney and Shannon Sim, earned a four-chair turn, I’m not sure they have what it takes to get to the Live Playoffs. During their pre-audition interview package, they had very squeaky speaking voices, and when they took the stage, I found their singing to have a similarly thin, wispy quality. Their cover of “Landslide” (the Dixie Chicks’ version, not Fleetwood Mac’s, and definitely not Smashing Pumpkins’) — one of the saddest, sweetest songs ever written — featured some pretty sisterly harmonies. But their individual verses were light and underwhelming; overall, their performance needed more gravitas. “Landslide” is a song that can make me sob, but Whitney & Shannon’s restrained rendition left me strangely unmoved and dry-eyed.

The coaches, however, were moved enough to move their chairs to face the stage. “Hearing how beautifully you guys were harmonizing, you can’t teach something like that. That collaboration, it’s really, really a tough dance, and it either works, or it’s a mess. And it was really, really, really beautiful,” raved Adam. “Being a duo and being successful on this show has only ever happened one time. And I’m proud to say it was on my team, and with the Swon Brothers,” Blake Shelton pointed out, in an attempt to recruit these latest Voice siblings. (He had a good point. The Swons made it all the way to the Season 4 finale.) “I’ve been listening to Dixie Chicks since I was a baby. I love what this song means. The first time I had ever gotten my heart broken, I played this song. When I had lost my dog and my heart was broken, I played this song. I’ve played this song through the hardest times in my life, and I think the risks you took were right and your harmonies are naturally already so spot-on,” said Miley Cyrus.

But Alicia Keys really came with the tough sell — and forged such a bond with the girls, it was almost like she was an honorary third Sim sister. “There is no box for you of where you’re gonna fit in. Like, you’re everywhere, and that’s how I see you, and I’d love to help you get everywhere. The world needs the two of you. We need to see you. It’s like you represent the future… Let’s bust down those stereotypes and break down those walls together, forging through major sisterhood,” Alicia declared.

Wow, with faith like that, Alicia might actually be able to get these girls as far as the Swon Brothers got seven seasons ago — even if a “landslide” (heh) victory is far from guaranteed.

MEMBER OF: Team Alicia

Johnny Rez

This 25-year-old I.T. tech with a troubled, drug-addled past said music was integral in his rehab and recovery, so I was hoping for a truly passionate, heart-on-sleeve performance. But once again, I was left feeling underwhelmed. I blame a lot of that on Johnny’s song choice: “Iris” by the Goo Goo Dolls, a sappy movie-soundtrack power ballad that I loathed upon first listen in 1998, and hate even more now. (I’m waiting for the day when some singing show contestant covers something off the Goos’ Superstar Car Wash instead.) Johnny showed promise when the reached for the super-high notes — a gutsy move that no doubt caught the attention of self-described “Captain Falsetto,” Adam — but I don’t know what he can bring to the competition that could really set him apart. I was little surprised that both Adam and Blake turned for him (albeit at the last minute).

Johnny admitted that he’s a big fan of both country music and Maroon 5, so this would be a difficult decision for him, supposedly. But then tough-love, voice-of-reason coach Adam told him, “I think there was one falsetto thing that you need a little bit of refinement on… You have a really rich, emotional tone, and you stayed really, really strong and consistent, and so that showed me that you can really be a competitor.” Miley then chimed in with an endorsement for Adam, saying, “To strengthen the falsetto, this is the dude to do it.” Johnny’s choice was suddenly clear.

MEMBER OF: Team Adam

Maye Thomas

Maye is from Oklahoma — the home state of Blake Shelton — and specifically Muskogee, the hometown of the aforementioned Swon Brothers. She also currently resides in Nashville, where she works as a waitress while awaiting her big break in the music business. So of course, I assumed she’d be a country artist. But surprise, surprise: She came out with Hollywood-starlet platinum hair and a leather miniskirt, warbling the Chainsmokers’ “Roses” in a classically trebly indie-pop lilt. I dug it. Her performance wasn’t perfect — she struggled with the power notes, something that Adam (who turned, along with Miley, of course) pointed out — but she had confidence and stage presence, she seemed current and relevant… and she made a song I’ve been trying to escape from all summer actually tolerable.

Adam offered Maye a few vocal pointers, which were helpful, but this girl was clearly Team Miley all the way. Miley loved that May was “little bit punky” and announced her grand master plan to turn Maye into “the Gothic Dolly Parton.” Ooh, does that mean Miley will have Maye sing the Sisters of Mercy or Strawberry Switchblade versions of “Jolene”? I sure hope so.

MEMBER OF: Team Miley

Courtney Harrell

This 36-year-old mother had to drop out of Berklee and put her superstar dreams on hold when she got pregnant 18 years ago, and her Voice audition marked the first time she’d performed publicly in more than 15 years. But she clearly learned a lot from her brief Berklee stint. Courtney has enjoyed an impressive career behind the scenes as songwriter for the likes of Mary J. Blige, Jennifer Hudson, Ne-Yo, Kelly Rowland, Fantasia, Brandy, Teyana Taylor, and Tamar Braxton, and now just might be the right time for her to pull a Skylar Grey/Bonnie McKee/Keri Hilson and step up to the mic.

Courtney sang an unexpected song, English troubadour James Bay’s gentle “Let It Go,” and despite her claims that she was nervous, she handled the situation like the pro that she is. I actually didn’t hear any nerves in her spectacular performance. Courtney clearly knows her way around a song, and she made this looked classy and effortless.

Blake spun around, but Alicia whacked her red button so forcefully and repeatedly, I was surprised she didn’t break it (or shatter her wrist!). Blake already knew he had no chance, saying, “I don’t feel like this is fair, Courtney, because, I’m not Alicia Keys… All I can do is tell you that I have mad respect for your voice… I can’t even believe how good that performance was. I believe in you. I think you’ve got an incredible voice, and I’d love this opportunity.” Fellow mom Alicia then went in for the hard sell — not that even she seemed to need to resort to that — saying: “I felt so much of your soul… And now, just knowing a tiny taste of your story and what a dedicated, beautiful, loving woman that you are, because that’s what we do. We put ourselves aside all the time, and we make sure everybody else is good. I’m just proud of you because I feel like you’re coming to a place where you want to ask yourself, like, ‘What’s Courtney all about? What greatness is Courtney ready to step in?’”

And then Courtney answered that question and stepped into… TEAM BLAKE! Wow. That was a shocker result. And Blake seemed as gobsmacked as anyone. But he also seemed very stoked, and I can’t say I blamed the man. He really scored here.

MEMBER OF: Team Blake

Tarra Layne, Charity Bowden, JSoul, and Belle Jewel

Wow. A quadruple montage? Couldn’t NBC have run a regular Blind Auditions episode Tuesday night, instead of a planned “Best of the Blinds” clip show, so that at least some of this season’s hapless montaged contestants could receive some proper screentime? Sigh. That being said, it looks like Tarra did Alannah Myles’s “Black Velvet,” an overdone song I hate with about 87 times more passion than I hate “Iris,” so perhaps it’s for the best that we were all spared that full performance. The tiny snippet of JSoul’s Sam Smith cover wasn’t all that impressive, either. But I would’ve liked to have heard more of 17-year-old retro-country girl Charity’s “Girl Crush,” or Rooney Mara-lookalike indie gal Belle’s 1930s-swing version of Simple Minds’ “Don’t You (Forget About Me),” which came across as more of an audition for Postmodern Jukebox than for The Voice. Hopefully Charity and Belle don’t get such cruel edits in the Battles or Knockouts.

MEMBERS OF: Team Blake, Team Miley, Team Adam, and Team Alicia, respectively

Kylie Rothfield

Kylie, a 23-year-old former Berklee student and proud “choir nerd,” was one of my favorite contestants of the night. I figured she’d be more the theater-kid, Glee type, but her bluesy take on OneRepublic’s “Wherever I Go,” during which she played some sweet guitar licks, so smoky, so earthy, so sexy! This girl was the real deal. I was captivated from her first note — which is why it was a little surprising that it took almost until her last note for Alicia and Blake to spin around. I have no doubt that if she’d auditioned earlier in the season, when there were more open spots on all of the teams, Kylie would have earned a quick four- or at least three-chair turn.

“There was never a moment that you didn’t have me. The only reason it took so long to hit my button is because we’re down to the wire here… But I want you to know that I’m somebody that’s been through it. I can be a rock for you through this thing, and I can’t wait to get in there and start working with you, because I’ve been waiting on you,” gushed Blake. Then Alicia equally enthusiastically said, “You are so completely yourself and phenomenal and in your zone and in your power, and that’s what I’m all about. I love that you play guitar — something that is important, obviously, as a songwriter, as a producer, as what I consider the full package.”

Alicia ended up winning Kylie over — and thus recruiting a final strong member for her already strong team. I think Alicia really could win this thing. The girl is on fire, indeed.

MEMBER OF: Team Alicia

Blaine Long

This 40-year-old dad has struggled all his life, taking odd jobs by day and playing random local music gigs at night. And his wife and family have stuck by him all the while. So John Hiatt’s “Have a Little Faith in Me” was a fitting choice for this humble Americana singer. His performance was natural and relaxed — the workmanlike performance of a club-circuit veteran — and his voice was warm and pleasant. However, I wasn’t fond of some of the liberties he took with the melody, some of which rendered the song nearly unrecognizable. I was kind of surprised that three chairs turned for him this late in the game, considering that Blake, Miley, and Adam each only had one team spot left.

“The thing that made me want to turn is your simplicity and you not being distracted or overwhelmed or taken over by the environment that you’re in. That never happened with you,” said Miley. Upon finding out that Blaine usually plays his own original songs when he performs live, Blake tried to bond with him by saying, “I’m a Nashville guy, and that’s basically what Nashville is: a songwriters’ community. You look up and down this row here, and I’m clearly the worst singer of the bunch, but songs have been what have kept me around for so long. So I appreciate guys like you.” Said Adam: “I’m not a Nashville songwriter, but I am a songwriter. I’ve approached songwriting from every single angle that is humanly possible. That makes me valuable to you, because I can understand a lot about where you’re coming from, but I can also apply it to the show. We all have one slot left on our team. If it were to be you, this would be the fairytale ending for me.”

But Adam didn’t get his fairytale ending. Instead, Blaine and Blake will be living happily ever after — at least until the Battle Rounds.

MEMBER OF: Team Blake

Ponciano Seoane

Interestingly, this 25-year-old guitarist/saxophonist sang Phillip Phillips’s “Home” — the most successful single in the history of The Voice’s onetime rival show, American Idol. He sounded, basically, like a slightly less gruff, slightly less Dave Matthews Band-obsessed version of P-Squared himself. Despite this lack of originality, Adam and Miley turned surprisingly speedily. “You feel everything you’re singing. I love singers that are inside. In a way, introverted, but it translates to a large audience, and I think that image and what you look like kind of all fall away when the root of what is there is spectacular and soulful, and that’s what I think you are,” rambled Adam, making no sense. I thought Miley — ironically, usually the babbler of Season 11– made a stronger and more coherent argument, saying, “ Don’t be distracted by my whole [wild image]. Just know we can totally hone in and be very focused, and at the end of it, that’s really who I am on the inside. I can also be very calm with you, and I think we can do something great together, and I think as long as someone has an amazing voice, I can be a good coach for them. It doesn’t matter what makes us the same or what makes us different.”

But Ponciano picked Adam anyway. I hope that’s the fairytale ending Adam was looking for.

MEMBER OF: Team Adam

Josette Diaz

With only one team spot left on the show, this adorable, bubbly 17-year-old — a Miley superfan and the self-taught-musician daughter of proud Dominican immigrant parents — just had to impress Miley in order to make it through. She totally did — and she impressed me, too. While Josette’s performance of Justin Bieber’s “Love Yourself” wasn’t perfect — there were a few pitch issues — she was giving me Majesty Rose (American Idol Season 13)/Avalon Young (Idol Season 15) good vibes. There was a natural easiness and likability to her performance, and I think with Miley’s expert coaching, she could be a contender.

MEMBER OF: Team Miley

And there you have it! The last three weeks have flown by, and the Season 11 teams are already complete. Every coach has a few contenders, I’d say. Blake could rack up another victory with second-generation country hunk Austin Allsup, silver fox Dan Shafer, polished performer Courtney Harrell, or Idol veteran Sundance Head. Team Adam’s ones to watch are former country child star Billy Gilman and triumphantly returning rocker Nolan Neal. Miley has done quite well, especially considering that this is her first season, recruiting strong contestants like power-belters Ali Caldwell and Sa’Rayah, burlesque rock diva Sophie Urista, and indie girls Darby Walker, Maye Thomas, and Khaliya Kimberlie. But really, I think this is going to be Miley’s fellow first-timer Alicia’s season.

So tune in next week, when the Battle Rounds commence (featuring awesome old-school advisors Bette Midler, Joan Jett, and Sammy Hagar), and see what happens. With a whopping 48 contestants competing, it’s going to be a full house.

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