'The Voice' Recap: Why Gwen Stefani Has a Hella Good Chance of Winning This Season

Team Gwen’s Ellie Lawrence may be the girl to beat

I know we’re only two episodes into this new Voice season, but I’m calling it now: This is Gwen Stefani’s season to lose. So far, she definitely has the most interesting team; her pal Pharrell Williams better recruit a few more “Team Other” maverick contestants if he wants to keep up. I’m seriously hoping that with such a diverse roster of supercool singers, Gwen can become the first female Voice coach to score a finale victory, doing what Christina Aguilera and Shakira never could. Come on. It’s Season 9. It’s time.

Related: Gwen Stefani: ‘I’m in a Real Spiritual Phase in My Life’

However, the Team Gwen recruits weren’t the only singers making a big impression during Tuesday’s Blind Auditions. Let’s get to the recapping and see who really got those chairs spinning.

Blind Joe - “They call me that because I’m blind, and my name is Joe. This is a truly blind audition,” joked the affable and instantly likable country singer, who further displayed his sense of humor by greeting The Voice’s stone-faced host with “Looking good, Carson!” Ha. Who wouldn’t root for this fellow? But of course, none of the coaches knew about Joe’s goofy personality or blind-since-birth backstory when he hit the stage with his lap steel guitar to croon the Steeldrivers’ “If It Hadn’t Been for Love.” Joe’s vocal style wasn’t all about showboating and big glory notes, but his performance has a certain raspy, rootsy charm. It’s unclear how versatile he could be – what would happen if he were pitted against a very different singer in the Battle Rounds and forced to sing, say, a Justin Timberlake song? – but he’s clearly very good at what he does. All four coaches buzzed in and fought for him, with even Gwen bizarrely claiming she grew up listening to bluegrass. But do I even need to tell you which coach Joe chose? Let’s face it: No contestant wearing a plaid shirt and cowboy hat will ever go with anyone other than Blake Shelton. Blake didn’t even have to namedrop Ronnie Milsap to get his way. But I’m sure it didn’t hurt.
MEMBER OF: Team Blake

Ivonne Acero - Yay, it’s the “Cantaloupe Girl”! I totally wanted this 17-year-old fruit-farm worker to pass the Blind Auditions last season, when she sang Colbie Caillat’s “Try,” and I am so glad she came back and tried again. She’s cutesy and quirky, with a raw but rich voice, and she could be America’s new sweetheart. Ironically, Blake, the coach that last season begged Ivonne to return to the show, didn’t buzz in for her this Tuesday. (“You’re old enough to learn the lesson that men lie,” he joked, when Ivonne called him out.) But Pharrell turned, as did Gwen. Gwen seemed especially excited, and I thought Gwen and Ivonne would have made an adorably girly pair, but Ivonne chose Pharrell. But that’s OK. Gwen ended the night with a very solid team anyway, and I bet if she gets the chance, she’ll totally steal Ivonne in the Battle Rounds.
MEMBER OF: Team Pharrell

Regina Love - This season is so packed with youngsters, it almost feels like I’m watching The Voice Kids sometimes. But at least this diva is singlehandedly holding it down for women of a certain age. The 51-year-old gospel singer and radio personality, who was once signed to Evander Holyfield’s Real Deal label before it folded, showed up to The Voice with Holyfield, ready to put up a fight. Her voice was a bit shouty in parts – Regina was no Sisaundra Lewis, the mature soul belter of Season 6 that she namechecked during her pre-performance interview – but she belted Aretha Franklin’s “Rock Steady” with the authority of a woman who’s really lived. Whether someone so old-fashioned can connect with viewers, or have any sort of marketable career after this show, remains to be seen. But in a sea of green contestants barely old enough to vote and or even drive, Regina could stand out.
MEMBER OF: Team Adam

Zach Seabaugh - Along with tons of young'uns, the other major trend of Season 9 is it’s extremely country-heavy. But I still think 16-year-old country singer Zach should have tried out next season. Yes, with his Ken-doll looks, football-player background, and Scotty McCreery-esque baritone, he has heartthrob potential. But his breath control on San Hunt’s “Take Your Time” was erratic – ironically, it didn’t seem like he was taking his time at all, but that he was mushmouthedly rushing through the song. I fully expected this to be one of those Dez Duron moments when no coaches turn, then when they finally get an eyeful of the contestant’s pretty face, they kick themselves and beg him to try out next year. But no. Pharrell, Adam Levine, and Blake all turned and went nuts for this guy, making me wonder if they’d been tipped off that a country dreamboat was in their midst. Their enthusiasm just seemed misplaced. But we will see how long that enthusiasm lasts. This show is called The Voice, not The Face, after all, so I think Zach’s days are numbered. As a member of Blake’s increasingly country-dominated team (of course), Zach will face stiff competition in the Battles, and he’s probably going to get clobbered.
MEMBER OF: Team Blake

Evan McKeel - Evan is an all-American boy with a heart of gold who entertains Alzheimer’s patients at an old folks’ home. I bet every frustrated, long-suffering mother watching The Voice at home Tuesday night who saw Evan’s audition package turned to her errant, video-game-playing slacker son and barked, “Why can’t you be more like Evan?” But maybe Evan is no goody two-shoes. He might have a bit of an edge, since his unexpected song choice was Mutemath’s “Typical.” This made him seem like total Team Adam material, but then Evan kept people guessing when, upon Pharrell’s request, he spontaneously sang a few bars of Stevie Wonder’s “Overjoyed.” I actually preferred that performance, on which his voice sounded prettier, smoother, and just more distinctive. That performance proved he was truly worthy of four chairs. And after all that, I knew this boy had forged a connection with Pharrell. Sorry, Adam.
MEMBER OF: Team Pharrell

Emily Ann Roberts - Here was another young, not-quite-ready-for-prime-time country singer. Emily had a bit of Danielle Bradbery 2.0 vibe, but the 16-year-old’s voice was way too shrill, and seriously lacking the grit I would have expected from an avowed Johnny Cash/Patty Loveless fan. I wish she’d just been advised to come back in Season 10, so she could further work on her craft, but instead she got a three-chair turn. And of course, she chose Blake. Man, Blake’s just collecting these country contestants like Happy Meal toys, isn’t he? It’s like Season 4 all over again.
MEMBER OF: Team Blake

Ellie Lawrence - This was no doubt (pun intended!) the audition of the night. I loved this small-town indie-rock misfit’s ethereal and refreshingly original take on Jermaine Stewart’s ‘80s club classic “We Don’t Have to Take Our Clothes Off.” I loved her phrasing, her warm vocal tone, and her willingness to take chances. This girl was cool. I’d totally download her version of this song. And I’d totally go drink some cherry wine with her and be her new BFF. Pharrell and Adam both wanted Ellie, and they probably both could’ve worked well with her, but it was adorably obvious from the look of elation on Ellie’s face when Gwen (whom Ellie later dubbed the “queen of ska”) spun around that Pharrell and Adam had absolutely zero chance. I think Ellie made the right decision. These two are going to get up to some fun together. Hopefully cherry wine will be involved.
MEMBER OF: Team Gwen

Noah Jackson, Tim Atlas & Hannah Ashbrook - I’ve made it clear, in about 529 or so past Voice recaps, that I absolutely hate it when contestants’ performances are montaged. HATE. IT. But I especially hate it when some of the most interesting singers get such shoddy treatment. Why did Tuesday’s episode squander so many precious minutes on forgettable contestants who didn’t even make it through (golf course worker Gage Navarro, Barclays Center usher Bryan Bautista, single mom Natalie Yacovazzi), but we only got a combined 87 seconds of the cute guy singing “Elastic Heart,” the Bruno Mars/Weeknd lookalike, and the be-hatted hipster girl (sort of a female Taylor John Williams) doing a friggin’ Tegan & Sara song? That’s just not OK. Team Gwen deserves better!
MEMBERS OF: Team Gwen

James Dupré - If this guy looks familiar to you, you’re probably an Ellen fan. A few years ago, his YouTube fame led to spot on Ellen DeGeneres’s afternoon talk show, which led to a Warner Nashville deal… but then his career stalled and he was dropped. Now, like so many other veteran contestants, he’s turning to The Voice for a second chance. Oh, and hey – he’s yet another country singer! However, I would not peg his croony cover of Hootie & The Blowfish’s “Let Her Cry” as pure country (and certainly not bro-country). He had a sensitive pop/soul thing going on, and Adam picked up on that right away, even comparing to Dupré to another James: James Taylor. And so somehow Adam, who’s spent this entire week desperately angling to poach a country singer from his rival Blake, got his wish. James is now on Team Adam. Will joining a team with no other country singers help James’s odds? It would have been a shrew strategy on Seasons 1 or 2, back when there were still team quotas. But Blake knows country, and he has country fans in his corner. So it remains to be seen if James made a mistake. For now, we just get to see Adam gloat. Man, Adam is going to be insufferable for at least the next couple episodes.
MEMBER OF: Team Adam

So to recap, Team Adam has Regina Love, James Dupré, Keith Semple, and Jordan Smith; Team Blake has Blind Joe, Zach Seabaugh, Emily Ann Roberts, Nadjah Nicole, and Barrett Baber; Team Pharrell has Ivonne Acero, Evan McKeel, Mark Hood, and Siahna Im; and Team Gwen has Ellie Lawrence, Noah Jackson, Tim Atlas, Hannah Ashbrook, Kota Wade, and Braiden Sunshine.

Like I said, many paragraphs and video clips ago, I am totally Team Gwen this season. But all that could change, depending on how the rest of the Blind Auditions go, so come back next Monday and Tuesday to find out if Gwen keeps making hella good choices.

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