'The Voice' Season 9 Teams Are Complete! Meet the Top 48
The final Blind Auditions of The Voice Season 9 aired this Monday (yes, already). That means all of the teams are now complete. But that also means that each team had very few remaining open slots going into Monday’s episode. Therefore, the coaches had to be extra-picky. And therefore, some snubbed singers suffered from being in the right place at the wrong time.
One of those unfortunate down-to-the-wire auditioners was floppy-haired surfer teen Dawson Daughtery, a sort of intriguing Matt McAndrew/Justin Bieber hybrid type who performed an unexpectedly indie-rockin’ cover of Ariana Grande’s “Problem.” But his real problem was he didn’t appear earlier in the season. So Dawson was up the creek.
Even more distressing was the passing over of adorable pint-sized quirky girl Caroline Burns. By the time Caroline performed, second-to-last on Monday, only Pharrell Williams was still eligible to turn – and he held off. Meanwhile, a frustrated Adam Levine, whose team was already full, sat there whacking his now-inoperative red button in vain.
Oh well. My guess is NBC has secretly invited those two to come back next year. Caroline has probably already been pegged as the Ivonne Acero of Season 10. I know how this show works by now.
Anyway, only eight singers total made it through during Monday’s two-hour episode, joining the 40 other contestants who’d advanced over the past two weeks. Let’s recap Monday’s eight successful auditions, and then assess where all four teams stand going into next week’s Battle Rounds.
Dustin Christiansen - Dustin grew up with a lazy eye and was bullied for having to wear a corrective eyepatch. Those mean kids at Dustin’s school were fools. Don’t they know that eyepatches can be cool? Just ask Momus, Slick Rick, or X Factor star Lyric the Queen! Anyway, Dustin turned to music for comfort, and he certainly belted Tom Waits’s “Downtown Train” with heart. There was a pleasing grit to his unfussy delivery that Blake Shelton compared to Neil Diamond and Pharrell said was reminiscent of John Mellencamp. (Oddly, Pharrell called Dustin “super-fresh” in the same sentence in which he likened Dustin to the guy who sang “R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A.” in 1985, but I’ll let that slide.) I thought this was a very nice audition. But was it worthy of four chairs? No, not really. These coaches needed to pace themselves on their final night! Maybe this audition was totally edited out of order; that’s my best explanation for the coaches’ misplaced enthusiasm. But anyway, as Gwen Stefani said, Dustin is the kind of contestant that people will root for. And lots of people might root for him now that fan favorite Blake is his coach.
MEMBER OF: Team Blake
Dustin Monk - This other Dustin, a rock ‘n’ soul barber with a vague Mike Ness resemblance, did a respectable cover of Gary Clark Jr.’s “Bright Lights.” Again, I wasn’t blown away. I was starting to realize that Carson Daly’s emphatic insistence that The Voice had saved the best for last was just one big sack of lies, lies, lies. Only Blake and Adam turned for this Dustin, and Adam prevailed. Maybe Dustin bonded with Adam over their many tattoos (just like the above-mentioned Matt McAndrew did a couple seasons ago). Maybe Dustin just went with the coach with whom he had more in common musically. Or maybe, finally, Adam’s famous trigger-fingeredness paid off, since Dustin did admit that he’d been impressed by the fact that Adam had buzzed in first. But whatever the reason, I have a feeling that this MOR guy might end up being Battle Rounds fodder anyway.
MEMBER OF: Team Adam
Chase Kerby - This guy works at his family’s candy store, which made me like him already because #candy. Who doesn’t love candy? His cover of Coldplay’s “The Scientist” was sweet, too. But again, it was not amazing; there were a lot of good-but-not-great auditions tonight. Chase lacked onstage charisma and sang way too tentatively. Maybe the incredibly charismatic Gwen, the only coach that turned for Chase, can help him out in the stage-presence department. Because really, my favorite part of this segment was when the producers played Bow Wow Wow’s “I Want Candy” as Chase’s exit music.
MEMBER OF: Team Gwen
Shelby Brown - This 16-year-old powerhouse was the first real standout of the night. Despite her relative lack of experience – before coming to The Voice, Shelby’s performances were mostly limited to karaoke contests and bowling alleys – she really lit up the stage belting a twangy, countrified version of Grace Potter & The Nocturnals’ “Stars.” OK, this was a contestant truly deserving of a four-chair turn. Blake must have thought he had this one in the bag after Shelby proudly identified as a country artist, but Adam zeroed in on her risky song choice and noted that Shelby seemed willing to explore other genres. That shrewd sales pitch worked, and for the second time this season, Adam actually poached a country singer from Blake. It’ll be interesting to see what direction Adam steers Shelby in, going forward.
MEMBER OF: Team Adam
Amy Vachal - And then the show got even better! Amy was easily the best singer of the night, and one of the best of the entire season. She even earned the approval of American Idol Season 11 winner Phillip Phillips, who tweeted that he’d like to duet with this intriguing folksy/jazzy chanteuse. Her coffeehouse cover of “Dream a Little Dream of Me” was dreamy indeed – exotic, languid, sexy, cool, a bit Dia Frampton-esque, and just downright elegant. All three eligible coaches turned, and I’m sure Adam would have too, if he hadn’t just filled his one remaining spot with Shelby. (“You could win this whole thing,” Adam later told Amy.) Gwen cooed and fawned and called Amy a “Pocahontas fairy princess angel-like singer.” (An odd and unsettling comment, considering that Gwen’s band No Doubt actually shelved their controversial Native American-themed “Looking Hot” video after it came under fire for cultural appropriation. But I’m sure Gwen meant that as a compliment.) Blake wanted Amy badly too (“I’m looking at a superstar,” he said), but this girl had Team Pharrell written all over her. “I’m interested in blurring lines,” she declared, presumably not trying to make a pun about Pharrell’s 2013 hit with Robin Thicke. “I want to make a new hybrid.” I can’t wait to see what sort of hybrid theories Amy and Pharrell get into this season. Amy just drastically, dramatically increased Pharrell’s chances of a second consecutive Voice victory.
MEMBER OF: Team Pharrell
Blaine Mitchell - This guy is basically a country singer in rocker’s clothing. Or vice versa; I’m still not sure, and Blaine might not be sure either. He performs regularly at a line-dancing country bar for a paycheck, but he dreams of alt-rock stardom and plays in a band called Treeside with his longhaired lookalike brother, Brady. I do wish Blaine had chosen a song decidedly more rockin’ than Train’s “Drops of Jupiter,” which I thought resulted in yet another workmanlike but unremarkable audition. And despite his supposed rock 'n’ roll aspirations, Blaine joined Team Blake instead of Team Gwen; country guys always stick together, I guess. If Blaine survives the Battle Rounds, I am sure Blake will be encouraging Blaine to get back to his “country roots” and will do his best to turn him into the male Cassadee Pope. And if Blaine wants any chance of winning this show, that’s really not such a bad idea.
MEMBER OF: Team Blake
Summer Schappell - With Blake’s team now totally full, this country girl’s only hopes were Gwen or Pharrell. Luckily, the lavender-haired songstress had a little quirk in her. While she sang a straight-up country song, Deanna Carter’s “Strawberry Wine,” she added an indie twist to the '90s classic with her wispy, whispery tone, a “glassiness” that Adam called “pixie dust.” I wonder if Blake would have turned for Summer. Fortunately, Gwen and Pharrell both did. And of course, this girl with the violet tresses and silver Judy Jetson dress picked Gwen. I never thought I’d see a country singer join Gwen’s team, but this might actually be a match.
MEMBER OF: Team Gwen
Sydney Rhame - After sitting with his back stubbornly turned during several unsuccessful auditions, ultra-choosy Pharrell, the last holdout coach, finally melted for this guitar teacher with a heart and voice of gold. Her rendition of Ed Sheeran’s “Photograph” didn’t end the Blinds with a bang (or with a bam-bam, like memorable auditioner Cody Belew did in Season 3), but it was lovely nonetheless. “Everything that came out there was good. I was waiting for great,” explained Pharrell. And with that, the Blind Auditions came to a close.
MEMBER OF: Team Pharrell
So now we are down to the official top 48. Yep, only 48. Surely you can remember them all, right? But in case you can’t, a helpful clip show (zzzzz) will air on NBC this Tuesday. Or, you could skip that and just check out my rundown below, in which I rank the four teams from best to worst, and then within each team I rank the individual contestants. I’ve also included some crib notes to remind you who’s who and what’s what. You’re welcome.
TEAM GWEN:
Ellie Lawrence - the daring and darling “We Don’t Have to Take Our Clothes Off” indie songstress
Lyndsey Elm - the girl who jazzed up “Lips Are Movin’”
Hanna Ashbrook - a montage victim who intriguingly covered Tegan and Sara
Tim Atlas - another montaged contestant who deserved so much better
Braiden Sunshine - an adorable little kid who loves classic rock; that’s his real last name
Jeffery Austin - Sam Smith soundalike who covered “Lay Me Down”
Summer Schappell - quirky country girl
Noah Jackson - another montage victim with promise
Korin Bukowski - quirky girl who may be too quirky for her own good
Alex Kandel - former Sleeper Agent frontwoman who seems lost without her band
Kota Wade - rocker girl suffering from a slight identity crisis
Chase Kerby - candy store guy
TEAM PHARRELL:
Siahna Im - plucky teen who amazed everyone with her surprisingly sultry “Fever”
Amy Vachal - elegant “Dream a Little Dream” chanteuse
Madi Davis - 16-year-old who gorgeously covered Carole King
Ivonne Acero - triumphantly returning “cantaloupe girl”
Sydney Rhame - children’s guitar teacher with a womanly voice
Darius Scott - man-bun-wearing renaissance man who covered Usher
Evan McKeel - young singer who “spontaneously” broke out some Stevie Wonder
Mark Hood - charming guy who performed first on the premiere; better performer than singer
Jubal & Amanda - country couple that got engaged onstage
Daria Jazmin - montage victim who displayed charisma during her brief screentime
Riley Biederer - montaged pop girl once signed to Elton John’s management company
Celeste Betton - pitchy Dreamgirls singer that Pharrell almost passed over
TEAM ADAM:
Jordan Smith - likable nerdy guy with androgynous tone who wowed with “Chandelier”
Viktor Kiraly - Thicke-like Hungarian pop star
Andi & Alex - identical twins with gorgeous harmonies
James Dupré - Ellen DeGeneres-approved country crooner and YouTube star
Shelby Brown - country-crossover ingénue
Keith Semple - Irish rocker, Matt Bellamy lookalike
Chance Peña - cute 15-year-old who sang Ed Sheeran’s “I See Fire”
Manny Cabo - 45-year-old rocker dude who covered Whitesnake
Dustin Monk - tonight’s MOR rocker
Regina Love - 51-year-old gospel/R&B diva, Evander Holyfield pal
Amanda Ayala - fodderific rocker girl who didn’t quite rock hard enough
Cassandra Robertson - older soul singer who got the montage treatment
TEAM BLAKE:
Krista Hughes - amazing small-town country singer who slayed John Prine’s “Angel From Montgomery”
Cole Criske - sensitive teen who dedicated John Mayer’s “Dreaming With a Broken Heart” to his late father
Tyler Dickerson - handsome John Rich protégé looking for a second chance
Barrett Baber - yet another country guy
Chris Crump - the guy who ditched his own wedding to audition
Emily Ann Roberts - country girl
Morgan Frazier - yet another country girl
Nadjah Nicole - soul-pop singer whose “Tightrope” wasn’t exactly Janelle Monae-esque
Blaine Mitchell - rock/country guy
Blind Joe - blind country guy
Dustin Christensen - everyman who sang “Downtown Train”
Zach Seabaugh - 16-year-old country heartthrob with major breath-control issues
Phew! That’s a lot to remember. But you’ve got a whole week to brush up on your Voice knowledge before the Battles begin next Monday with guest mentors Missy Elliott (Team Pharrell), Brad Paisley (Team Blake, of course), John Fogerty (Team Adam), and, um, Selena Gomez (Team Gwen). I still think Gwen has the best team, but Pharrell definitely has the coolest advisor. Come back next week and get ur freak on in the Battle Rounds!
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