The Voice 21 Blind Auditions: Duo Displays Father’s Uncondictional Love for His Trans Son
On the second night of The Voice season 21 Blind Auditions, the building of coach Ariana Grande’s team has been a bit slow. But the father/son duo of Jim and Sasha Allen was one of the highlights of the night.
Overall, night 2 of the new season was a bit stronger than night 1, with my favorites being Gymani, Samuel Harness, and Jim and Sasha Allen. The episode included a lot of Kelly Clarkson/Blake Shelton banter and more of Ariana giving good advice during her pitches.
During their package, Jim talked about his musical experience and it showed how the two have a close connection. Sasha then explained that he is trans and how he knew he wanted to be a boy. He later transitioned and it was tough. Other students and even teachers would say hateful things toward him. Jim shares that he feels bad that he didn’t understand what Sasha was going through while growing up. He is very supportive and close to his son. It’s obvious they have a tight bond.
Jim and Sasha add to the folk auditions of the season. Also notable are Girl Named Tom from night 1, and now this gorgeous duo. They sang John Denver’s classic song, “Leaving on a Jet Plane.” Sasha has a very beautiful and pleasant tone and does most of the heavy lifting. Jim is more there for support, while bringing his beautiful harmonies to the table. I’m not sure if he’ll add much when it comes to lead vocals in the future. This could be a downfall when it appears that all of the vocalists in Girl Named Tom are strong. I’m assuming they’ll be competing for a similar spot down the road if they make it to the voting rounds.
Only Kelly and Ariana turned. Sasha seemed completely in awe when Ariana hit her button at the last second. Kelly noted Sasha’s reaction in her commentary, admitting that it made her nervous. Meanwhile, Sasha told Blake he brought something for him. It’s a drawing with the duo and Blake that Sasha drew. Gifts for Blake from artists he doesn’t turn for is a continuing storyline of the episode. Earlier, indie artist, Chavon Rodgers gave Blake a commemorative brick, as they share a hometown. Kelly admits that she has a trio in a similar lane, but couldn’t let the father/son duo go home, so she had to turn. Blake called their sound “cool” and can’t put a label on the genre. Ariana noted the perfectly knit harmonies and felt transported. However, Ariana wants more range which I completely agree with.
After Kelly’s comments about already having a trio and seeing Sasha’s reaction to Ariana turning, it was truly a no brainer that they would pick Ariana and that’s just what they did. I think the duo could go far on Team Ariana even if they might not seem the perfect fit genre wise. Ariana seems invested in them and they should stand out on her team.
