The Voice 28 Playoffs Premiere: Underdog Aubrey Nicole advances to the finale with “Black Velvet”
The Voice Season 28 Playoffs are here, and this season they are serving as the semi-finals as the finals are the round directly afterward. Each team has four singers competing for a single spot to represent their coach in the finals, and then one more singer per week will move on via America’s vote. The first week consisted of Team Reba McEntire and Team Michael Bublé who each chose two deserving singers to move on.
For Reba, that was Dark Horse, Aubrey Nicole, a country singer who is a student at Belmont, and is the first finalist to have their audition montaged. It’s the classic singing show underdog story. For this round, she sang the rock song, “Black Velvet” by Alannah Myles. She remarked during her video package, “I really want to bring something big to the playoffs without being overly emotional.” Reba wanted her to bring “attitude.”
“Those last two performances from you deserve a place in the finale”
The song is a smart pick after she wowed in the previous round with a ballad. However, this song choice was a bit unconventional, but she made it work. She started the verse right in the pocket, with her tone shining through and the slight bit of yodel that is always present in her voice. The song dragged somewhat, but the way she approached it was very artistic, and she was able to build the performance using dynamics and hitting some big notes. The band faded out in the end, which allowed her to off some stellar vocals. She is the best singer on Team Reba.
Niall Horan said, “those last two performances from you deserve a place in the finale,” calling her “special.” Reba gushed, “you owned it!” adding, “You sing your butt off, you’re gorgeous, and you’ve got great stage appeal too. You’re the perfect package.”
Team Reba McEntire picks Aubrey nicole to move on the finale.
In the end, Reba picked Aubrey as her one singer to advance, which was surprising considering the show montaged her in the beginning, followed by Reba needing to save her after choosing Cori Kennedy in her Battle. Either way, it is a well deserved pick as Aubrey has had some of the strongest performances in the past few rounds.
Michael Bublé chose Jazz McKenzie to advance as his finalist–also a well deserved pick, as she performed a really cool flip on Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing” where she stripped it back and then sang it like a Gospel song in the chorus.
These two gave my favorite performances of the night, so it was nice to see them advance. The other singer that deserves America’s vote is Team Reba’s Peyton Kyle who delivered a solid vocal, that showed off his artistry on “Hold Back The River.” I wouldn’t be surprised, though if Team Bublé’s 14-year-old singer Max Chambers or Team Reba’s Aaron Nichols nabs the spot as young singers and country singers tend to be who America votes for. Next week, Team Snoop Dogg and Team Niall take the stage, and hopefully their picks are satisfying as well.
