The Voice 5 – Blind Auditions 2 – Recap and Videos

The Voice - Season 5

The clear winner of the night was Tessanne Chin, who has a marketable and arresting pop voice. I’ll bet she records well, and I can hear her on the radio right now. EG Daily, the 51 year old voice over star, has a fantastic voice. But too bad it’s not 1985. She’s not going to break into pop music at 51. Of the guys, Austin singer songwriter, Jonny Gray, captured my attention. He’s got a unique tone and star quality. Everybody else? Was competent. If I heard their voices out of nowhere, I wouldn’t turn my head, let alone my chair. I thought the talent tonight was even better than last night’s. What do you think?

It’s day 2 of The Voice 5 Blind Auditions! I’m live blogging them right here. Join me.

The talent level will reach NEW HEIGHTS TONIGHT! And from what I’m hearing, it’s gonna be SUPER PLANTY.

Jacquie Lee – “Back to Black” – She’s 16 years old from a loud Italian New Jersey family. She’s also super sporty. The cameras follow her to Children’s hospital, where she sings for the kiddies. She’s pretty good, but it’s taking the coaches a bit to respond. Christina and Blake turn at the very last second. She’s a generic sounding R&B crooner. She needs a little time to marinate. Adam is rooting for Christina, noting that Jersey is closer to Pittsburgh than Oklahoma. Christina warns Jacquie not to be blinded by Blake’s charm. “I specialize in 16 year old girls winning this show.” True dat. Cee Lo loves her boots. Blake doesn’t understand why everyone ganged up on him. They’re trying to knock you off your perch, Blake – Jacquie chooses Team Christina

Barry Black – “What You Won’t Do For Love – He’s from American Samoa. His parents moved to the states when he was 12. He wasn’t happy working at his dad’s hotels, so he moved to Vegas to chase his music dreams. If he makes it on The Voice, he feels his parents will finally accept his decision. He plays the flugel horn with his mouth. and it’s kind of weird.  Adam turned around immediately. Blake turned around too. He’s singing in a smooth R&B style, but his voice isn’t very smooth, and I’m not impressed with his phrasing. They were shocked that all those sounds were coming out of his mouth. While Blake and Adam bicker, Barry plays the Jeopardy theme. Christina roots for Blake, but Barry chooses Team Adam Here’s his website.

Mike Unser – “Dirty Little Secret” – He’s a rocker who had a tough childhood. He didn’t get along with his step dad. But now they do. He’s involved with church. Oh. He’s a Christian rocker. Scratch that. A Christian rocker who wants to cross over. He’s flopping around the stage like an awkward newbie, but he’s sort of cute. Not good enough yet, though. Very vanilla. I’ll be surprised if anyone turns around. And they don’t. The coaches don’t share why they didn’t turn around. I suspect it just didn’t grab them. It didn’t me, either. Cee Lo eventually regrets not turning around and Mike vows to come back.

Destinee Quinn – “Cowboy Take Me Away” – She’s a working musician, a country singer. We see her performing at a biker bar. Winning Alice Coopers Christmas Pudding contest in Arizona  helped her realize she had a talent.  A nice surprise: He sends her a good luck message via Carson. Christina turns almost immediately. She’s got a beautiful tone, though she sounds REALLY nervous and shaky. But she has some nice moments–good dynamics and range. Cee Lo turns. But no Blake yet! He doesn’t turn. Blake says he missed the “bottom end” of her voice, but now he sees that she’s only 20, he figures that will come back. – Destinee Chooses Team Christina – Destinee also was Miss Arizona, USA and Miss Fiat of Scottsdale. Here’s an original song, Liar Liar.

Cole Vosbury – Jefferson’s Theme – His dad played professionally, his grandmother toured with Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis and more. She turned down Elvis’ advances. He wants to succeed to spread his family’s name. So, he picks a song he says is risky. And he’s singing a rock/soul version of The Jefferson’s theme. It’s as if Leon Russell decided to cover TV themes. He’s got that growly, soul-filled retro rock thing going, but put to a very odd use. Cee Lo turns. And that’s it. That was a little strange and gimmicky, but Cee Lo thought it was a bold move and loved his balance of country and soul. Cole is on Team Cee Lo – Check out Cole’s Facebook. He wrote a song, “Caylee’s Eyes” for Caylee Anthony, the little girl whose mother was acquitted of her murder.

Holly Henry – “The Scientist” – 19 years old, she’s from Minneapolis MN.  She’s a multi-instrumentalist and writes music. She describes herself as shy and awkward. Her parents convinced her to audition. She does not perform for ANYONE.  Whoa. Blake barely heard a note, and he turned around. She’s very breathy. I’m not that impressed.  Her interpretation is very pedestrian. This song is so emotional, but her affect is flat.   Adam turns around, Cee Lo,  and then Christina at the last minute. I don’t get it. Blake is now officially excited about Season 5.  Holly likes Christina’s hair. Christina likes her soft silky tone. The coaches battle for her “I won 3 times zippidydooda,” Adam mocks Blake. Still,  Holly chooses Team Blake

Sammy C – “Where is the Love” – He’s a 15 year old hip hop artist. When he was 2 years old, he was diagnosed with Alopecia. He lost all his hair. But he prevailed over the bullies. He sings AND raps. Maybe he should stick to rapping, because his singing is real nasally.  This may not be the competition for him. Nobody turns around for him. Blake admits that he almost pushed his button. Cee Lo suggests he either sing or rap.  Adam says to work on his singing until it has the power his rapping does.

Now, for a montage of singers who didn’t make the cut. Let’s watch the coaches let the artist down gently. It’s the constructive criticism montage!

Austin Jencks – “Simple Man” – His dad taught him how to play the guitar. His day job is giving scooter tours. His dad commited suicide when he was 16. Shot himself. Austin shares his pain through music. His dad taught him “Simple Man” when he was a child.  Cee Lo and Adam turn around when Austin hits the big note on the chorus. He’s your basic gravelly voiced soulful rocker, but it’s the passionate note near the end that gets Cee Lo, Adam and Blake to finally turn around.  Extra backstory: His dad had to pawn the guitar he’s playing for rent money, but got it back in the nick of time. –    Austin Chooses Team Blake – Check out the singer’s Website, music at ReverbnationFacebook. Nicely-done music video for his song “Take Me Now”.

It’s planty plant time!

EG Daily – “Breathe” – She’s a well-known voice over artist, having voiced cartoon characters on the Powerpuff Girls, Rugrats, Starship Troopers and more. She co-starred in the movies Valley Girls, Streets of Fire, Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure to name a few.  The show is being completely transparent about her background. We even see clips from her movies and as Tommy Pickles on Rugrats. She’s 51, and has spent time focusing on her children. But she really wants to get back to music.  Of course, she’s very good. Super professional. Age has added character to her rasp.  Blake and Cee Lo turn around. They don’t seem to know who she is, but they battle over her.  Christina finally recognizes her, and EG admits she’s Dottie in Pee Wee’s Big Adventure. She even does a little Tommy. EG chooses Team Blake. – Check out EG’s WikipediaComic Con Interview. Video for “Say it Say it” from 1986.

Jonny Gray – “All These Things I’ve Done” –  29 year old Austin TX singer-songwriter was in the military.  He saw a lot of stuff happen when he was deployed overseas. It deeply affected him. Music has helped him. He’s famous enough in Austin, that he had a “Jonny Gray Day. Dude has a BEAUTIFUL tone and a warbly vibrato. Intriguing. I’ll bet his original music is better. Cee Lo turns around, then Adam. Cee Lo compares him to Stevie Nicks and Eddie Vedder.  Cee Lo is selling himself and despite saying earlier he’d choose Adam, Jonny chooses Team Cee Lo.  ” He released an EP called “Sail it Away.” Check out his ReverbNationFacebook and Twitter. Performing “I’d Still.”

Tessanne Chin – “Try” –  She’s from Kingston Jamaica. Her father is Chinese and Cherokee. Her mom is black and English. She lived in England when she was younger. She toured with Jimmy Cliff, and he sends a good luck message to her. She calls him “Mr. Cliff.”  She usually sings reggae, but she’s taking a risk with a pop song. Adam, Cee Lo and Christina turn around immediately. Blake follows close behind. Tessanne never sings pop? She performs like a pro. She’s got a great, contemporary sounding voice. She reminds me a little of Emeli Sande. And, she’s got a really interesting look. She’s got tons of potential. She’s super, duper marketable.  The coaches battle for her affections. Adam says he loves reggae music. Cee Lo is poetically wooing her. Christina appeals to her as a woman. They can bond! But, Tessanne chooses Adam – Her solo song “Hideaway” was a hit in Jamaica.

Next Monday, the blind auditions continue.

About mj santilli 34893 Articles
Founder and editor of mjsbigblog.com, home of the awesomest fan community on the net. I love cheesy singing shows of all kinds, whether reality or scripted. I adore American Idol, but also love The Voice, Glee, X Factor and more!