The Voice 7: Blind Auditions Part 1

That soon? Haha. It's been a couple of months since Josh Kaufman was crowned the winner of Voice 6 and now, we're at it again! It's a bit exhausting, but what's interesting about the show - other than the now becoming stale Blake Shelton and Adam Levine - are the new refreshing addition to the panel.

Sure, I had my reservations with Gwen Stefani, but she had energy for days. Pharrell Williams was also pretty cool to watch and has a certain appeal that's quite magnetic. I hope this will be another good season for the show although I noticed that the coaches seemed to talk a lot more this season.

On with the Blind Auditions!

Luke Wade
That's How Strong My Love Is
[TEAM PHARRELL]
There's nothing incredibly special about Luke's voice so I was a bit confused with the four coaches turning their chairs for him. His pitch was mostly on point, but there's something very generic about the way he delivered the song. I'm calling this dude a serious cannon-fodder. 5

Clara Hong
Chuck E's In Love
[TEAM ADAM]
Lovely tone. Interesting song choice. Good range. Nice phrasing. Weak enunciation. Oh, but Gwen hogging the spotlight had me rolling my eyes. Seriously? 7

Bryana Salaz
Problem
[TEAM GWEN]
She's no Ariana Grande - although Bryana has a slightly better diction - but she's someone very current. There's real potential to this girl given the right songs and direction. 7.5

Damien
It's So Hard To Say Goodbye To Yesterday
[TEAM ADAM]
Vocally, this was awesome. His tone was smooth, his transitions were impeccable, and his runs were controlled. He came off a little old fashioned, which is always a problem, but I digress. Let's see how America will respond to him. I'd be interested to see if Adam could make him sound more current. 7.5

Allison Bray
Merry Go Round
[TEAM BLAKE]
She sounded nice and I really like her voice, but that's about it. I'm hoping she has something more to offer. 7

Taylor John Williams
Heartless
[TEAM GWEN]
I'm not sure if I enjoyed his version as this one lacked the urgency as, say, Kris Allen's version of the song. That said, this was a pleasant blind audition with interesting melodic choices to separate this from the other covers. 7

Elyjuh Rene
XO
[TEAM PHARRELL]
Wow. That spelling! Haha. His vocals were actually pretty with a fantastic modulation. Plus, there were a couple of lovely inflections that somehow made me think that he'll be a real threat if given the right songs. 8

James David Carter
Nobody Knows
[TEAM BLAKE]
Good. He may sound like any other country dudes out in the radio today, but there's something very refreshing with his voice. There's confidence to his performance and he sounded very seasoned. 8