At the time that singer and songwriter Tony Lucca auditioned for The voice 2nd season, the previous one Mickey Mouse Club co-star, then coach Christina Aguilera, didn’t turn to him, and she didn’t even to recognize his. The embarrassment followed and tensions between Christina and Tony’s eventual coach, Adam Levine, increased throughout the season. Adam and Christina, of course, have already left The voice. But when the series’ original trainer, Blake Shelton, returned for a 20th season this Monday, he made a similar blunder – not realizing that one of the participants, 45-year-old Pete Mroz, was actually his 25-year-old bandmate. years ago .
However, unlike the Aguilera / Lucca situation, this gaffe was smoothed out in a fun and friendly way (technical colleague Kelly Clarkson found the whole situation hilarious, and she was right). And in the end, there was a kind of Young Riders meeting, because in this case Blake had turned around, thus giving Pete the opportunity to join his team. “We are getting the band back together!” exclaimed Blake.
Let’s go back here for a moment. When Pete Mroz was 19, given the stage name of Pete Mitchell and had aspirations to be “the next Garth Brooks”, he used to perform in Nashville with a rotating group of composers nicknamed Young Riders – and one of those composers did these rounds it was a pre-fame Blake. Pete’s life obviously took a very different post-Young Riders path when he became a sales rep and a family man, while Blake became one of the biggest stars in country music. At first, it looked like Pete might have resentments on Monday Voice episode: When Blake turned around, Pete raised an eyebrow and pointed devilishly in his direction, then later said to Blake, “Oh, I’ll get to you.” Blake said, “Uh-oh. There seems to be some history there! This is usually not a good thing for me! “
Eventually, Pete revealed his identity, much to Blake’s delight and shock, and he jokingly accused Blake of stealing his bassist at that time. But this was not a real rivalry – apparently Pete and Blake have a similar sense of sarcasm – so there was little chance that Pete would sign up with the other coach he had hired, John Legend, to “settle the score”. Instead, in a “full circle” moment, Pete happily joined Team Blake. (As soon as they started reminiscing about Blake’s’ 90s mullet, it was obvious that Pete would “go with the old cowboy”.) Blake said of Pete’s meeting: “It will be amazing to catch up with him and work with him. But the main reason I’m excited that he’s on my team is that I think he’s quite a singer. And so, the not so young Knights (Pete described himself as the symbol of the “old guy” in THE Voice) will mount again.
To be honest, I’m really surprised that Blake pushed the red button for Pete. Pete didn’t sing a country song (he sang “Can’t Find My Way Home” by Blind Faith), and his vocals were unexpectedly loud and soundless, and even a little light. (“Singer Helluva” was too much of a compliment.) Blake later recalled that when Pete first arrived in Nashville years ago, he was “more of a blues guy”. In fact, if there were any coaches that I expected to be in Pete’s place, it would be Nick Jonas, just as squeaky. But I think Nick recruited some contestants on Monday’s 20th season premiere – including my current favorite, Raine Stern – who are much more likely to make it to the semifinals than the more generic Pete.
Yes, Nick is back The voice, JoBros fans. He did his Voice debuted as a coach last spring and took third place with his worthy finalist Thunderstorm Artis, but he definitely didn’t get the most Voice experience, as this season was derailed by COVID-19 and had to switch to remote filming for the Live Playoffs. So, Nick is ready for a makeover. Blake’s fiancee, Gwen Stefani, occupied Nick’s red chair last season when the show returned to the Universal lot, and she finally had her first coaching victory – so Nick will follow Gwen’s lead and score your first win this year? Not if the hypercompetitive Blake has anything to do with it. But, based on Monday’s episode, young knight Nick seems to be fine.
Speaking of rolls … enjoy Nick’s Rickrolling meeting with your Voice castmates above (can Rick please will you be a coach in season 21?), and the other blind auditions from Monday’s season 20 premiere below:
Kenzie Wheeler, 22: “Don’t close your eyes”
Speaking of mullets, Kenzie had what Blake called a “triple threat” version of the famous hairstyle, with shaved sides most “A rare widow’s peak.” But apparently, Kelly thought Blake was the real threat here, so she used her only Block to make sure Blake couldn’t recruit Kenzie. Considering that this was the first performance of the entire season, and there are competitors who sound like Kenzie each season, I think it was a hasty move on Kelly’s part. But Kelly was crazy about Kenzie’s “deep 80s vintage” sound, screaming, “Choose me! I will fight so hard for you! “
Who turned? All four coaches. Blake turned only on principle, although he knew he was already out of the running.
Result: Kelly team. Fortunately, his pad did not go to waste.
Dana Monique, 41: “Freeway of Love”
This fierce show woman took a big risk when facing Aretha, but luckily, she was up to the task. Vocally, she reminded me of the old Voice trainer Jennifer Hudson (who will play Aretha Franklin in the next biopic Respect) This former cruise singer inspired respect with her powerful flute, exciting improvisations and vamps, and a veteran stage presence.
Who turned? Nick and John – but surprisingly noKelly. (She explained that she thought she had no chance against John.)
Result: Team Jonas! Wow. Maybe Kelly should have changed, after all.
Cam Anthony, 19: “Lay Me Down”
A former child prodigy who once sang in Ellen and Showtime on Apollo and even for the Obamas in the White House, Cam started out smoothly and slowly, and masterfully building the drama of this Sam Smith ballad. What a tasteful and lovely performance. He seemed totally Legend material, but Nick blocked John. However, the seemingly atypical Blake made a big move for Cam, promising to “keep the track open” and not recruit any similar soul / pop / gospel singer who could compete in the ranks of Team Blake with Cam.
Who turned? Nick, Blake and a blocked John.
Result: Team Blake! This was another surprise result. Blake’s bold promise clearly worked. He better not deny that.
Christine Cain, 27: “Sugar watermelon”
Christine confessed that, due to bullying and the shame of the body she suffered at school, she struggled against trust. She also revealed that this was only her fourth public performance. I don’t think she was ready for The voice. She had a harsh sound and an interesting choice of music in which to put her own emotional touch, but her speech was timid. She never let go and got to where I expected her to go. I thought this would be a test without a chair, but the “little crack” in Christine’s voice cheered up John’s ears, while Kelly enjoyed his “whole vibe”.
Who turned? John and Kelly.
Result: Team legend. John could be the right guy to help Christine lift her sizzling ship.
Devan Blake Jones, 35: “Hard Place”
Devan is a member of an Afrobeat band and can “sing with his heart and soul” in several languages, so I expected more dimension from his HER cover. This was a warm vocal, and Devan seemed to be holding on. I felt the same frustrations that I had with Christine Cain’s performance. But Nick was impressed and intrigued by Devan’s top record – “I feel like there’s so much there,” he said – and gave him a chance.
Who turned? Only Nick, but I’m sure Devan, a confessed fanboy from Nick, was fine with that.
Result: Team Jonas, obviously.
Raine Stern, 22: “Electric Feel”
Here comes Raine! That badass was my highlight of the night. From the choice of a mid-hugh hipster song, to the grinding of the groovy electro-pop guitar, to its extravagant strangeness, this self-styled “black sheep” was checking all the boxes for me. But it was the skillful use of dynamics that impressed me the most. Just when I thought the performance had nowhere to go, it kept going higher, and it absolutely blew up in the end. It might be That is why the coaches took so long to enter the field – they were ecstatic with what they heard. Blake later said to Raine, “You really do know how to milk a performance. … You are a rare find ”, while Nick (discovering that Raine leads a nine-member band, for which she arranges and composes everything) called her“ one of the most exclusive creatives and performers we saw on the show ”.
Who turned? John, Blake and Nick.
Result: Team Jonas, understandably. I think Raine and Nick will be an electric pop-rock mix.
Corey Ward, 34: “Dancing on My Own”
Corey was an outcast without a chair last year, but what a difference a season makes. Returning to sing a song that “fits me better as a person and as an artist” – a version of Robyn’s hit inspired by Calum Scott / Kings of Leon and opposed to last year’s screaming and arduous “Way We Go Down” – the fan of James Arthur / Damien Rice was so fantastic that two coaches turned around almost immediately. And his genuinely passionate grand finale was a time. Along with Raine, Corey is my other new favorite.
Who turned? Surprisingly, just John and Kelly. I found Corey’s performance worthy of four chairs. In spite of everything, I’m happy that he guaranteed a spot this season. He is ready.
Result: Kelly team. Kelly, who had been extraordinarily stingy with her curves all night, was thrilled with the result, calling Corey an “unmissable artist … an artist of dreams to have on her team”. She definitely scored with this one.
Victor Solomon, 22: “Glory”
This stepper and college campus leader certainly had the courage to make a John Legend song, a tactic that often backfires with John Legend. But Victor’s version was so majestic, John didn’t just turn around – he also gave Victor a standing ovation, and even claimed that Victor had done a better job with her. Later, John did a duet with Victor in another of his famous compositions, “Ordinary People”, which Victor had performed during his 8th grade talent show. Victor won that talent show and, judging by how well he sang with John, he could win this show with a lot more profile now. (Side note: Victor’s audition led to another extremely funny faux pas from Blake at the premiere, when he didn’t even realize that “Glory” was John’s song. Apparently, Blake didn’t attend the Oscars in 2015.)
Who turned? Blake, Nick and John.
Result: Team legend, of course. But props for Victor for creating some Oscar-worthy drama when threatened to “shake things up” … and made it look like he was about to choose Blake instead. Psych!
Read more on Yahoo Entertainment:
Follow Lyndsey on the Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Amazon, Spotify.