The Voice advanced 10 unique artists from the Blind Auditions, including Ricky Duran and Joana Martinez, during Monday night's two-hour Season 17 broadcast on NBC.
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Ricky, a 29-year-old from Worcester, MA, sang "River" for his Blind Audition, prompting all four coaches to turn around for his smooth vocals. The coaches even gave him a standing ovation.
Blake joked he'd love to take Ricky to his river in Oklahoma because the singer had drawn them all in from the beginning and he has a great stage presence.
"I'd love to be your coach, dude," Blake noted.
John complimented Ricky's beautiful tone and control, and he said he could help Ricky choose the right songs for him on the show. Gwen called the performance "tasteful" and said she wants to find out who he is and what his story is.
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Kelly could hear character in Ricky's voice and said it's rare when tone tells a story.
Ricky ultimately chose Blake as his coach, and all of the coaches -- including Blake himself -- were surprised.
Joana, a 15-year-old from Miami, FL, sang "Call Out My Name" for her Blind Audition, and Kelly, Gwen and Blake all turned their chairs around for her.
The coaches couldn't believe Joana performed the song that way at age 15, and John said it was "a near-perfect" vocal performance. Blake, however, argued it was "perfect."
Gwen complimented Joana for connecting so well to the audience and showing off her gorgeous tone and great instincts. But Kelly pointed out Joana could open up even more and really perform what she's feeling.
Blake told Joana that she "moved" them all and her God-given talent shined through. Blake suggested he could take the artist all the way to the finale.
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With that being said, Joana picked Blake as her coach.
Jared, a 21-year-old from Niceville, FL, performed "Speechless," and Gwen, John and Blake all decided to battle to get Jared on their team.
John bragged he won The Voice last season and thought Jared's performance was cool, and breathy but also controlled. He said Jared took the audience on a journey and he's very versatile.
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Gwen said there's many different sides to Jared's voice and he has the ability to tell a story.
Blake added that Jared sounded great and he's good looking, but the aspiring pop artist chose John as his coach after John invited him over for dinner and said he'd meet and also be coached by Chrissy Teigen.
Matt, a 29-year-old from Midland, TX, took the stage with "Sunflower (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse)" for his audition. Kelly, Gwen and John all wanted this artist to choose his or her team.
Kelly stood up and begged for Matt to pick her. She said she's a huge fan of his voice and he's great at strategy. Kelly had a lot of ideas for the artist.
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John said he took a while to turn around because he was listening closely but his tone caught his attention from the beginning. John also pointed out he's versatile and has power in his voice.
Matt had a hard decision to make, but he said he loved John and therefore became a member of "Team Legend."
Brooke, a 28-year-old from Bolton, CT, who currently resides in Los Angeles, CA, performed "Let Him Fly," and it didn't take long for Kelly and Gwen to turn around. Blake also joined the ladies in this fight to have Brooke on their team.
John loved how Brooke's performance felt "honest," saying that it was a very appealing thing for the coaches to hear.
Gwen was "blown away" by Brooke's "soothing, calming and inviting" voice. Gwen could tell Brooke sang with her heart and had magic in her, so Gwen insisted she'd love to work with the artist.
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Kelly gushed about the singer's storytelling ability and "spot-on" dynamics. Kelly could tell Brooke was "gifted" and she thought the performance was so beautiful.
Blake acknowledged Brooke probably didn't realize how great of a singer she is but the artist really grabbed them all. Blake didn't want Brooke to be "an experiment," and he said he'd challenge the singer and let her personality shine through.
Kelly, however, argued she's challenge Brooke as well, and Gwen said she worked her way up from the bottom and has maintained a long and crazy career she'd like to share.
John joked about how he was "stupid" for not pressing his button, and then Brooke picked Kelly as her coach.
Zach, a 28-year-old from Pearl, MS, performed "Ol' Red" and Blake turned around for the artist with a country sound. Gwen followed soon after and pressed her button.
Gwen said she loved the song and joked about how she's a huge fan of Blake. Gwen told Zach he'd be the only country artist on her team, but Blake insisted the artist belonged on his team.
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Blake's story tugged at the heartstrings and convinced Zach to pick Blake as his coach. Blake gushed about how his new team member was "perfect" and "dead on."
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Elliemae, a 21-year-old from Jerome, ID, belted out "Merry Go 'Round" for her audition, and Blake turned his chair around during the last line of her song.
Blake said he heard enough from her voice and knew he wanted her on his team. Blake said she went under the radar with her "folky sound" that was a mix of country and Americana.
Jessie, a 31-year-old from Newark, NJ, impressed the coaches with "All or Nothing," and Gwen decided she wanted the artist on her team.
Gwen said she's "very, very specific" and she liked how there was something genuine about Jessie's voice.
Brennen, a 20-year-old from Flint, MI, sang "Riptide" while playing his guitar, and both Blake and Gwen pressed their buttons for him.
"Do you want to fight, Blakey?" Gwen joked.
Brennen and Gwen had a Detroit connection, and she pointed out how she had turned her chair around first. She called him "cute" and said he has so much potential. She also guessed he's a songwriter and they'd have a lot of fun together.
Blake said he'd pay for this later if he snagged Brennen for his own team but he loved the artist. However, Brennen chose to join "Team Gwen."
Lauren, a 25-year-old from Chicago, IL, who currently resides in West Hollywood, CA, performed "One and Only," and Kelly turned her chair within seconds. No one fought Kelly for this artist, but she was so excited about having such a passionate singer like Adele on her team.
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The following artists unfortunately did not make a team during Monday night's show: Monty Montanaro, who performed "Remedy"; Callie Lee, a 27-year-old from Atlanta, GA, who took the stage with "No Excuses," and Clayton Cowell, a 27-year-old from Hampton, VA, who executed a performance of "Just Friends (Sunny)" with a little beatboxing.
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
