The Voice UK is one of the most-talked about shows on TV at the moment and it continued its blind auditions for a third week tonight.
Coaches Jessie J, will.i.am, Danny O’Donoghue and Tom Jones took their seats as they searched for the best vocal talent in the UK. Would they uncover any gems tonight or have they discovered the best the UK has to offer already?
First up tonight was former X Factor contestant Joelle Moses who was hoping to wow The Voice UK coaches and further her career. Singing Adele’s Rolling In The DeepJoelle’s voice impressed all four coaches with her vocal ability and strength. Danny said he felt he’d have ‘chemistry’ with Joelle whilst Jessie J admitted she wanted to write a song for her. With all four coaches fighting to get her on their team, Joelle picked will.i.am.
Jay Norton was the second contestant of the evening and hoped for a similar reaction to previous contestant Joelle. Singing Aloe Blacc’s smash-hit I Need A Dollar, Jay caught will.i.am’s attention early on with the BEPs frontman telling the other coaches that the singer was ‘dope’. At the last second Tom Jones pushed his button and spun his chair around. Will.i.am called Jay ‘the bomb’ whilst Jessie J mocked the US star’s comments. After a bit of deliberation Jay opted to go with will.i.am.
Two singers in and will.i.am now has five artists so far in the competition proving to be one of the most popular of the coaches.
Allyson Brown recounted her near brush with stardom before taking to The Voice UK stage to perform Jocelyn Brown’s Somebody Else’s Guy. Half way through the song Jessie J began to to-and-fro with the idea of pressing her buzzer but couldn’t decide if she liked the song or the singer. As the song ended none of the judges had pressed their buzzers meaning Allyson was going home. The coaches gave their feedback with all of them saying they’d expected Jessie J to push her button as their reason for not pushing their own buttons.
Following Allyson’s disappointment was Leanne Mitchell who shared her hopes to ‘finally show what (she) can do’. Tackling Beyonce’s If I Were A Boy, Leanne put her own spin on the rather difficult-to-sing track. Winning over Danny and Tom after the first verse, Leanne had to choose between a contemporary star and a legend as her mentor. Danny said he was sold on her high note with Tom calling her ‘very appealing’. Leanne chose to join Tom’s team making her the seventh artist to side with the legend.
Cassius Henry was next up and talked about having a minor hit years ago as well as working with Kanye West. Hoping for a second chance at stardom, Cassius took to the stage to prove he still had what it takes to be a big star. Covering Ne-Yo’s dancefloor hit Closer, Cassius stripped everything back allowing his voice to shine through. With the judging struggling to decide what to do, it was Jessie J that pushed her button first followed by Danny. Jessie J said she heard something in Cassius’ voice that she liked and Danny believed his experience of being in a failed boyband could help him get a second chance. After a bit of in-fighting between Jessie J and Danny, Cassius decided to pledge his allegiance with Jessie J.
Two contestants were whizzed through next. Denise Morgan sang Sara Bareilles’ Love Song and won Tom Jones as her mentor whilst Murray Hockridge won over Danny with James Morrison’s You Give Me Something.
20-year-old Welsh singer Hannah Berney took on Lady Gaga’s You and I for her audition. As she looked to be giving up hope Danny and Tom both pressed their buttons. Receiving a rapturous reception from the audience Hannah burst into tears. Tom pointed out his Welsh connection with Hannah whilst Danny said he could see the performance meant a lot to her. Making one of the night’s quicker decisions, Hannah picked Danny as her mentor.
Call-centre worker Cris Grixti admitted he was pleased the judges wouldn’t see him before making a judgement as he felt it was his looks that have held him back in the past. Choosing Cee Lo Green’s Forget You, Cris worked the stage as he tried to win over the coaches. Sadly none of the coaches pushed their button but Jessie J said she enjoyed his licks and the way they were a little unexpected. After joking with Tom, Cris left the stage leaving a smile on everyone’s faces.
23-year-old Bill Downs left the comfort of his band to audition as a solo artist for The Voice UK. Talking about his upcoming wedding, Bill admitted that if he was successful on the show he had agreed with his fiancée to push his the date back. Singing Plan B’s She Said Bill proved to be more soulful than he looked with some seriously high notes. Danny was the only coach to push his button meaning that Bill was automatically on his team.
Bedroom singer Kate Read from Leicester revealed that she’d not been singing for long and admitted she was nervous to audition for the judges. Cyndi Lauper’s True Colours was Kate’s song of choice. Sounding not unlike Diana Vickers, Kate caught will.i.am’s attention first before Tom pushed his button to join the fight to recruit her. Will.i.am said he loved the unique sound of Kate’s voice and ultimately he won the battle to get her on his team.
Jessie J recruited two more singers to her team as Kirsten Joy threw herself into Emeli Sande’s Heaven and Ruth Ann St Luce tackled Snow Patrol’s Run. Ruth Ann caused friction with the coaches as Danny and will.i.am believed Jessie J had chosen wrongly.
Alys Williams was hoping her Welsh charm would win over the judges as she sang Adele’s over-played hit Someone Like You. Clearly nervous, Alys forgot the words briefly but managed to continue. Unfortunately none of the coaches pushed their button leaving Alys disappointed. Will.i.am said he thought she had a great voice but explained that he didn’t turn around because he had another singer like her on his team.
Long-haired rocker Nathan James picked Bon Jovi’s Living On A Prayer as the song he thought could wow the judges. Looking a bit like an over-enthusiastic Justin Lee-Collins, Nathan didn’t manage to win over any of the judges and looked disappointed. Jessie J said she was worried that he wouldn’t be versatile despite being impressed with his voice.
Former popstar Tyler James was the next contestant to audition and recalled his memories of best-friend Amy Winehouse. Determined to build up his own confidence following the death of Amy, Tyler sang (Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay. In the song’s final moments will.i.am pushed his button making him the only judge eager to take Tyler onto his team. The other coaches gave Tyler great feedback whilst Tom Jones explained that he knew the song too well hence why he didn’t pick him.
Bo Bruce, who is often known by her rather regal sounding actual name (which we won’t print here), explained how she’s struggled in the industry because people were put off by her privileged background. Singing David Guetta and Usher’s hit Without You, Bo won over Danny and will.i.am. Overwhelmed by the crowd reaction, Bo received good feedback from will.i.am who told her that she put her unique spin on the track. Danny said he’s looking for a unique voice and that Bo more than fit the bill. As will.i.am and Danny engaged in a spot of verbal sparring, Bo decided to side with Danny.
Bo’s audition brought the show to a close for another week leaving the coaches with a few more recruits for their team nearing their 10 recruit limit. Each coach now has the following number of recruits:
Will.i.am – 7
Danny – 8
Jessie J – 8
Tom – 8
Tune in next week for the final blind audition round as the coaches complete their teams and prepare for battle.
