freshman coaches Niall Horan and Chance the Rapper are bringing the heat to “The Voice,” but they still have to contend with reigning veteran Blake Shelton.
Horan and Chance turned their chairs for country rock crooner Neil Salsich, alongside Shelton and coach Kelly Clarkson, during the Season 23 premiere Monday night. Salsich blew the coaches away with his stunning range and electric rendition of Hank Williams’ “Honkey Tonk Blues.”
“I’m not very familiar with country music, but the texture of your voice – the tone, the range that you had and also the runs that you’re doing – this could be interesting,” Chance said. Why not a rapper and a country singer together? And it’d be really cool if I stole a country (artist) off Blake.”
Horan added: “Country storytelling is my thing. (Blake) can’t tell you a story at all.”
But in the end, Salsich chose Shelton as his coach.
“This is my last season, and I’m going out with a bang,” Shelton said. “I don’t care if these guys are new and I should be polite. Forget that. They’re going down.”
Check out what else went down during Monday’s episode of “The Voice.”
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Sorelle, a sister trio from Ohio, won over Chance and Shelton with their vibrant harmonies on their cover of “Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy” by Queen.
“In hip-hop, artists like Kendrick Lamar and Drake, they find younger artists like you guys that put together harmonics and sample those, and those become the biggest records that you hear on the radio,” Chance said. “I would love to put you guys in (the) position to be able to create some of that stuff from scratch.”
Shelton then slyly skewered Chance’s pitch. “You could pick Chance, with the goal of someday hoping to be featured on somebody else’s record, or you could pick Team Blake and make your own record,” he told the group.
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But Chance wasn’t going to let Shelton have the last word. The “Holy” emcee had Sorelle improvise a lush, three-part harmony using a line from the Nipsey Russell song “What Would I Do If I Could Feel?”
Chance’s demonstration seemed to do the trick, with Sorelle opting to join Team Chance.
“Chance absolutely slayed me on Sorelle,” Shelton said. “Next thing I know he’s producing a record live in front of your eyes. Once that happened, I knew that it was over for me.”
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Niall Horan steals country singer from Blake Shelton with onstage gag
Oklahoma singer Ross Clayton earned himself a four-chair turn with his warm country vocals and sweet performance of “Blue Ain’t Your Color” by Keith Urban.
Horan, who had yet to land a singer on his team, was determined to sway Clayton. The One Direction alum got out of his seat and pressed the buttons on his fellow coaches’ chairs, turning them away from Clayton.
“Forget about whatever any of them said. That’s why I spun them around. I didn’t want to hear any more crap,” Horan said. “I came up on a show like this when I was 16 years old. … There are fans of mine that would really love to take you under their wing.”
Horan’s chair-spin gag helped break his leaky streak, as Clayton chose to join Team Niall.
“I feel like Niall is going to take my seat on this show,” Shelton said. “Playing those kinds of dirty tricks gives me confidence that he can be the liar he needs to be to cover for Team Blake from now on.”
Watch:Niall Horan imitates Blake Shelton’s southern twang in ‘The Voice’ promo
Chance the Rapper overshadows coaches with playful pitch, nabs 4-chair singer
Soul singer Noivas captivated the coaches with his stirring acoustic rendition of Otis Redding’s “A Change Is Gonna Come,” quickly earning himself a four-chair turn.
“You are an incomparable talent, and I would love to give you the platform to show yourself to the world,” Chance told the 30-year-old vocalist. “You’re a voice of this generation that deserves to be heard.”
Horan chimed in, liking Noivas’ soulfulness to R&B icon Stevie Wonder.
“I haven’t seen anyone with passion like that,” Horan said. “I don’t make this kind of music, but sometimes the best things happen when opposites come together.”
But Chance was prepared to make himself stand out, walking over to each coach’s lit-up name on the stage and changing them to his own with a series of hops. “You only have one choice,” he said. “I want you to win this show, and I want you on Team Chance.”
The playful pitch sealed the deal for Noivas, who chose Chance as his coach.
“It’s rookie season, and I’m so proud of my fellow rookie Chance for getting Noivas,” Horan said. “He’s going to take him all the way.”
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George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism