HOUSTON – Well ladies and gentleman, the time has finally come for us to wrap up these Blind Auditions and move on to the (thunder clap) BATTLE ROUNDS (rounds… rounds… rounds…). And yes. I'm probably going to do that every time I mention (thunder clap) BATTLE ROUNDS (rounds… rounds… rounds…). This final batch of Blind Auditions was, as a whole, pretty incredible, including some of the auditions from artists that weren't chosen for teams. Cough cough Kameron Corvet cough cough. Because there were SO many standouts, I might just have to post a lot of videos... #SorryNotSorry.
Let's start with Nathalie Hernandez. What a little MUFFIN! Her voice perfectly matched the adorableocity of her face and personality— she sounds like a mix of Taylor Swift, Vanessa Carlton and cotton candy. I had her pegged for Team Blake because she kind of reminds me of Xenia from Season 1, but lo and behold Xtina snatched this girl right up. Check out her blind audition and see for yourself!
Nathalie Hernandez Blind Audition
And then there was Kayla Nevarez. This girl's voice was liquid cool. And she's only 17. COME ON. Xtina fought quite the battle to secure homegirl for her team, and almost had me convinced that she'd be a good coach. But then I remembered the last two seasons of The Voice. Kayla's no fool and went with Team Adam. But the best part was when Kayla whispered to Adam that now "we better win this." Gotta love a girl with gusto.
Kayla Nevarez Blind Audition
Is it weird to say that what I liked first about Celica Westbrook were her eyebrows? Whatever, they're awesome. But in addition to having great brows, this lady also has some killer pipes. I don't see how Xtina can really do much to develop Celica as an artist, but I guess we'll see, as Celica was the last addition to finish off Team Xtina.
Celica Westbrook Blind Audition
There were some other auditions worthy of honorable mention, like Caitlin Michele aka the-more-than-slightly-under-pitch-version-of-Florence-&-The-Machine, down to the flowy, ethereal robe. Also, Rudy Parris for being the creepiest looking guy I'd probably want to be friends with ever. Also he sings good.
But the final audition of the night provided the phenomenal moment I have been waiting for all season. Cody Belew, otherwise known as MY SOULMATE, literally lost his shizznit all over the stage and Cee-Lo himself when he realized he made Team Red Zone. If there was ever a time for a .gif, it was RIGHT NOW. But let's back up and discuss the amazingness of his pre-audition package:
"I really, truly believe that in a past life, I was an elderly black lady." (Dena's immediate response: OMG ME TOO!)
And then, while he was savoring his victory:
"That's my favorite thing to do, is entertain the crowd with a little bit of (hip thrust) bam-bam." Aaaaand this is when I knew we were destined for each other. Because I love a man who values a little hip action.
This is true love, y'all.
Cody Belew Blind Audition
Check out the full team breakdowns for an idea of what we'll be looking forward to in the (thunder clap) BATTLE ROUNDS (rounds… rounds… rounds…)! But what's that? There's a new twist?? It's true. This year there will be STEALS. During the battle rounds, after the winner is proclaimed, the other coaches can steal the losing artist for their own teams. But these coaches gotta be quick on the draw, because if more than one coach wants the artist, the first one to push his/her button wins. I. Love. This. At the very least it should save us from the moments when two really good people were unfortunately pitted against each other, and you're not quite sure which one deserves to go because they made each other better.
I am fit to be tied I'm so pumped for these (thunder clap) BATTLE—ok, now I'm sick of it. But you get the picture! EXCITEMENT ABOUNDS!
Thanks for reading, and as always, thanks for watching KPRC Local 2!