The teams for The Voice Season 24 are set, with Reba McEntire, John Legend, Gwen Stefani and Niall Horan choosing 14 singers apiece to represent them through the rest of the competition. It wasn’t necessarily easy to get to this point, as Niall Horan has said sending the singers away is “so terrible,” and the queen of country herself is learning from her fellow mentors the best way to let people down easy. Sometimes, though, it feels like they make the wrong choice, and artists full of potential are sent home from Blind Auditions without a real shot.
Of course paring down the contestants to find the best of the best is the name of the game, but that doesn’t make it less frustrating for fans like myself who would love to see some of these artists get to hone their skills with The Voice’s superstar coaches. As Season 24 begins its Battle Round, let’s take a look back at five singers who I think should have made it through the Blind Auditions.
Jarred Billups
There’s a reason the coaches don’t get to know the potential contestants’ stories before they audition, because I don’t think anyone could have watched music teacher Jarred Billups talk about wanting to inspire his students without then giving him that opportunity. The small-town Alabama singer had some nice runs on Al Green’s “Let’s Stay Together,” but Gwen Stefani and John Legend agreed that he was using them in the wrong spots. That’s something any one of the mentors could have coached him on though, and is that not the point of The Voice? Hopefully Billups shows his students he won’t give up, and we’ll see him again down the road.
Iceberg
This one was a huge surprise for me, as Iceberg showed off a unique tone with her rendition of Death Cab for Cutie’s “I Will Follow You Into the Dark.” Niall Horan even appeared ready to hit his button early into the audition, but in the end he said maybe the piano pulled her focus too much away from her vocal. John Legend also mentioned a lack of enunciation, which can be a pet peeve for the coaches, but I still feel a little bit robbed that we won’t get to see this New York artist go to battle this season.
David Simmons Jr.
I know when it comes to music I should defer to John Legend’s expertise 100% of the time, but I just didn’t hear the shakiness he did in David Simmons Jr.’s take on “Tainted Love.” The 40-year-old from Missouri sounded cool and smooth, and it’s got to be frustrating to the artists when none of the coaches can really give a good reason for not turning. Gwen Stefani seemed to not like his arrangement of the song, and Reba McEntire said she didn’t feel he was the right fit for her team. That’s fair for Reba to say, but not fair at all to the singer who went home before the Battles.
Gillian Smith
Speaking of people who are a fit for Team Reba, Gillian Smith seemed right up the Queen of Country’s alley as she took on Lainey Wilson’s “Heart Like a Truck.” The coaches mentioned some pitch issues, but Niall Horan admitted that wouldn’t have been as big of an issue if there had been a stronger connection to the lyric. Reba McEntire wondered if her pitchiness might be caused by breath control, and I do agree the 20-year-old sounded a bit nervous. But this was another instance where it seemed like the talent was there, just waiting to be molded by someone with experience.
Walking Eagle
Gwen Stefani seemed close to turning for Walking Eagle, and I’m not sure what dissuaded her from doing so, because I thought his rendition of Tears for Fears’ “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” was quite pleasant. “Sweet” was the word that came to mind, and John Legend heard that too, calling it “almost too sweet.” If the coaches had seen Walking Eagle’s smile, though, I think they would have fought over him. Damn these Blind Auditions! I must have a soft spot for music teachers, too, because I loved his story about breaking down stereotypes for his elementary school students.
The fact that there were so many worthy artists who didn’t make it past the Blind Auditions is just indicative of how crazy talented the Season 24 contestants are. Hopefully these artists aren’t too discouraged by their early eliminations and can take the advice they were given by the coaches to continue on their journeys. And who knows? Maybe we’ll see one of these singers return in the future!
New episodes of The Voice air at 8 p.m. ET Mondays and 9 p.m. ET Tuesdays on NBC. Be sure to check out our 2023 TV schedule for all of the upcoming premieres.
