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The Voice UK Series 3: Blind Auditions 6
18 February, 2014 8:13 PM
Published by Kevin Mc Stravock
We're almost there, it's the penultimate blind auditions show tonight and so the coaches aren't too far away from filling their teams. As even more talent competes for a spot in the next round including a musical star, two brothers and a burlesque dancer, which voices will get the coaches in a spin tonight?
Recap and videos after the JUMP...
Emily Adams - 'I'd Rather Go Blind' by Etta James - 1/4 - Joins Team Ricky
Blackpool teenager Emily's father runs a B & B, she says that he is a little bit like Basil Fawlty at times but she helps him out with the running of the place even though her true dreams lie with music. She has a really good voice, the song has been sang a lot of times before on these sorts of shows but she has a very good tone to her voice and gives a strong performance of the song. Emily does a good job, a very good job, I'm surprised that Ricky is the only coach who turns for Emily.
John Rafferty - 'Country Roads' by John Denver - No Turn
Northern Ireland based John Rafferty used to be a Garth Brooks impersonator who toured around the country singing the country crooner's famous songs. He gave it up but wants another crack at making it in the music industry with his audition today. He sings the song technically fine but there's nothing special about the way he sings it. It's quite a standard cover of the song and he doesn't really deliver the emotion of the original. Tom enjoyed the performance but as Will says, it felt like he was reading the lyrics as there was no emotional connection.
Talia Smith - 'Hell On Heels' by The Pistol Annies - 1/4 - Join Team Tom
Talia is a big fan of country music, she is picking a country song for her audition. It's not a bad performance, a little pitchy perhaps but overall pretty solid. She can sing but I'm not wowed by the song choice or indeed by her vocals. Tom turns around for Talia, he doesn't think it was perfect but he liked her audition.
Shenton Dixon - 'Ain't No Stopping Us Now' by McFadden and Whitehead - No Turn
Shenton is the older of two siblings who are auditioning today. Unlike his younger brother Bizzi, he hasn't had any chart success but he has toured around as an impersonator, first as Barry White before branching out into Stevie Wonder and bizarrely, Elvis Presley. He's hoping that he will be able to show Shenton rather than any of the famous singers he pays tribute to in his shows. He starts off with a dodgy note and sadly, although it's not a bad performance, it is littered with mistakes. Whether nerves got the better of him or it was a poor song selection, Shenton doesn't manage to get any of the coaches to turn. I feel like perhaps his style is quite dated so that was always likely to divide people and unfortunately, his vocals let him down a bit.
Bizzi Dixon - 'Use Somebody' by Kings Of Leon - 2/4 - Joins Team Tom
Bizzi is the younger brother of Shenton who was rejected by the coaches just a few minutes ago. He has had a bit of success having been signed in the 90's and recorded a few songs. However, as has happened to many's an artist, only too soon the rug was removed from underneath his feet and he was dropped. He, like his brother doesn't get off to the best of starts, he sounds too low in the opening line but he manages to get better as the song goes along. It's not perfect by any means, there are a few pitch issues but nothing a bit of training can't fix and whilst I wouldn't have picked this song for his voice, he really builds on the emotion of the track. Kylie and Tom both turn around for Bizzi, Tom hasn't got any guys in his team and it seems that Bizzi decides that Tom needs a bit of a masculine influence as he joins the squad.
Nathan Amzi - 'Gravity' by Sara Bareilles - 1/4 - Joins Team Ricky
From the short snippet of what we see from West-End performer Nathan Amzi, I am surprised to see him getting through. That's not to say that he is bad, anything but, I just don't think his audition was particularly stand out. I love the song choice and the emotion he delivers is wonderful but if anything, he gives a bit too much emotion. It sounds a little like a musical theatre performance which is to be expected I suppose given his roots. I do like the hints of an edge to his voice that we hear and Ricky could dwork wonders with him.
Kiki De Ville - 'Stone Cold Sober' by Paloma Faith - 1/4 - Joins Team Will
Kiki is a burlesque singer, just like Nathan you can tell almost immediately as she has a very expressive way of singing. It's not necessarily a bad thing but it does feel a little bit too much at times? She sings the song well, if a bit too much like Paloma but I can't help but feel a little bit neutral to the whole performance. Will has a really strong team and I feel like Kiki might just get lost in the sea of standout singers.
Callum Crowley - 'Climax' by Usher - 3/4 - Joins Team Will
Callum is a primary school worker, he says that he and his brother are totally different, his brother is very sporty and he is more into the arts, drama and music in particular. He's hoping to make a career out of singing just like everyone else who is auditioning and hopes the blind audition can help him achieve that. His vocals are good, he definitely has a lot of power and his projection is pretty strong but for me, the song goes from falsetto to vibrato to vocal trick to other vocal trick and feels a bit too much like vocal gymnastics for my liking. There's no denying that he is a good singer, I just think simplicity isn't always a bad thing when it comes to songs. However, he definitely gets the crowd going and it's almost a full turn with Tom pressing his button a few seconds too late. Callum chooses Will.
Marc William - 'Whole Lotta Love' by Led Zeppelin - No Turn
Marc is a graduate of Italia Conti, a very prestigious arts college which he attended alongside Pixie Lott. He is just like a few of the other acts tonight in that he has a very good voice but doesn't really know how to use it, namely, he picks the wrong song. This song needs someone who has a really gritty tone to their voice and although his falsetto is impressive, I feel like it lacks a 'wow' moment. There are a few parts in the song where it feels like it's going somewhere then he doesn't really follow it up. Marc is sent home but Will encourages him telling him that he almost turned for him.
Paul Raj - 'Fine China' by Chris Brown - No Turn
Paul is very much like Marc, he too has attended a prestigious college, namely the Brit School whose alumni include Katy B, Adele and The Voice UK's very own Jessie J. He has seen the success that some of his classmates have went on to have and understandably, wants to be able to equal them. It's frustrating because nobody who auditions is a genuinely bad singer but in cases like this, nerves often have a part to play. I'm not a fan of the song choice for starters, there are better Chris Brown songs to show off his voice and sadly, he is nervous and as a result there are a few minor pitch problems. Nothing majorly bad, it's just not an outstanding performance and as a result, Paul doesn't get any of the coaches turning for him.
Amrick Channa - 'Pride (A Deeper Love)' by C & C Music Factory - No Turn
Amrick is a singing sihkh who likes to party. Possibly the best one sentence summing up of a Voice contestant ever, no? Anyway, Amrick gives a fairly bizarre performance, his cover of 'Pride (A Deeper Love)' definitely isn't the most conventional Voice performance I've seen nor is it the best. His vocals aren't superb and the song choice doesn't do him any favours. None of the coaches turn nor would I have turned to be brutally honest. Amrick isn't in the luck this time, perhaps he'll make it second time around if he reauditions.
Jazz Bates-Chambers - 'Crazy' by Gnarls Barkley - 1/4 - Joins Team Ricky
Bubbly teenager Jazz Bates-Chambers describes herself as a typical girly girl. She takes on a quirky arrangement of this classic song and I absolutely love it. She has such an intriguing bluesy tone and the arrangement of the song lends itself beautifully to her extremely impressive voice. I'm very impressed by Jazz's performance, she does a brilliant job and I fully expect to see her going far in the competition, the only real shock is that more of the coaches didn't turn around. For me this is one of the best auditions so far, she didn't just take the song and sing it, she gave it a twist but backed it up with very strong vocals. Jazz joins Team Ricky, they could be a killer combination as I have a feeling that Ricky will be a hands-on coach.
Amelia O'Connell - 'First Time (Ever I Saw Your Face)' by Roberta Flack - 3/4 - Joins Team Kylie
Scouser Amelia has a tenuous link to the panel, her father is a very successful Sir Tom Jones impersonator, he is currently touring as Tom Jones somewhere so couldn't be there to support his daughter. Amelia has always been interested in singing, her mother recounts when she had to have a serious heart operation as a child and the first thing she mentioned after waking up was about singing. She's taking on a massive song and thankfully nailing it. I love her vocals, they're rich and very strong on the various high notes in the song. Her connection with the song is faultless, a really strong audition, her and Jazz will go far. She has her pick of all the coaches bar Will but decides that Kylie is the best coach for her.
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The Voice UK,
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