‘The Voice’: Wide Range of Artists Kick Off Season 9

We’re not sure we will have live updates of every blind audition this season, but we’re doing it this week for the premiere.

The first contestant is 24-year-old Mark Hood from Chicago. I say a “little bit” because… well, he was covering Bon Jovi’s “I’ll Be There for You”.

Results: All four chairs turn.

Everyone who knows Barrett Baber of Marion, Arkansas isn’t surprised was able to turn heads, and all four celebrity judge chairs. Shelton compared her to Cyndi Lauper, but Wade said she has idolized Stefani since she was five years old, so she picked Team Gwen. He began singing at 13 years old and earned a scholarship to college. Coaches Blake Shelton, Gwen Stefani, Adam Levine and Pharrell Williams have all returned and we’ve got a few of the awesome audition videos to get you all ready for a whole new round of contestants. Both Stefani and Levine name-dropped Bono in their pitches for Semple. It’s just distracting, and his voice is more than good enough to make up the difference. She picks Pharrell.

No matter what ups and downs Blake is facing in his personal life, he knows he can count on his fellow coaches, like pal Adam Levine, and the contestants on the show to help him keep his bearings. In return, the one and only female coach in the group will do a version of the country singer’s song “Neon Light”. Her choice of Gwen Stefani? He believes that her unique brand of music and her distinct talent on stage will be just what his team needs to excel. She tearfully explains that she wants to turn a chair to show her parents how much they mean to her. Adam even gives him a standing ovation!

“This is like we’re coaching them, we’re trying to make them succeed and do well on a very kind of intimate basis”. Shelton complimented his overall tone but said there were some errors with his technique.

Nadjah Nicole – This 23-year-old single mom had a fantastic look that made her seem like a shoo-in for Teams Gwen or Pharrell, but her cover of Janelle Monae’s “Tightrope” lacked the fire and spunk of the original, and she really brought nothing new to the song. And in terms of my approach for season nine, it’s the same. Gwen was blown away too, but let’s face it, Siahna is this season’s Mia Z, and she’s total Team Pharrell material. He sang “Angel Eyes“, and all four coaches turned nearly immediately.

Next up is a ZZ Top-style veteran and country boy at 66 years of age who hails from Haynesville, NC.