Changing The Voice: The Quick Fix That Needs To Be Made Ahead Of Season 28

As much as anyone, I know that we don't really want The Voice to change a whole lot. We nom nom on NBC's long-running sing-off like the comfort food that it is, over and over again picking our favorite contestants, only to as often as not watch them get eliminated before the winner is revealed. We're used to it, and, in a twisty way, we like being used to it. In uncertain times, it is a reassuring constant. But...

And you bet there's a "but." That doesn't mean that there isn't room for improvement. In Season 27, it hit me like a ton of bricks when country star Kelsea Ballerini joined the coaching panel. What the show needs is more personalities like hers. She's not only sharp and fun, she gives a s—t.

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That's not to say that veteran coaches Adam Levine and John Legend don't care, or that Michael Bublé in his second go-round doesn't. It just feels as if their enthusiasm has waned, whereas Ballerini... she's a bottle rocket in a red swivel chair. If she's faking her investment, she's the freakin' Meryl Streep of reality competitions. I 100-percent buy what she's selling.

So who should join her on the coaching panel in Season 28 (assuming, and here's hoping, she returns)? Glad you asked. I actually have a few ideas about that. Keep scrolling and see if you agree with my picks.

Obviously, pop's It girl would be the "get" of the millennium for the show. Not only is she hugely popular, she's crazy charismatic, witty as hell and as down-to-earth as the pavement. And her addition to the coaching panel isn't entirely out of the question, considering that she's already appeared on the show as an adviser (to Usher in Season 4) and Mega Mentor (in Seasons 7 and 17).

The rapper/singer on The Voice? To quote one of his own hits, that's what I want. The Grammy winner is funny and real, and his origin story has a lot more in common with that of most contestants than, say, Levine's. (His father founded the retail chain M.) Plus, Lil Nas X's presence on the panel might do what Chance the Rapper and Snoop Dogg's didn't, and give song selections a new flavor.

It took the then-future Glinda a minute to get her bearings as a coach in Season 21. But once she relaxed into her role, I never wanted her to leave. She was adorable — or as Reba McEntire would put it, cute as a button. On top of that, the "Dangerous Woman" singer's laser focus on technical excellence made her not just an exceedingly appealing red-chair newbie, one whose input was exceedingly valuable. My one concern? Did she care too much? 

Hilarious, irreverent and likely the smartest person in the room, no matter how massive the arena, the Grammy winner would make us, ahem, rush to the couch to watch him court and then coach wannabe hims on The Voice. And as far as I've seen, the "One of Our Girls" singer is incapable of phoning it in. You could put a cell in his hand, and he still couldn't. He can't help but be present.

With her star not only on the rise but meteorically on the rise, she's probably as long a shot to join The Voice as Grande is to return to it. But we'd be remiss if we didn't suggest her as an ideal coach, especially after bearing witness to the warmth, class and wisdom that she brought to bear in Season 27 as buddy Bublé's Battles adviser. Even if the show couldn't keep her for long, damn, it'd be great if it could have her at all!