The Voice Season 28 Premiere Recap: Did Carson Daly Save The Right Singer?

Well, that was a first: Monday's Season 28 premiere of The Voice turned the power over to Carson Daly, offering him a chance to save one overlooked contestant via the magic of the "Carson Callback Card." As a wise superhero once said, with great power comes great responsibility, so did the host use his new ability wisely?

The lucky recipient of this first-of-its-kind save was 25-year-old Ryan Mitchell, whose unique vocals on Cage the Elephants' "Cigarette Daydreams" were impressive... but not quite what the coaches were looking for. Carson, however, felt otherwise.

"We rarely get a cool alt-rock artist like you on the show anymore," he told Ryan. "Twenty-eight seasons, I see coaches let great singers like you fall through the cracks sometimes, and I've never been able to do anything about it. Until right now." With that, Ryan received the first-ever "Carson Callback Card," granting him 24 hours to prepare a new song with which to re-audition for the coaches.

While we ponder whether Carson made the right call, let's break down the nine lucky contestants who did make this season's coaches — Michael Bublé, Niall Horan, Reba McEntire and Snoop Dogg — turn their chairs around during Monday's premiere:

Aiden Ross (Team Niall), "Love in the Dark" — Grade: A | Niall looked like a kid in a candy store during the season's first audition, in which this 20-year-old farm boy made an Adele song sound like he wrote it himself. The coaches were instantly charmed by his smooth, effortless tone — and that was before he hit the chorus, effortlessly nailing soaring high notes with pitch-perfect precision.

Mindy Miller (Team Snoop), "Wildflowers" — Grade: B+ | Once this hard-working single mother shook off the nerves of her big audition, there was no stopping her. After a good-but-not-great start, she loosened up and released the country beast within, and all four coaches were soon rocking out to her authentic country sound. Had Snoop not blocked Reba, we're pretty sure Mindy would have chosen her, but now we're curious to see where D-O-Double-G takes her in the competition.

Max Chambers (Team Bublé), "ABC" — Grade: A- | The only thing more impressive than this 14-year-old's vocals was the feel-good vibe he emitted with every note (and every step). Of course, his talent should come as no real surprise, considering he played young Michael Jackson in Broadway's MJ the Musical.

Manny Costello (Team Reba), "Almost Home" — Grade: A- | This proud girl dad says he watches "the Reba show" with his daughters (Reba or Happy's Place? Perhaps Malibu Country?), and he developed an instant connection with the country queen via his performance of this Craig Morgan track. His solid country sound made Reba "homesick," and even brought her to tears.

DEK of Harts (Team Niall), "Heads Carolina, Tails California" — Grade: A | Reba couldn't have turned her chair around quickly enough for this country trio, whose tight harmonies had all of the coaches in shock. Snoop even said their performance gave him "the country holy ghost." The only thing we're struggling to wrap our heads around is why they chose Niall over Reba, which even the former One Directioner couldn't quite believe.

Peyton Kyle (Team Reba), "Talking to the Moon" — Grade: A- | The coaches were entranced by the soft, soulful start to Peyton's performance of this Bruno Mars classic, never expecting the wave of sound that he was about to drown them in. Given how impressive this audition was, you'd never know that Peyton's appendix ruptured just three days prior.

Ralph Edwards (Team Snoop), "Lights" — Grade: A | What's that old saying, 12th time's the charm? Well, it certainly was for Ralph, who apparently auditioned for The Voice 11 (!) times before finally getting his moment in the spotlight — And what a moment it was. He absolutely owned this Journey classic, displaying a strength and confidence that most singers would kill for. Rock on, Ralph.

Jack Austin (Team Niall), "This Town" — Grade: A- | Singing one of Niall's songs in front of him was a nerve-wracking experience for this 21-year-old musical theater student, but you'd have never known it from his audition. Jack did an especially excellent job of conveying the emotions of the song without getting too theatrical about it, all the while keeping his beautiful voice and impressive range on full display. Niall was so impressed by some of his melodic choices, he couldn't resist asking for a duet.

Jazz McKenzie (Team Bublé), "What's Love Got to Do With It" — Grade: A | A strong finish to Monday's premiere, this 31-year-old cell phone saleswoman brought the rasp, the soul and the energy required to properly do Tina Turner justice. Snoop probably would have tried to snatch her up, had Reba not blocked him — but did anyone expect her to end up choosing Bublé?

Which singers had your favorite auditions from Monday's premiere? Was Ryan the right recipient of the "Carson Callback Card," or would you have saved it for someone else? And how do you feel about the chemistry between this season's crop of coaches? Drop a comment with your thoughts below.