The Voice Recap: A Cocomelon Star Stuns In Night 4 Of Blind Auditions — And Michael Bublé Gets Sweet Revenge
One day after Niall Horan blocked Michael Bublé on The Voice, leaving him "astonished" and "hurt," the Canadian crooner got sweet revenge on Tuesday during Night 4 of the Season 28 Blind Auditions.
Bublé made his power play via the audition of a mustachio'd Oregonian named Austin Gilbert, whose perfectly serviceable performance of Luke Combs' "The Kind of Love We Make" (TVLine grade: B+) was sound and solid. Heck, it was even "great," according to Reba McEntire. But with so many other country artists in the mix, Gilbert was struggling to cut through the noise and separate himself from his competition.
That is, until Horan noticed something "different" in Gilbert's voice, prompting him to turn his chair around. For a minute, it looked like Gilbert was destined to head in Horan's (one) direction, but Bublé had other plans, hitting his own button at the very last second. And guess who Gilbert picked! Spoiler alert: It was the guy without his own pair of McEntire-themed socks. (Speaking of which, can NBC start selling those? They're sitting on a gosh darn gold mine if you ask us.)
In his moment of victory, Bublé referred to Horan as his "archnemesis," while Horan chose to look at the glass half full. "I'm sad I didn't get Austin," he said, "but I'm glad he's on the show." The fact that Bublé's impression of Horan sounded exactly like Mrs. Doubtfire only added insult to injury.
Read on for a breakdown of the other four singers who scored a coach on Tuesday:
Toni Lorene (Team Snoop), "Cuz I Love You" — Grade: A | This voice actress, who happens to star in Cocomelon, one of the biggest educational children's programs in the world, taught us all a lesson with her bold, fearless take on a Lizzo love ballad. She wasted no time, launching her performance with powerful vocals and impressive runs, serving enough attitude to fill the entire studio. Snoop was a fan from the jump, but once Lorene worked her magic on the song's "do-OOO!" high note, Reba couldn't resist entering the fray as well.
Kenny Ike (Team Snoop), "Versace on the Floor" — Grade: A | A former boybander, Ike says that his voice once made a girl faint, but he'd settle for a turn-around or two this time. He instantly charmed the coaches with his velvety smooth R&B sound, then threw them a curveball with a powerful high note, affirming his impressive range. There were moments when Ike's performance felt a little bit like a Bruno Mars impression, but even then, we have nothing bad to say about it.
Leyton Robinson (Team Reba), "Weren't for the Wind" — Grade: A- | The vibes were strong (and very good) with this through-and-through country songstress, whose fantastic higher register fit effortlessly with this Ella Langley tune. If she didn't already have every coach's attention, her mastery of the high note at "every other sunrise" certainly woke them up.
Kirbi (Team Niall), "God Only Knows" — Grade: A- | Soft and sweet, then suddenly bold and bombastic, this Alabama farm girl showed the coaches every color of the rainbow in her emotional, authentic performance of the beautiful For King + Country song, which she dedicated to the memory of her beloved grandmother.
Which of these singers would have gotten you to turn around on Tuesday? Vote for your favorite Blind Auditions below, then drop a comment with more of your thoughts.