The Voice recap: Has 'Queen Kelly' found her new champion?

The blind auditions continue tonight on The Voice, and as the four teams start to collect their subjects, the self-proclaimed “Queen” Kelly Clarkson pulls out a literal crown to signify her intent to continue her reign as The Voice‘s coaching champion again this season. However, her majesty’s night doesn’t go completely to plan as she tries to lure some country recruits away from the true Voice liege, Blake Shelton, and fails miserably on more than one occasion.

On the other hand, she does have a little luck courting some contestants who could still very well make it to the finals, so don’t count her out for the throne just yet.

Let’s take a look at who joins Team Kelly and the rest of the teams in round three.

Dave Fenley (39 – Nashville, TN)
“Help Me Hold On” by Travis Tritt

Clarkson may want a country music artist “like a fat kid wants cake” (her words), but after 14 seasons of striking out, Adam Levine has finally wisened up about even trying to go for guys like Dave Fenley here. And he’s right to save his energy because this country crooner has basically been instructed by his mother to hop on the Team Blake train if he can, and southern gents never disobey their mamas on national TV. Although Kelly enthusiastically tamps her button before the first verse of his controlled take on this classic country ballad is done, the singer and Blake speak the same language as they praise the song’s originator for his skills as a “balladeer.”

No matter the coach, though, there’s a lot to like about Dave’s performance here tonight, from his subtle crescendo to the big hook to his deep and raw rasp in the outro to his all-around good attitude. The fact that he can beatbox on the fly, just for fun, means he’s probably got even more to show for himself in the coming weeks.

Team: Blake Shelton.

Steve Memmolo (35 – Boston, MA)
“Spooky” by Dusty Springfield

Some artists come on this show and blow the coaches away from the first lyric, while others take a second or two to calm down and get in a groove. Steve Memmolo belongs in the latter category because when he first begins to belt this seasonal favorite, it’s whispery and generic and mostly forgettable.

About halfway through, though, he starts to find his rhythm and spices things up with some brassy tones and even a few Michael Jackson-esque squeals. Those are enough to catch Adam Levine’s attention — he’s always a sucker for a high note — although the coach does want him to steer clear of being too cute and schmoozy with his stage swagger (confidence which is owed, no doubt, to all the comparisons of his looks to Ben Affleck’s). We’ll see how that works out, but for now … points for him coming out with a creative number we don’t always hear here.

Team: Adam Levine.

Audri Bartholomew (19 – St. Louis, MO)
“Never Enough” from The Greatest Showman

Apart from all the shoe-throwing stuff, it’s the ultimate sign of respect when Jennifer Hudson decides she wants to duet with a budding artist. Considering Audri Bartholomew comes in with a bustling diva voice to match a show tune, it’s no wonder JHud doesn’t even want to break stride with a different song as she takes the stage with her new recruit. This is a “big song,” as the coaches note, and Jennifer is impressed that Audri has the guts to try it.

As for the delivery, well, there are certainly some rough edges that need to be polished out. Audri has plenty of power, but the pitch isn’t always perfect. If there’s anyone who knows how to draw out the soul of a singer and leave the rest on the road, it’s Hudson, which is probably why no one else even bothered to turn for this girl.

Team: Jennifer Hudson.

Rachel Messer (19 – Fort Gay, WV)
“I Want to Be a Cowboy’s Sweetheart” by Patsy Montana

There’s country, and then there’s country, and Rachel Messer is about as downhome a sweetheart as they come. To hear her talk about living on hollers and raising chickens and playing the mandolin while her grandpa strums the banjo, well, it’s clear even Blake Shelton isn’t as twangy as this’un.

The good news for her is that her yodel-and-sashay style seems to really work for both Kelly and Blake, especially since she can keep pace with this uptempo old school number. The better news is that her head-to-toe denim makes her a perfect match for Blake Shelton. The best news is Kelly has already given her some solid free advice anyway about out what her next move should be, suggesting the gal take on a Patsy Cline number for the battle rounds, and YEP. She so should. Those sharp southern tones would be a sublime match for a slower piece from Cline’s repertoire and could help show off some sophistication we haven’t seen from her tonight.

Team: Blake Shelton.

Brent Morgan (30 – Madison, AL)
“Feel It Still” by Portugal. The Man

Brent Morgan has made a career out of writing and performing jingles for commercial brands, but he still somehow manages to erase all the catchiest earworm moments of this tune during his performance. That’s not to say it’s a bad performance — he’s still got some serious groove sprinkled into his pop-rock vocal — but there’s a subdued quality to the showcase that seems to have the coaches hesitating tonight. Since he literally makes a living capturing people’s attention with memorable song moments, you think he’d know better than to offer an arrangement that takes out all the snappiest beats. Womp.

Team: N/A.

Chevel Shepherd (16 – Farmington, NM)
“If I Die Young” by The Band Perry

There’ve been a lot of teenagers to come and go on this show, but have any had quite as much sass and self-confidence as this little lady? By little, I mean little; she’s 4’10”, but every inch is built with the same steel as the car she’s named after, and it’s hard not to dig her moxie.

That same confidence comes through on the stage because she powers through some obvious nerves and delivers a range review that’s impressive. At the same time, her tones are sweet, and there’s a bit of gravel to her sound to keep it interesting. She sounds a bit like Jessica Andrews or Amanda Wilkinson of the late ’90s/early aughts country singer scene, and if she’s able to hone in on all that note control and deliver something just a bit cleaner next time, she might do big things here. Kelly Clarkson is definitely delighted to snag this country singer from Blake’s clutches, so you know she’ll get some special attention from her coach, too.

Team: Kelly Clarkson.

Bryan Cherry (28 – Woodbridge, VA)
“Nothing Can Change This Love” by Sam Cooke

Sometimes a singer can have an alluring voice and still not be quite as cohesive as he or she needs to be to advance through this stage of the competition. Unfortunately, it seems that is the case for Bryan Cherry. He’s got a lot of good things happening with his vocals — there’s some old school groove and a few choice growls that get the coaches’ eyebrows raising and doubting their decisions not to turn. However, there’s just too much inconsistency and self-doubt on display throughout the performance, and ultimately, all four red chairs stay put this time.

Team: N/A.

Delaney Silvernell (21 – Los Angeles, CA)
“In My Blood” by Shawn Mendes

Well, well, well, look who finally found her mini-me. Or is Delaney Silvernell here actually bigger than Kelly Clarkson? In either case, they’ve got a lot in common because, like Kelly in her earliest days, Delaney has a voice that, while a touch ordinary and raspy in parts, packs a lot of power on the big notes. Besides, that journeywoman appeal has been part of what makes Kelly’s cover performances so famous, right? So, maybe Delaney will arrive with the same chameleonic quality as her coach. If not, she’s a shoo-in for the next season of Netflix’s GLOW — she is an actual female wrestler, which means she’s probably not going to give up on the fame game without a fight.

Team: Kelly Clarkson.

Anthony Arya (15 – Santa Cruz, CA)
“Danny’s Song” by Loggins & Messina

Some kids just seem to have an old soul, and that’s the case for young Anthony Arya here, whose catalog of influences reads like Adam Levine’s go-to throwback playlist, this song included. Anthony’s got a sweet, soft measurement to his tones, and like Kenny Loggins before him, is very pleasing to listen to all around, even if not completely unique. There’s a lot of room in the soft rock genre for him to coast around in if he keeps it this smooth going forward, so he could easily find himself a crowd favorite, especially if he eventually breaks out of the safe zone.

Team: Adam Levine.

Natasha Greycloud (29 – Nashville, TN)
“I’m Not the Only One” by Sam Smith

Like his audial doppelganger Adele, Sam Smith’s songs are pretty hard to cover, so it’s an especially bold choice when female singer Natasha Greycloud decides to give one of Smith’s most memorable numbers a whirl for her audition. Expectably, she seems to bump into the bottom of her range again and again throughout, but when she abandons the effort to hit those ultra-low notes and instead bursts through with some top range surprises, Kelly and Jennifer are both intrigued. Her voice is hearty and promising enough that both women are interested in molding her music, and they both think the other is capable of helping her along, too. It’s literally a win-win for Natasha, and in the end, she chooses JHud Productions because it’s probably the better fit for her to find the kind of rhythmic mood pieces she seems to like so well.

Team: Jennifer Hudson.

Lynnea Moorer (18 – Monterey, CA)
“Location” by Khalid

There’s a lot of heart in Lynnea Moorer’s performance, but it’s just not enough. Her pop-soul quality is surely intriguing in spots — particularly when she gets comfortable in her full voice — but she’s got some serious pitch problems, which Hudson attributes at least in part to song selection. Indeed, when she asks her to try something else on for size — Adele’s “Someone Like You” — things start to sound a whole lot crisper, with her strengths far exceeding any weak spots we might’ve heard earlier. For that reason, she’s selected to become the night’s comeback artist and will get another stab at this thing yet.

Team: N/A.

Kymberli Joye (26 – Windsor, CT)
“Run to You” by Whitney Houston

As has become custom this season, the show has saved the best for last with Kymberli Joye coming in to blow the whole house down with her rendition of this power ballad. She may be known for her gospel music and for singing backup for Childish Gambino and such, but she could just as easily be a full-time Whitney Houston cover artist for how mightily she handles the task.

Her voice is so full and rich that it makes her ascent to those astronomical notes even more fun to listen to — it’s not about if she can hit them, it’s about how hard she’ll do it. Now, I got burned believing that Kyla Jade could take the title last season, but it’s hard not to imagine Kymberli Joye going far if she’s able to keep up this kinda magic. Who can beat someone who can capably emulate such a legend like her? (P.S.: Way to save the block for the opportune time, Kels.)

Team: Kelly Clarkson.

TEAM STANDINGS:

Adam Levine – Tyke James, Radha, DeAndre Nico, Steve Memmolo, Anthony Arya.

Blake Shelton – Mercedes Ferreira-Dias, Kameron Marlowe, Keith Paluso, Michael Lee, Dave Fenley, Rachel Messer.

Kelly Clarkson – Sarah Grace, Mikele Buck, Claire DeJean, Chevel Shepherd, Delaney Silvernell, Kymberli Joye.

Jennifer Hudson – Tyshawn Colquitt, Patrique Fortson, Kennedy Holmes, Franc West, Audri Bartholomew, Natasha Greycloud.