Heading into tonight’s Blind Auditions on The Voice, Pharrell Williams led the coaches with five artists, followed by Christina Aguilera and Blake Shelton with four each, and Adam Levine trailing behind with only three singers on his team so far.
Kelsie May gets part three of the Blind Auditions started, and despite only being a sophomore in high school, she throws things back with Loretta Lynn’s “You’re Looking At Country.” The coaches all seem to be mulling her over for the first 20 seconds, and Shelton is the first to press his button, but he’s followed shortly by Aguilera and Pharrell. She’s a true country girl, and even though Aguilera makes a compelling argument, May makes the obvious choice and goes with Shelton, becoming the first female country singer on his team this season.
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Shelton is also the first to turn for Kimberly Nichole, who rocks out with Ike & Tina Turner’s “Nutbush City Limits.” He’s almost Nichole’s coach by default, but when she hits her final run, Pharrell joins him at the last second. Nichole asks Shelton what he can do for her as a singer with a soulful voice who also likes to sing rock. After a fairly unimpressive answer, she goes with Pharrell.
Feeling unfulfilled by medical school, Michael Leier comes to The Voice hoping to make music his career, singing “Last Kiss” by Pearl Jam. Levine turns first, joined in the final seconds by Shelton who can’t seem to avoid a fight. Levine and Shelton duke it out, both drawing attention to the uniqueness of Leier’s voice, but he ultimately picks Levine.
Hannah Ellis auditions with “This One’s For The Girls” by Martina McBride, but unfortunately sings a little sharp, letting her nerves get the best of her. She doesn’t turn any chairs, but she gets a consolation hug from Pharrell. Mark Lum, Sara Schulman, and Sam King also fail to turn any chairs.
Travis Ewing shakes things up with his own arrangement of “Say My Name” by Destiny’s Child. He slows the pop hit down and really gives it his own spin. To no one’s surprise, Aguilera turns almost immediately, recognizing a potential pop star when she hears one. Shelton and Pharrell join her, also impressed by the original rendition of the song. In a surprise decision — because Aguilera really does seem like the obvious choice — he goes with Pharrell.
The coaches take a quick break and let Levine take the stage with Elton John’s “Tiny Dancer.” He jokingly picks Team Christina, because hey, it’s not like he was ever going to choose Shelton.
Even though she misses a few notes, Sonic — who’s deaf in her right ear — impresses the coaches with “Money On My Mind” by Sam Smith. She’s the first artist of the night to join Team Christina.
Ella Khorov sings “I Can’t Stand The Rain” by Ann Peebles, and even though Aguilera thinks she has potential, there are just too many cracks in her performance to turn any chairs.
“I love Christina Aguilera,” Jacob Rummell says in his testimonial before auditioning with “Count On Me” by Bruno Mars. Aguilera, unfortunately, doesn’t turn for him. But Shelton and Levine do, and even though Levine provides a clear vision of his plan for Rummell, he joins Team Blake.
The former executive chef at at the Hollywood Improv, Barry Minniefield comes to the Blind Auditions with a lot of experience under his belt. He sings “Me and Mrs. Jones,” and at the last second, Levine turns, so Minniefield joins Team Adam by default.
As the last artist of the night, India Carney, has all the coaches fighting for her. Her training in classical music gives her a lot of control over the huge vocals on “New York State Of Mind” by Billy Joel. Aguilera turns first, followed by Shelton, and then rounding out the perfect four-chair turn with Levine and Pharrell. “When you started singing, I fell in love with your voice,” Shelton says. Everyone gives their most passionate speeches of the night, but Carney ultimately goes with Team Christina.
Tomorrow night is the last night for the Blind Auditions and the the coaches’ last chance to round out their teams. Who do you think has the advantage right now?
This article originally appeared in THR.com.