'The Voice': Reba McEntire connects with Dylan Carter after emotional tribute to late mother-DB Wealth Institute B2 Reviews & Ratings
Niall Horan’s heartthrob status has become his not-so-secret weapon on “The Voice.”
Horan was blown away by singer Huntley during the final round of blind auditions Monday night. The Virginia vocalist earned a four-chair turn from Horan and coaches Gwen Stefani, Reba McEntire and John Legend with his raspy tone and soulful cover of “She Talks to Angels” by The Black Crowes.
“You sing your own way. You sing very direct, and (the) power and the control that you have is so beautiful to listen to,” Horan said. “I would like you to go to the battles with me ‘cause you made us feel, and that’s a really important thing.”
The coaches’ praise proved to be an emotional moment for the 33-year-old. “I’ve been waiting a long time for this,” Huntley said.
“It sounds like you’ve been on big stages before, so to look at you and you being so humble and shocked by all of us turning for you is kind of amazing to me,” Legend said. “Your voice sounds so ready. It’s so ready for the world, ready for the radio and truly one of the best voices we’ve heard.”
When it came time to select his coach, Huntley brought out his 6-year-old daughter Stella, who chose her celebrity crush Horan.
“Huntley’s going to go far on this show, but I have to question this 6-year-old’s judgment,” Legend said.
Here’s what else went down on Monday’s episode.
Gwen Stefani warns Brailey Lenderman not to ‘get distracted’ by Niall Horan
On occasion, Horan’s dreamboat magic meets its match.
Singer-songwriter Brailey Lenderman won over Horan and Stefani with her soaring performance of Sheryl Crow’s “If It Makes You Happy.”
“My favorite ones are people who jump at an opportunity to make a moment in their first audition, and to pick a Sheryl Crow song is huge,” Horan said. “I would be so excited to get to work with you.”
Stefani sensed that Lenderman was starstruck by Horan and swooped in with some sisterly advice for the Tennessee vocalist.
“I can see that when you’re talking to Niall, you’re nervous, ‘cause he’s cute and he has an Irish accent,” Stefani told Lenderman. “It’s going to totally throw you off your game. Don’t get distracted by him. Let’s get focused.”
But with her “super hot” husband Tom waiting backstage, Lenderman wasn’t fazed by Stefani’s warning. The 33-year-old chose to join Team Niall.
“She’s right. The husband is a good-looking man,” Horan said after meeting the contestant’s spouse. “They call him ‘Hot Tom.’ ”
Dylan Carter moves Reba McEntire, John Legend to tears with tribute to late mother
South Carolina singer Dylan Carter, whose mother died of a heart blockage, paid tribute to his late parent with an emotional rendition of “I Look to You” by Whitney Houston (a song she requested Carter sing at her funeral). The intimate performance struck a chord with the coaches, earning the 20-year-old a four-chair turn.
“This was the best second chance,” Carter said afterward onstage. “I just made her so proud.”
McEntire, who was visibly choked up by Carter’s audition, praised the singer for his raw emotional delivery.
“I saw (the emotion), I felt it and I heard it when you were singing. That’s the kind of songs that do that to me too,” McEntire said. “I saw you get so emotionally involved, and that’s when you know you’ve got a great song and a great singer, when it touches your heart.”
Carter’s performance was a tearjerker for Legend as well, who applauded the “moving” tribute. “I know your mother is proud of you,” he said.
Carter went with his instincts in the end, opting to join Team Reba.
“Something told me to go with Reba. She could be a comforting mom figure for me,” Carter said. “She’d welcome me in, make me feel confident and show me how to use my voice.”
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