‘The Voice': Country Hopeful Wows Coaches With Twanged-Up Rolling Stones Cover
Night Five of the Blind Auditions on The Voice Season 16 rolled right in on Monday (March 11), and viewers were treated to watching coaches Adam Levine, Blake Shelton, Kelly Clarkson, and John Legend put finishing touches on their growing teams.
Country was well represented this evening, with the first ambassador putting forth a fantastic mix—choosing a classic rock song, but giving it a totally Southern twang.
Andrew Sevener, 22, from Alvarado, Texas, explained that he's been playing music for a long time—and with some bandmates he knows very well; namely, his folks!
"I live in a very, very small town. The only big thing that goes through there is the freeway," related Sevener. His interest in music started early: "I asked my dad if he could teach me how to play guitar around fifth grade....Yeah, just went on from there."
He, his dad, and his mom decided to start a band together when Sevener was around 15. "Playing in a band with my parents is fun," he said. "I've learned so much from them, but I'm trying to get my solo thing going.
It hasn't been easy juggling everything: "I have a day job—I'm a motor-home tech and motor-home specialist. And there's times where I'm playing seven gigs a week," he noted. "It's a lot of work, but if that's what I got to do to make my dreams come true, then that's what I got to do."
Sevener brought it, and then some, to the stage, choosing the well-loved Rolling Stones hit "Honky Tonk Women." He imbued the rock 'n' roll song with plenty of whisky-soaked, good-time feeling, causing all four coaches to groove in their seats. The only one who turned, however, was Shelton.
"What are y'all laying down over there for?" hollered Shelton, once he'd realized he was the sole turn. Legend dryly offered, "We're intimidated by you, Blake."
Indeed, Sevener did seem to be suited just too completely for Shelton's team, although Clarkson did rave over their shared Texas heritage and admitted, "Hey, I'll tell you right now why I didn't turn around. I'm tired of country artists just laughing in my face and choosing Blake."
"I loved the rougher sound of his voice, the growly sound," Shelton approved, with Clarkson agreeing and noting that he sounded a lot like Pryor Baird from Season 14.
Tune in weekly as we follow the Voice team builds, with a focus on country music offerings!
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