Dan + Shay misses out on 'wonderful' country singer on 'The Voice': 'I'm kicking myself''
Two heads are better than one, but Dan + Shay need to climb aboard the same train of thought on “The Voice.”
The country-pop duo blew its chance to nab ace country crooner Rob Cole during the fourth round of blind auditions Tuesday. The North Carolina vocalist delivered a flawless performance of “Must Be Doin’ Somethin Right” by Billy Currington, mesmerizing the studio audience with his soulful rasp and soaring range.
Despite earning kudos from coaches John Legend and Chance the Rapper for his radio-friendly tone, Cole was stupefyingly unable to secure a chair turn on NBC's signing competition.
“I’m looking for something really specific right now,” Chance vaguely told Cole. “You’re a talent, man. I’m looking forward to whatever you record.”
Not even Reba McEntire, the queen of country music, had room for Cole in her musical kingdom. “I’ve already got three male country singers, but you’re wonderful,” she said. “Everything about what you did in that song was great.”
Closing out the audition, Cole received some encouragement from Dan + Shay, who sheepishly confessed they regretted not turning for the 32-year-old.
“This is just one avenue. You clearly are going to go places,” Shay Mooney said. “I’m kicking myself right now.”
Dan Smyers shared his partner’s remorse. “This is the problem with the double-chair, our indecisiveness,” he said. “We were looking back and forth at each other, and we should have hit the button.”
Chance the Rapper confuses coaches by helping John Legend score four-chair singer Mafe
Venezuelan-born singer Mafe beautifully paid tribute to her Latina roots with a bewitching rendition of the bolero standard “Bésame Mucho” by Consuelo Velázquez. The 22-year-old’s warm tone and emotive belting earned her a swift four-chair turn from the coaches.
“Your vocal touched my heart and soul,” McEntire told Mafe. “I think you’re a beautiful woman with a beautiful ability to touch people’s hearts, and I would love to have you on Team Reba.”
Mafe also received her well-deserved flowers from the other coaches: Smyers called her “one of the greatest singers I’ve ever heard in my life.” Legend quickly leveraged his connections to the Latin music world to forge a bilingual kinship with Mafe.
“I’ve collaborated with quite a few Spanish artists – Sebastián Yatra and Juanes – and I just feel like we could have a lot of fun working on music together,” Legend said. “So, I would love to have you on Team Leyenda.”
In a surprise move, Chance encouraged Mafe to choose Legend as her coach. “I really, really, really want you on my team, but I think you would do exceptionally well if you were on John’s team,” he said. “I’m just being honest.”
Chance’s glib vouching for Legend threw his fellow coaches for a loop. “Is this reverse psychology?” Mooney jokingly asked.
It looks as if Chance is becoming the mastermind of “The Voice”: Mafe joined Team Legend. “I feel like he’s building up an IOU bank here,” Legend said afterward.
“I kind of got John in my back pocket now,” said Chance in a post-audition interview. “It’s a long game.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'The Voice': Dan + Shay drops the ball with country crooner Rob Cole
