For whatever reason, country music seems to be a pretty divisive genre on The Voice.
As a genre in general, country tends to be polarizing: people either love it or they hate it. On the other hand, within the context of The Voice in particular, it’s also a key genre in terms of strategy because judge Blake Shelton specializes in it… and Shelton has won more seasons of the show than any other judge!
Because of that, many of the other judges have to jump in on country artists no matter what, if only to block Shelton.
Still, sometimes an artist is so good that he manages to convince everyone on his own merits as well.
That was definitely the case with one recent audition.
As fans of the show probably know, all the auditions start more or less the same way. The Voice does all of its performances as “blind auditions,” meaning the judges have their backs turned to the contestants so they can focus only on their voices while they sing without getting distracted.
As an added bonus, it also provides an element of surprise when there’s a reveal! As this one started, it was no different: it all began with some country guitar and a raspy, soulful voice.
Almost immediately, the judges were looking to Shelton to hit his buzzer and turn around.
Though nobody turns right away, the singer keeps going until he hits a big chorus.
Right as he does, his voice soars into a higher register just as clear as it was before. At that exact moment, Shelton, Kelly Clarkson and John Legend all hit their buzzers to turn at the exact same time!
Though it goes without saying, the crowd goes crazy and the singer’s family can’t believe it. Still, judge Adam Levine holds out… though he has a huge smile on his face the whole time.
As it continues, the singer’s voice soars and soars again—and Levine hits his buzzer at the last second.
Although it doesn’t happen all too often, he successfully managed to turn all four judges around with a country song!
When it’s all said and done, the performer introduces himself as Dexter Roberts from Alabama. After that, the judges go down the line and tell him how much they loved his performance.
First up is Legend, who says that his huge notes at the end moved everyone. After that, Levine tries out some reverse psychology to try to sway Roberts. Moving down the line, Clarkson makes an impassioned pitch about strategy. Finally, Shelton makes a basic down the line pitch that he’s a country expert.
Still, Shelton’s final point has all the judges up in arms.
At the end, Shelton tries to hammer his point home one more time.
When it’s finally done, it’s time for Roberts to make a decision. Although everybody made incredible pitches… Roberts ends up on Shelton’s team after all! Though it’s a little discouraging to always see country artists go down the country line on this show, it’s hard to deny that it makes the most sense for them. At the end of the day, we’re just hoping to see more great things from Roberts in the future.
Congratulations to Dexter Roberts on his impressive four-chair turn! Watch the full audition below:
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
