Memphians have advanced to Knockout Rounds on ‘The Voice’
Two Memphis-area contestants will compete in the Knockout Rounds on NBC’s “The Voice.”
Keith Paluso, a Germantown park ranger, and Reagan Strange, Miss Germantown’s Outstanding Teen, will both advance after the Battle Rounds.
The third episode of the Battle Rounds aired Monday. In the Battle Rounds, contestants are paired up to sing a duet. The coach then chooses one person from the duet to advance.
The Knockout Rounds are pre-recorded, and will begin airing at 7 p.m. on Oct. 29. They continue Oct. 30 and Nov. 5. In the Knockouts, contestants are paired up, but each sings his or her own song as the other watches from the corner of the stage. The coach then chooses a winner from the two. Those who advance move on to the live shows, where viewers then choose the winners by voting.
Keith Paluso
In the Battle Rounds, coach Blake Shelton put Paluso against Dave Fenley, a singer and songwriter out of Nashville.
“I paired Dave and Keith together because they both have this edgy almost rugged sound to their singing,” Shelton said. “Let’s face it. I only need one of those type of singers on my team.”
While the two practiced their assigned song, “One Woman Man” by George Jones, they were critiqued by their coach, along with guest coach Keith Urban.
“This song plays into my life,” Paluso said. “My wife and I have a very strong wonderful relationship.”
Urban liked Paluso’s unique voice.
“There’s a sensitivity about Keith that I actually liked,” Urban said. “The little bit of introversion is interesting to me.”
“Keith’s voice sneaks up on you,” Shelton said. “You don’t realize how rangy this guy is because he has a softer voice.”
In rehearsals Paluso said the experience was “unreal.”
“It’s so far from where I came from,” he said.
Before Shelton chose the winner of the battle, coach Jennifer Hudson complimented both men’s voices and ranges.
Coach Kelly Clarkson said it was a “raw and organic performance” that she could envision in the Grand Ole Opry.
“That was amazing,” Paluso said, adding it “validated” and “solidified” his decision to pursue his musical talent.
“You can fit in a lot of different places (music styles),” coach Adam Levine said to Paluso before Shelton chose the battle winner. “I’m very taken by you.”
After Shelton chose Fenley, host Carson Daly reminded the other coaches that Paluso was available to steal.
As Paluso began to thank Shelton, Levine, who was blocked by Shelton in Paluso’s blind audition, picked up the park ranger.
“Hey, Keith,” Levine said. “Let’s go do it.”
Paluso has sung for years as a hobby, but now he will advance to the Knockout Rounds on Team Adam.
“With him being available, how am I not picking Keith?” Levine said. “Duh.”
Paluso also expressed excitement about his new coach.
“To have an opportunity to learn from two different coaches, it’s just continuing one of the best opportunities I’ve ever had,” he said.
Paluso said Shelton plays the game with strategy and that he appreciates Levine’s approach to each contestant.
“Adam looks at individuals and sees their potential and wants to make them the best version of themselves,” Paluso said.
He also said he is looking for a “niche market.”
“Adam sees that and wants me to be the best version of myself,” Paluso said.
Paluso said he wants to continue to grow as a performer, and that he wants to let go and be genuine.
“While some people have a rehearsed stage presence, it’s just me doing the best I can,” he said.
Levine chose Emily Hough, 16, of Petersburg, Illinois, to battle against then-13-year-old Strange. The two sang “Photograph” by Ed Sheeran.
While the two teens practiced, they were given tips by CeeLo Green, a former coach on the show.
Levine and Green both worked with the two as they rehearsed and prepared for their performance Green complimented Strange’s voice. “You have this linear quality, and this lilt (rhythm),” he said.
“Reagan is very sweet but soulful and so talented,” Levine said during rehearsals.
After the performance, Shelton called their efforts a “fairy tale.”
“You guys sounded like angels,” Hudson said. “I can see you (Reagan) were proud of yourself.”
Clarkson complimented the two singers.
“There’s an an element, Reagan, to your voice that’s like poetry,” Clarkson said. “It’s just really beautiful and kind of indescribable.”
Levine said both singers were impressive, and he chose Strange to advance.
“(Reagan) is just special, and I can’t explain it,” Levine said.
Strange, who is now 14, said in her performances she has learned from Levine to add emotion to her singing and learning to perform and move across the stage.
“I feel like I’ve grown so much,” she said. “He gets me as an artist.”
She said she still knows she has room to grow.
“I would like to show off a little more of my range,” she said, adding she’d like to show America a little more of her personality beyond her voice.