Jim Ranger Inspires Coaches Battle in New Season of ‘The Voice’
His rendition of Keith Urban's 'Blue Ain't Your Color' blew the coaches away!
A brand new season of The Voice got underway Monday night (October 19), and right out of the gate, a country talent forced the celebrity coaches into a classic standoff.
California-based singer Jim Ranger knocked his blind audition out of the park, delivering an electrifying rendition of Keith Urban’s “Blue Ain’t Your Color.” The guitar-wielding powerhouse showed off an impressive vocal range — from smoky soul tenderness and raspy rock power — putting an edgy spin on the 2016 hit. But after earning a resounding three-chair turn from the coaches, things got interesting.
John Legend signaled his support within the first 10 seconds of Ranger’s performance, and he was quickly followed by Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton. Only Kelly Clarkson held off, and then each coach did their best to lobby Ranger over to their team. Stefani noted her Californian roots and multi-genre success — which might be helpful to Ranger’s diverse skills. And for his part, Legend praised the 38-year-old artist’s musicality.
“I turned very quickly because I heard so much in your tone, and by the time you started wailing at the end, it was such a revelation,” Legend gushed. “I think you’re so soulful, such a great musician, and a great vocalist.”
But then it was Shelton’s turn, and the country superstar agreed wholeheartedly with Legend and Stefani. Even so, he seemed out of the running after getting sabotaged by a hilarious, politically inspired anti-Shelton video montage. But Ranger couldn’t resist Shelton’s charm (or maybe his impressive track record of success on the show), and much to the chagrin of the others, put himself on Team Blake.
We’ll see how that turns out as Season 19 of NBC’s The Voice continues, with another round of blind auditions tonight at 8 p.m. ET.
