‘The Voice’ Season 25 premiere: Do Dan + Shay stand a chance against Chance?
If anyone poses a threat to resident country queen Reba McEntire this season, it’s her new frenemy/rival Chance the Rapper, not her fellow Nashville stars.
The Voice returned Monday, now with three times the country and 50 percent less girl power. As the series welcomed its first-ever coaching duo, Dan + Shay — along with returning coaches John Legend, Reba McEntire, and Chance the Rapper — Season 25 featured the most male-dominated panel in Voice history (at 80 percent), as well as the most country-dominated (60 percent).
Monday’s premiere also featured the series’ most statistically inexperienced panel: Reba, Dan + Shay, and Chance only have two seasons (and zero wins) between them, while the panel’s longest-serving coach, John, has only won once, in the first of his total past eight seasons.
OK. That’s enough math for today, kids. I’m exhausted just from typing all that. My point is, Season 25 has a very different dynamic. Dan + Shay, who filled in for two-time-winning coach Niall Horan during last season’s Knockout Rounds, so far seem likable and enthusiastic, although I don’t think their gimmicky, sidecar-style “We Want You” double-chair and inevitable arm-wrestling matches over their shared red button will ultimately make up for their lack of star power. While Dan + Shay are three-time Grammy-winners who’ve charted nine top 10 country hits and sold more than 3 million albums, Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney aren’t exactly at the same household-name level as past coaches like Ariana Grande, Miley Cyrus, Shakira, Usher, Alicia Keys, or Kelly Clarkson. Throughout my Monday recapping, I had to keep doublechecking which dude was the one with the woolly Strokes/Sweathog ‘fro (Dan) and who the other one was (Shay, obviously).
That being said, Shay, despite having the more boring haircut, was the dominant personality of the two — a bit more knowledgeable, vivacious, and engaged. It’s possible that he (and Dan) will surprise me, and that they’ll scoop up a bunch of younger country artists who mostly know Reba from her eponymous former sitcom. (I recall that Reba had a lot more difficulty recruiting contestants last season than I — and probably she — had expected.) Certainly for some contestants, Dan + Shay’s whole two-coaches-for-the-price-of-one selling point will be enticing, along with the fact that their team incentive is a personalized, collectible sports jersey, not perishabl Team Reba chicken tenders.
However, based on Season 25’s two-hour premiere, Dan + Shy are not getting the new coach winner edit, like Reba did last season (and like most coaches, including John, got in their first seasons). Instead, it was Chance who received the winner edit Monday — and that was just fine by me. Chance (who, contrary to his misleading moniker, doesn’t just rap but also sings, writes, arranges, and produces) greatly impressed me in Season 23, and he came back strong his week. If anyone poses a threat to resident country queen Reba this year, it’s her new frenemy/rival Chance, not Dan + Shay.
Let the Blinds begin!
Dani Stacy, 31: “I Will Survive”
I thought this folksy nomad’s acoustic cover of Gloria Gaynor’s disco anthem was typical singing-show shtick (remakes like these were exciting back in American Idol Season 7, but not so much anymore), and her vocals weren’t particularly distinctive or robust. Therefore, I was surprised that the producers chose her audition to kick off the season, and that she elicited such an unanimously fervent response from the panel. But John thought the “crack and rasp” in Dani’s voice was “interesting and cool,” and Chance was “hyped” to work with her. Her name, Dani Stacy, also sounded a bit like “Dan + Shay,” so maybe that’s why they turned. I dunno.
Who turned?: All four… oops, I mean, all five coaches. (Serious question: In a semantic/grammatical sense, is this considered a “four-chair” or “five-chair turn”?) Reba was blocked, but by Chance, surprisingly, not by her new Nashville rivals.
Result: Team Chance! “The Block paid off,” John noted. While I don’t think Dani will be Chance’s strongest asset in the long run, this outcome proved he’s back with a bang, and I do hope it foreshadows his Season 25 victory.
Justin & Jeremy Garcia, 17, “Story of My Life”
These goofy identical twins showcased some sweet brotherly harmonies, which Shay appreciated, but they definitely sounded better together than apart. The verses of the One Direction tune sounded low and uncomfortable for them, and John didn’t spin because he thought their performance “could have been a little tighter.” But Chance, who went far in his inaugural season coaching sibling act Sorelle, felt confident that he could help the Garcias with their vocal control, and Reba, who grew up in a singing family, said the twins “took me back to my childhood. … I was really moved!”
Who turned?: Chance (right away), Reba, and Dan + Shay. (I wonder if 1D’s Niall would have turned, if he’d been on the panel this season?)
Result: Team Dan +Shay. I think Chance would’ve been the best choice, but I suppose he can’t win ‘em all. And it does make sense for a duo to go with, well, another duo.
Tae Lewis, 31: “Somebody Like You”
This Black country crooner from upstate New York struggled for a long time to fit in, but after finding community with the Black Opry collective, he came to The Voice hoping find acceptance with a wider audience. He was a vibrant pop-country performer, with a lot of sparkle in his delivery on this Keith Urban bop. “Your voice is so electric. You just look like you belong on that stage singing the music you’re doing,” John assured Tae.
Who turned?: John, followed by Reba (although it took her a while). I was surprised that Dan + Shay, who lean pop-country like Tae, didn’t turn, but newbie Shay claimed he and his partner were “intimidated” to go up against the scepter-wielding “queen of country.”
Result: Team Reba, of course. But I have a feeling Tae would have joined Team D+S if he’d had the option.
Ryan Argast, 30: “Speechless”
This frontman for Chicago alt-rock band Marina City took a risk covering Dan + Shay’s crossover smash, explaining, “You might as well go big if you’re going here!” I admired his gumption, but vocally, he was quite generic.
Who turned?: Only Dan + Shay — and only at the very last minute. (Chance joked that they waited because they wanted to hear more of their own song. But I suspect Dan + Shay eventually pressed their shared button just to be polite.)
Result: Team Dan + Shay, obviously — which is probably what Ryan wanted all along. The duo celebrated, at John’s urging, by joining Ryan onstage for a supposedly impromptu “Speechless” reprise. And then they promptly, easily upstaged Ryan. (Chance called this stunt “overkill.” I love Chance.)
Nadége, 26: “Get You”
This torch singer’s performance was a bit too sleepy for my tastes. But she had a sophisti-pop smoothness and slow-burning sultriness that I am not surprised intrigued jazzbo John and the alt-R&B-adjacent Chance. When Nadége revealed that the first song she ever performed publicly was John’s “Ordinary People,” John of course hopped onstage for another “impromptu” duet with her, and I figured he had this one in the bag. Even Chance admitted, “I feel like I lost already!” But then Chance lurched into his own overkill mode and offered to duet with Nadége as well… on “Ordinary People”! Chance is actually a solid singer, and both coaches held their own with Nadége and helped elevate her energy.
Who turned?: John and Chance.
Result: Team Chance! His winner edit continued apace. I think Nadége made the right decision by taking a chance on Chance, and even John had to respect his rival’s game. “Well-played, Chance, Well-played,” John chuckled. Chance later amusingly tweeted, “I just beat John Legend in a John Legend contest.”
Josh Sanders, 35: “Whiskey on You”
In 2020, his father of four daughters lost his newborn son Leland, who was born too premature to survive, and I wonder if Josh might have connected with John (who experienced a similar tragedy that year when his wife Chrissy Teigen lost their son Jack at 20 weeks). I do think John would have spun around if Josh had given a more emotional and pained performance, maybe of a ballad — which I totally expected after hearing Josh’s heartbreaking backstory of how he used music to work through his grief. But the uptempo Nate Smith song Josh chose not only failed showcase his depth, it also didn’t showcase his vocal range (even if Shay later pointed out that the song is deceptively hard to sing).
Who turned?: Reba and Dan + Shay.
Result: Team Reba. I think Dan + Shay would have been a smarter choice, and I think Dan + Shay (or at least Shay) wanted Josh more. But one of the Sanders daughters warned she’d have “issues” with Josh if he didn’t choose Reba, so he was a loyal dad in this instance.
OK3, ages 22-25: “I Made You Look”
This rainbow-bright Oklahoma City trio reunited after a four-year hiatus to audition for The Voice, inspired by Season 21 winners Girl Named Tom and the above-mentioned Season 23 finalists Sorelle. Their performance was lively and fun, sparking John, who mentioned his experience as an “award-winning a cappella arranger,” to say, “There’s a lot of space [in the market] for a big pop girl group right now.” Chance, of course, mentioned his success with Sorelle. Resident prop comic Reba, who spent much of Monday’s premiere juggling her scepter, a “Queen Reba” megaphone, a cowbell (more cowbell!!!), and her team-branded chicken tenders, got in another sight gag when she pulled one of her shiny Grammy statuettes out from under her red chair, in an attempt to impress the OK3 ladies. Shay, meanwhile, was the most keen, exclaiming, “My heart is racing right now, because I want to work with you soooo bad!”
Who turned?: John, Reba, and Dan + Shay, immediately, finally trailed by Chance.
Result: Team… TO BE CONTINUED! Yep, it’s another classic Voice cliffhanger. As Monday’s premiere came to a close, OK3’s Kenna, Sierra, and Courtney summoned their vocal coach, who first introduced them years ago, to the stage to help them deliberate. I know the girls said they want to work with Dan + Shay, and Shay’s enthusiasm certainly helped the duo’s odds . But I imagine OK3’s vocal coach will advise them to go with John or Chance.
Tune in Tuesday, as I bring you this cliffhanger resolution, recap the rest of the night two Blind Auditions, and continue to predict Chance’s Season 25 victory. See you then.