Following the success of last week’s The Voice Of Ireland debut, I was interested to see if the second instalment of the new reality singing competition would continue to hit all the right notes – and it didn’t disappoint. With some more familiar faces taking to the stage, along with bucket loads of undiscovered talent and a few tears from disappointed contestants, it was an eventful episode to say the least.
Conor J Ryan got the nod from all four of the coaches (the first in the series) with his soulful performance of Etta James’ timeless classic At Last. It was a daring move to take on such a well-known track, but 20-year-old Conor made the song sound like it was written especially for him. With an IFTA nomination in 2007 under his belt for a film called The Garage, it looks like Conor is an all-round incredibly gifted performer. Watch this space!
Another familiar face to take to the stage was former Bubble-G girlband member Leighann Mitchell, who has supported Peter Andre on tour. Her song choice of Katy Perry’s Firework didn’t do her voice any justice, and it was pitchy at times. However, I do think that Leighann has a lot of potential. Hopefully she will keep on trying, and enter the competition again next year. If all else fails she could try and team back up with Andre for a new and improved version of Insania.
I was sorry for 66-year-old Dick Hayes when he failed to wow the coaches. His emotional rendition of Wind Beneath My Wings was full of passion and personality. Dick deserved to sail on through to the next round in the competition. He was by far one of the standout performers of the night. Unfortunately none of the coaches knew where to place Dick in the current market (Oh dear!).
Luckily Dick’s son Richie was able to represent his family name as he impressed Brian with his lively performance. The Gaiety Theatre star who most recently featured in the Robinson Crusoe pantomime, also happens to attend the same gym as his mentor Brian. I wonder how long it will take until someone shouts 'he's behind you' to Richie during a workout?
We witnessed the first set of tears this week on The Voice as one of the contestants felt like she has let herself down after her reggae version of Taio Cruz’s Dynamite failed to show off her vocal range. I enjoyed the quirky twist which Laura put on the popular chart topping song, and sympathised with her when her sore throat prevented her from reaching the high notes.
I also found it difficult to watch poor Brian who gave a pleasant performance of Elton John’s Your Song. The talented teen became overwhelmed and began to hyperventilate after his performance. There is no denying underneath his nerves is an extremely talented young man. Don’t give up Brian, your moment will come to shine!
The best definitely was saved until last when it came to Siobhan McKenna. The New Jersey native gave a heartfelt performance of Beyoncé’s beautiful hit track Listen. I admired Siobhan for taking on such a huge song, especially since it has become a popular on other reality singing competitions (Melanie Amaro on X Factor USA, Alexandra Burke). I predict that Kian may already have a potential winner on his hands!
It is official The Voice of Ireland has firmly established itself at a ‘must watch’ in my TV diary for Sunday nights.
Laura Delaney
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