As blind auditions on Season 17 of The Voice came to a close, the coaches were more selective with who they picked for their teams. But when former Season 8 Idol contestant Ricky Braddy took to the stage with his rendition of Brandi Carlile‘s “The Story,” three of the four coaches threw all caution to the wind and turned their chairs for him.
Carlile’s “The Story” was a song released off of her album of the same name in 2007. It charted at the 35th spot on the Billboard Adult Pop Songs chart.
Carlile, an Americana/folk rock artist, has also dabbled in country music, so the track was praised and covered by other country artists as well.
LeAnn Rimes issued her recording of “The Story” in 2016, and Dolly Parton covered the track in 2017 for Carlile’s compilation album, Cover Stories.
All of the above renditions of “The Story” are spectacular. It’s clear that it’s a difficult song to sing, since it varies in volume and intensity. It’s also emotional, and a singer has to channel that emotion through their performance in order for it to have power.
Braddy accomplished that feat. He also tackled each fluctuation in intensity, leaving the coaches visibly impressed.
In the end, he got Gwen Stefani, John Legend, and Blake Shelton to turn their chairs for him.
Legend asked Braddy about his musical background, which is when he shared that he grew up singing gospel music in church. This is exactly what Legend was expecting to hear.
“You sound like a gospel singer, especially on the higher notes…I felt the spirit,” he said.
.@rickybraddy is a powerhouse. I felt the spirit. I’m a Braddy cat. #thevoice WELCOME TO TEAM BLAKE BOO #TeamBlake
— Cali Wilson (@Cali_Wilson) October 9, 2019
https://twitter.com/KatHammock7/status/1181771775501160448
Your sound is needed on the voice@rickybraddy
— kevin (@tankrutherford) October 9, 2019
Even though Kelly Clarkson did not turn, she praised Braddy’s performance. She seemed to echo Legend’s sentiments about hearing the gospel influence in his cover, and wondered if he does theater based on how well he executed “The Story.” (The answer: he does not, but would love to!)
Stefani tried to win Braddy over by saying she only had one spot left on her team, and she turned for him. She also mentioned that she goes to church every Sunday, in case that helped.
When it came time for Shelton to speak, he admitted he was skeptical when he first heard “The Story” start playing, because he knows how challenging it is to sing. He said his first thought was, “Please Lord help this guy get through this song.”
Of course, Shelton soon realized that Braddy needed no divine intervention, and that he was capable of crushing “The Story” right out of the gate.
After deliberating for a short while, Braddy selected Shelton as his coach, which surely devastated Legend and Stefani! You can watch his outstanding, gospel-influenced rendition of “The Story” below.