The Boot (April 16th 2013)

‘The Voice’ Team Blake, Season 4: country coach sees potential in all genres

As "The Voice" heads into battle rounds this week, coach Blake Shelton is in a position where he could pit each non-country singing contestant against a Nashville hopeful. Season 4 has Team Blake split down the middle with half of his group rockin' a twang. Danielle Bradbery, Holly Tucker, Justin Rivers, the Morgan Twins, Savannah Berry, the Swon Brothers and bluntry (blues-country) singer Grace Askew all associate themselves with Blake's beloved genre. But don't think they have an advantage over their counterparts.

"I have a job there to win the thing," Blake told The Boot and other media at a recent event. "We're all supposed to try to do that. Cassadee (Pope) is now trying to make a country album, and (during 'The Voice') that wasn't her plan. Even though I'm a country artist, my job there is to put the best musical ear to what I can. I have to be honest with myself, or I can't live with myself."

Indie/folk singer Caroline Glaser, rocker Christian Porter, rock/blues babe Jacqui Sandell, pop/soul songstress Michelle Raitzin and pop/rocker Trevor Davis should all be confident in their decisions to join Team Blake. As the two-time winner of the competition points out, he had no qualms turning his chair around of Season 2 winner, R&B artist Jermaine Paul.

"I love country but gosh dangit Jermaine is the man, I don't how anyone could argue," says Blake, before recalling his thoughts the first time he heard Jermaine sing. "He could win this thing and I've got to do the right thing for him. I don't want to be in his way, I want to be his shoulder. I want to help, I want to be a leader for him."

Although, as a country music ambassador, the Oklahoma native does have secret hopes of sharing a victory with a future country superstar. "I've always said I wish I had a team full of 16 country artists, and that way I know I'm bringing one to the end. But it's as much their responsibility to get themselves there as it is mine," Blake admits, before joking about Season 3 winner Cassadee's new Nashville home. "So now we've just decided to take the winners no matter what genre they do and make them country, dammit!”