'The Voice' Season 9 — Top 48 Rankings

12. Blind Joe

Touching backstory aside — though, to a certain degree, aren't all the backstories touching? — the blind North Dakota native's clipped phrases and wobbly breath control make it unlikely he'll survive Blake's deep country bench.

11. Blaine Mitchell

Without going back for the DVR replay, I'm not sure I can recall any details of Blaine's "Drops of Jupiter" audition. As Lucille Bluth said during her trip to Klimpy's, "This does not bode well."

10. Cole Criske

Sweet teenager who dedicated "Dreaming With a Broken Heart" to his late dad was able to convey an impressive amount of emotion for one so young, but his slightly Kermit-y tone and still body language won't cut it against seasoned pros.

9. Dustin Christensen

Have the coaches ever fought less enthusiastically for a four-chair turn? Which isn't to say Dustin's growling "Downtown Train" was unappealing — but he definitely needs coaching on infusing his vocals with texture and dynamics.

8. Zach Seabaugh

Perfectly coiffed teenager possessed the face of a CW supernatural drama, but the voice of someone who hadn't yet figured out how to handle the quick cadence the verse on a song like "Take Your Time."

7. Chris Crump

Chris' enunciation in the opening verse rendered almost unintelligible the aw-shucks lyrics of Ed Sheeran's "Thinking Out Loud," but Chris showcased a pleasing clarity when his voice opened up on the chorus.

6. Nadjah Nicole

Nadjah looks like a pop star, has the right name to be a pop star and — while her Janelle Monae cover wasn't particularly rangey — proved on the "high, hiGH, HIGH" riff she might have the pipes to be a pop star. Improved stage presence and reduced nerves will be needed to achieve that dream, though.

5. Barrett Baber

Survivor of an airline disaster in his college years, the hunky Barrett brought a magnetic authority to "Angel Eyes" that most of his Night 1 rivals lacked — and he didn't hit a bum note in the process, either.

4. Emily Ann Roberts

When Emily kicked off her "I Hope You Dance" cover, I thought the verse seemed pitched a tad high for her comfort level, but the chorus soared like a raptor leaping off the edge of the Grand Canyon. Could be a Season 9 sleeper.

3. Tyler Dickerson

My heart broke a little for Tyler's tale of losing the major-label deal he'd landed as a teenager — then suffering further after a horrific car accident. More importantly, though, his straight-up-the-middle cover of "Hard to Handle" proved he's got charisma, vocal dexterity and a tone as clean and clear as a bottle of Evian.

2. Morgan Frazier

"I Want You to Want Me" showcased the sweet lilt and delicate crumble in Morgan's unaffected instrument. She knows how to breathe new life into a lyric, and her ability to land a punch line ("I've been watching [Blake] since he had a mullet!") will further aid her cause.

1. Krista Hughes

If this West Virginia songbird can replicate the magic of her exquisite "Angel from Montgomery" audition, I'm not sure a genetically engineered hybrid of Beyoncé, Justin Timberlake and Carrie Underwood could beat her.

12. Celeste Beston

A perfectly fine vocal, but if you're going to cover J.Hud's "Love You I Do," you've got to conjure up more inner fire than a lit match getting dipped in some day-old dishwater.

11. Jubal & Amanda

I hope their televised engagement is the start of a beautiful marriage, but their intermittent pitch issues and shouty choruses have me less optimistic about their happily-ever-after as it pertains to NBC's singing competition.

10. Madi Davis

Teenage hippie chick's audition showcased an intriguing tone, but her affected pronunciations and lack of emotional heft on "It's Too Late" make me think it was a year or two too early for her to try to make a go of a singing career.

8. (tie) Daria Jazmin

One of two Team Pharrell singers to get the dreaded Montage Treatment. Nifty outfit, though.

8. (tie) Riley Biederer

One of two Team Pharrell singers to get the dreaded Montage Treatment.

7. Ivonne Acero

There was a hint of nervousness percolating through the teenager's Taylor Swift cover, but if Pharrell can make the most of her rich lower register and slinky phrasing, she's a potential dark horse.

6. Siahna Im

Siahna's smokey lower register is a nice juxtaposition against her Betty Boopian delivery, but her emotional breakdown after scoring a three-chair turn is a little worrying.

5. Evan McKeel

While Evan's tone wasn't entirely distinctive during an otherwise passionate rendition of "Typical," his response to Pharrell's request for a few bars of Stevie Wonder exposed him as a soul singer whose voice can move like water through the crevices of even the trickiest melodies.

4. Sydney Rhame

Sydney's full, rounded tone was a surprise bursting from her noticeably nervous teenage frame, but the fact that Voice producers saved her til the very final Blind Audition of Season 9 gives me some optimism that — with a little help from Pharrell — she could bloom into a confident contender.

3. Darius Scott

Usher's "You Make Me Wanna" is no easy composition, with its start-and-stop phrasing and general verbosity, but Darius handled it all without breaking a sweat — then threw in some up-and-down-the-scale runs and a ridiculous high note just to remind everyone he's a legit contender for Sawyer Fredericks' crown.

2. Mark Hood

I loved the little scratches and hiccups and jazzy inflections Mark brought to "Use Me" (AKA Night 1's most high-energy song choice) — and the fact that his pitch held strong even as he broke out the funky dance moves could be a big edge on his rivals moving forward.

1. Amy Vachal

There was an effortless beauty to Amy's audition — in the way she made little tweaks to the classic melody of "Dream a Little Dream of Me," in her starry-eyed connection to the lyrics, and especially by her decision to avoid the reality-competition trap of making everything (or anything) about pure bombast.

12. Amanda Ayala

Teenager's "Mississippi Queen" proved the very definition of average — making her a longshot to advance to the live voting rounds.

TEAM ADAM

11. Cassandra Robertson

Only Team Adam member to get the dreaded "Montage Treatment" in the Blinds — never an encouraging sign.

10. Chance Peña

Fifteen-year-old with a face that may have been created in The CW's heartthrob test laboratory slathered on twice the necessary amount of vibrato on "I See Fire."

9. Dustin Monk

Barber-shop employee's borderline-gaspy runs on "Bright Lights" have us thinking he's a mid-pack player at best.

8. James Dupré

Scored the end-of-episode pimp slot and a coveted Four-Chair Turn on Night 2 of the Blinds, but to me, the one-time Ellen Show fave's tone was as indistinct as a navy blue Gap polo shirt.

7. Keith Semple

Give credit to the Irish dad for a far-better-than-competent cover-band vocal, but his performance never really broke out of the Bon Jovi template, did it? Great hair and a handsome face won't hurt, though.

6. Viktor Király

Upsettingly handsome, U.S.-born transplant to Hungary proved slick and professional with a Marvin Gaye cover — but was less convincing in his connection to the lyrics.

TEAM ADAM

5. Regina Love

I may be somewhat biased by Regina selecting one of my favorite funk jams of all time — and by "may be," I mean "definitely am" — but the Atlanta radio DJ's groovaliciousness and vocal boom-boom-pow are the kinds of ingredients that we need in the live voting rounds, no?

4. Jordan Smith

Effortlessly range-y, deeply felt rendition of "Chandeleier" left the judges shocked when they turned around and learned Jordan was a guy. A fashion upgrade wouldn't be a bad idea, but even in sweats and an old t-shirt, he'll go far on pipes alone.

TEAM ADAM

3. Andi & Alex

Twin sisters' masterful harmonies on "Thank You" rightfully scored them a four-chair turn, but even more impressive was the way they transported Dido's ubiquitous hit from the adult-contemporary arena to something folksier.

2. Manny Cabo

Strode on stage and slayed Whitesnake's "Here I Go Again" with ferocious vocal power and an "I got this" confidence. There appears to be no limit to the strength or pitch of the 45-year-old photographer's instrument — but originality remains a question mark.

1. Shelby Brown

Her rendition of "Stars" pierced through the TV screen with an aching glory note — and then just as quickly knocked us over with a velvety whisper. We thought the Nashville-obsessed kid would go with Blake, but she zagged hard and unexpectedly. Please, Adam, in the words of RuPaul, "Don't f— it up!"

12. Braiden Sunshine

Unlike emotional-beyond-his-years Sawyer Fredericks, wide-eyed teenager Braiden's voice carried all the gravitas of a dish of buttered elbow macaroni.

TEAM GWEN

11. Kota Wade

Kota's vocal tone on "Bring It on Home to Me" hit the ear as harshly as a fondue fork — and her lack of dynamics only punctuated the problem.

10. Summer Shappell

Every Voice coach seems to have a goofy dream about snagging country contestants from Blake, but the country coach probably isn't losing much sleep given Summer's difficulty in infusing any kind of energy or emotion into her verses.

7. (tie) Tim Atlas

One of three Team Gwen contestants to get the dreaded "Montage Treatment" — which seems kind of unfair seeing that all but one of Adam's vocalists had their entire auditions shown during the Blinds.

7. (tie) Hanna Ashbrook

One of three Team Gwen contestants to get the dreaded "Montage Treatment" — which seems kind of unfair seeing that producers showed the entire audition for all 12 of Blake's contestants!

7. (tie) Noah Jackson

One of three Team Gwen contestants to get the dreaded "Montage Treatment" — which seems kind of unfair seeing that, as the least experienced coach, Gwen could probably use the boost moreso than her rivals.

6. Alex Kandel

There was a Florence-y lilt to the opening verses of Alex's "Bright" that sat right at the intersection of Ethereal Ave and Powerful Pl. Still, as Pharrell noted, her ability to sing in key got less certain as the ditty progressed.

5. Lyndsey Elm

It's hard not to applaud an artist who's willing to eschew karaoke and cook up her own take on a ubiquitous radio jam, but Lyndsey's breath control on the "Na-na-nas" seemed a tad iffy.

4. Korin Bukowski

Korin's pre-performance package could've benefitted from 47% less quirk, but as Gwen noted, the self-proclaimed weird girl proved to be one of those rare "character voices" on The Voice who can belt a big note, too.

3. Chase Kerby

Chase's voice isn't exactly muscular — there were moments where you could hear the strain as he reached for one of Chris Martin's high notes — but said wispiness was really pleasing to the ear. Could this one-chair turn bloom into a true contender? We wouldn't be shocked.

2. Jeffery Austin

I wasn't expecting much from Jeffrey, considering it had been six years since he'd performed on any sort of serious stage, the buttery beauty in Jeffery's upper register and the husky addictiveness in his lower tones were as surprising as they were enthralling.

1. Ellie Lawrence

Aside from her A+ reimagining of the uptempo '80s classic "We Don't Have to Take Our Clothes Off," Ellie's emotional connectedness and dynamic range could make for Gwen's best bet at becoming the first female Voice coach to score a victory.