‘The Voice’ Recap: Riley Green Finally Uses His First-In Button on Young Country Singer

The Blind Auditions continued with Episode 4 of The Voice Season 30 on September 28. Throughout the two-hour show, more artists auditioned for Queen Latifah, Kelly Clarkson, Adam Levine, and Riley Green.

Green was the only coach to still have his First-In button left in play, and he put it to use on one young singer who caught his ear. Then, it was an even playing field for everyone as the rest of the contestants hit the stage.

Scroll down for a recap of the night’s performances and to find out where the teams stand so far.

Cade Mower

For the first audition of the night, Cade Mower performed “Something in the Orange” by Zach Bryan. Right away, Clarkson, Levine, and Latifah turned, with Green following right behind them.

For his pitch, Levine brought up his Season 29 win with an artist who’s “nothing like [him],” and said he and Cade could also be an “unlikely pairing.” Latifah also pointed out that she and Cade wouldn’t be an expected pair. “You can take this whole thing. You can definitely take this whole thing,” she told him.

Green complimented Cade’s mustache and compared their voices as not “over-the-top” and more reliant on the lyrics and storytelling. “I was just thinking about my next tour, and I was picturing Cade coming out there with an acoustic guitar…” Green teased, while Levine pointed out that he could take Cade on an “international tour.”

Clarkson pulled out her card about winning before with artists of varying genres, and finally, Cade had to make his decision. The country connection won out, and Cade picked Green as his coach.

Bryan Jaymes

It took a bit for someone to push their button for Bryan Jaymes’ rendition of Paul Young’s “Every Time You Go Away,” but Levine eventually jumped in. Latifah followed soon after, and at the very end, Green also jumped in.

“You took that song apart, put it back together like it was your very own,” Latifah gushed, letting Bryan know, “The way you handled that was just beautiful.”

Green called Bryan’s voice “smooth” and “easy to listen to,” while also praising him for hitting impressive notes. Clarkson couldn’t get over the “range” in Bryan’s voice, and finally, Levine said, “It reminds me of, in Season 1, we had no idea what to expect, and one of the brightest moments that still reigns in the history of this show was a guy who was on my team called Javier Colon. He came out, and he did ‘Time After Time.’ It was a song you’d never in a million years expect to be approached in that moment, and it got us.”

Levine also told Bryan he could “take this thing all the way,” and left the decision in the contestant’s hands. Ultimately, it was Latifah who landed Bryan on her team.

Allie Rae

For her audition, 15-year-old Allie Rae sang Alannah Myles’ “Black Velvet,” and Green turned his chair from the very first note. It didn’t take long for Clarkson to follow, and Latifah also turned around.

“I love your voice. Sometimes I’d hear a little Dolly in how you did your vibrato, but then I’d hear Alison Krauss sometimes. What a great song. It shows us how you can belt; it shows us your range,” Clarkson raved.

Latifah told Allie her voice sounded “exquisite,” adding, “It just felt so natural to you, and I just had to see who was singing that song.” Green also loved the song choice and applauded Allie for “making it something different.”

Clarkson jumped back in to continue her pitch, noting that she and Allie have “a lot of the same influences.” It ultimately didn’t matter, though, because Green pushed his First-In button to get Allie on his team.

Connor Closs

Up next, Connor Closs hit the stage to perform Hozier’s “Too Sweet.” It took Levine a minute to turn around, but he did eventually push his button, and Green did later on, as well.

“If you can sing on a cruise ship, you can sing anywhere. That’s a tough song, and you did it justice,” Green said. He also admitted that he has a lot of country singers on his team, but wants to add someone with Connor’s vibe.

Levine said he waited for the chorus to turn and then gushed, “You did such a masterful job.” He also told the hopeful that he hopes to coach him because of the similar ranges of their voices. “One of the most unique and really beautiful, efficient voices we’ve heard so far,” he added.

It ended up being Levine’s pitch that won Connor over, and he officially joined Team Adam.

Serrin Joy

Serrin Joy, a songwriter who has a publishing deal writing for other artists, was up next. She sang “Be Without You” by Mary J. Blige.

No coaches turned their chairs around for Serrin. “Your tone is incredible, the roundness of it, but it’s got that rasp. That’s a great song, but there’s just so much going on, it almost felt like you were playing catch-up,” Clarkson explained.

Levine told Serrin to come back with another song, and Green added, “Toward the end, you really took off and ran with it, it sounded great, but I think the song kept me from really getting to know you during the performance.”

Saade

Iranian singer Saade belted RAYE’s “Oscar-Winning Tears” for her Blind Audition. About halfway into the performance, Clarkson, Latifah, and Green turned their chairs.

“If you want to find songs where you can express yourself, that is definitely doable with Team Queen. You might have to restrain the song, but not yourself, because that was gorgeous,” Latifah said.

Green called Saade the “most powerful vocal performance” of the season. He praised her “passion” and said she’ll be “very successful” on the show. Finally, Clarkson said, “Vocally, that was the most demanding song, and you conquered it,” and also gave her advice on how to make the big notes even more powerful.

Saade chose Clarkson as her coach, noting that she was “raised on” her music.

Everett Bounds

Everett Bounds has only been singing for about two years, but took a bet on himself by trying out for The Voice with a rendition of Eddie Rabbitt’s “Drivin’ My Life Away.”

Although it took a few minutes, Green eventually turned his chair and automatically nabbed Everett for his team, since none of the other coaches pressed their buttons.

“It seems like the one guy who we knew you were going to go with no matter what turned around,” Levine joked.

Sophia Liano

Sophia Liano took a major risk by auditioning with Celine Dion‘s “I Surrender.” She received a chair turn from Queen Latifah and Green.

“You pulled me to turn this chair,” Latifah said. “You started with emotion, you got the audience into it, and then you fired off at the end.” Green added, “Really great singers can sometimes get a little technical and it loses emotion, but you didn’t.”

Sophia ended up picking Latifah as her coach.

Anna McElroy

When Anna McElroy performed “80s Mercedes” by Maren Morris, she got chair turns from Clarkson, Latifah, and, eventually, Green. Clarkson fought hard to get the country singer on her team and prevent Green from sweeping her up.

“I already feel defeated,” Clarkson admitted, but worried she was losing out when Anna said she was from Alabama, just like Green. Levine made sure to note that Morris is not just in the country lane, so he urged Anna to have some freedom with her decision and not just automatically choose Green.

“You just came on this stage and showed it who was the boss,” Latifah said. “It was a beautiful performance. You are gorgeous, but it was your voice that made us turn.” Green then said he is the “obvious choice” for Anna’s coach. “I have to imagine you have a country background, and if that’s where you live and your heart truly lives, then I think you should live with me,” he said.

Of course, Clarkson had to point out that she’s won the show with country singers before. In the end, her groveling worked, as Anna chose Clarkson as her coach.

Julia Clark

Julia Clark’s performance of Billie Eilish’s “Bellyache” received a chair turn from Latifah on the very first note. Levine also eventually pressed his button, so they had to duke it out.

“That was a whole vibe, Julia, I had to turn around immediately because of that beautiful tone of yours,” Latifah said. Levine added, “I’ve really, really, really been waiting for someone like you to come around. You sang with so much whimsy and joy.”

Julia ultimately chose Levine as her coach because he was more in the genre she’s hoping to break into.

Cal Cook

Diving coach Cal Cook hit the stage with a performance of “The Dress” by Dijon that had Levine push his button and automatically get him on his team.

He said Cal has a “really cool style of singing” and noted how glad he was that he didn’t have to fight with the other coaches for him.

Brett Tomberlin

Army veteran Brett Tomberlin sang Josh Turner’s “Your Man” for the Blind Auditions, but unfortunately, no coaches turned around.

“That dry start when you don’t necessarily have the sound in your ear, that’s tough. You really roped in at the end of the song, but that’s what did it for me,” Green admitted. He also assured Brett that it took him 12 years to get a record deal in Nashville and to keep pushing for it to happen.

Chari

The final audition of the night was from powerhouse vocalist Chari, who sang Oleta Adams’ “Get Here.” All four coaches wasted no time turning around for Chari.

“I don’t think I gotta tell you that was an amazing performance. Thank you so much for winning us all over that early so we could turn around and enjoy the performance. It was flawless,” Green gushed.

Levine wouldn’t sit down as the judges gave their comments, telling Chari it would be disrespectful to her for him to not stand. Clarkson said, “You are literally why this show was created. You’re just very talented and I can’t wait to see what you do on my team.”

Levine made sure to let Chari who won The Voice from his team last season. “The whole thing I know from experience … is there’s a classic thing that the winner of this show has to have, and I have not heard that until now,” he added.

Latifah said Chari’s performance was like “surgical precision,” and it was her pitch that won Chari over.

Team Queen Latifah
BigCountry
Marcus Ladden Jr.
Mia Knight (First-In button)
Alt Bloom
Morgan Lett
Bryan James
Sophia Liano
Chari

Team Riley Green
Joe Henley
Ferryn & Brinkley
Caroline Alexis
Harmony McKee
Kenna Elpers
Cade Mower
Allie Rae (First-In button)
Everett Bounds

Team Kelly Clarkson
Hazel Gerson
Brianna Cameron
Koumba Diallo
Johnnie Kapua (First-In button)
Kyle Davis
Brooklyn Marie
Saade
Anna McElroy

Team Adam Levine
Destinee Monroe
Owen Uffens
Lexi Stephens
Amanda Mikkel (First-In button)
Connor Closs
Julia Clark
Cal Cook

The Voice, Season 30, Mondays, 8/7c, NBC