Blind Auditions

34-year-old Jordan Matthew Young is one of the latest country contestants to impress multiple judges during the blind auditions on NBC's The Voice season 20. The Austin, Texas native earned himself a three-chair turn with his rendition of Keith Whitley's "I'm No Stranger to the Rain." Blake Shelton even muttered to himself "That's good," as it hit the button to turn his chair.

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John Legend was the only coach who didn't turn his chair but admitted that Young had three incredible choices between the other respective teams. 

"Jordan, it started off kind of shaky man," began Shelton. "And that's what took me a minute, and then I realized it was a completely different performance after about a quarter of the way through. You really found your footing and laid out a solid performance. You know, I don't get to work with guys like you that often on this show."

Shelton proceeded to compare parts of the country singer's voice to country rocker Eric Church but then explained that with his rich baritone voice he really doesn't sound like anyone else in country music. 

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"Jordan, I love your vibe," said Kelly Clarkson. "I love that you sound like old school country." Clarkson proceeded to play a hilarious video compiling various clips of Gwen Stefani that edited down to saying 'pick Kelly as your coach.' Pretty hilarious.

Nick Jonas jumped in with feedback at the very end, admitting that he waited until the end of the song because he felt like it was probably a done deal with either Clarkson or Shelton. 

"But the reality is, there's a lot of country music that's starting to sound a certain way and it's harder for things to break through in that traditional sense. But if you can be a part of the conversation and say 'here's the things I love about this traditional, classic approach,' and apply it to this new world where things are moving so fast, people are going to listen. And so, given that chance to be your coach I'd have an amazing time going on that journey with you. To do something really disruptive."

Ultimately, Young opted to join Team Blake and learn from one of country music's greats! 

The Battle Round

Young continued to impress in the battle round when he was paired up against Keegan Ferrell to cover Train's "Calling All Angels." While Ferrell had a strong voice, there's just something about the unique nature of Young's voice that Shelton just couldn't say no to and he was ultimately declared the winner of the round.

"I love how weathered Jordan's voice is," explained Coach Blake, "and moving forward we just gotta keep him in that lane...the songs that work for a raspy, worn voice like that is gonna be the key for him."

Knockouts

Ethan Lively had been a fan favorite since the blind auditions so it was a close performance when he was paired up against Young in the knockouts with his performance of Travis Tritt's "Help Me Hold On." Young opted for The Black Crowes' "She Talks to Angels" which proved to be perfect for his specific voice. As much as Shelton claimed that there was no one else like Lively out there in country music right now, he had to give it to Young. He claimed that the decision was based on the fact that Young was in that moment, ready for the current competition.

"I chose Jordan because he's done this for so long, I know he's gonna be great every time he gets out on that stage," explained Shelton.

Live Top 17 Performances

Well if there's one thing that Jordan Matthew Young is good at, it's song choices. He was incredibly impressive during the first live performances with his cover of Fleetwood Mac's "Gold Dust Woman." We know the judges were blown away so the only question is, what did America think?

Live Top 9 Performances

According to Clarkson and Shelton, Young chose the perfect song for his top 9 performance -- John Conlee's "Rose Colored Glasses." It perfectly showed off his gravelly voice and proves that he has what it takes to sing everything from a country classic to folk music and everything in between. We're anxious to see if America was as impressed as Coach Shelton and brings the hardworking singer back to the top 5 for the finale next week.

Live Finale Performances

Team Blake was the only team in the finale to have two finalists perform in the top 5! Along with Cam Anthony, Young performed two songs during the finale and they were slightly unexpected choices. While we love the raspy singer's country covers, Young gave "countrified" performances of Rihanna's "Stay" as well as B.B. King & Eric Clapton's "Key to the Highway." While the latter showed off the singer's insane guitar skills and ability to rock out, the Rihanna cover, dedicated to his grandmothers, showed that he can add his own twist to just about anything. We can't wait to see what's next for Jordan Matthew Young, though Nick Jonas made it clear that he'll be first in line to buy one of his first records!

This article was originally published on March 16, 2021. It was updated on May 25, 2021.

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