Despite being the new guy on the block and being thrown into a performance alongside arguably one of the greatest voices of this generation (aka Kelly Clarkson), Riley Green seriously held his own in The Voice’s latest coach-led collaborative cover.
With the Season 30 premiere now less than a week away, NBC is ramping up anticipation for the show’s milestone season. And what better way to get viewers excited than by bringing the coaching panel’s powerhouse voices together on one track?
Usually, the show is known to force the judges to do a group performance during the season— and while that’s still very much in the cards, they decided to give fans a glimpse of the fresh dynamic between returning coaches Kelly Clarkson and Adam Levine alongside newbies Queen Latifah and, of course, Riley Green. With Green also celebrating the release of his fourth studio album, That’s Just Me, tonight (Sept. 18) at midnight, these next few days are bound to be a duckman frenzy.
But before things amp up into overdrive, the four superstar coaches slowed things down with a jazzy church choir-esque cover of the 1968 classic by The Band, “The Weight.” And for the younger generations, yes, the band’s name is actually “The Band,” and I promise once you hear the track, you’ll instantly know the throwback hit.
Green obviously took the lead on showing off his acoustic guitar skills, with Levine serenading on the first verse and accompanying on the drums. There’s no denying the Maroon 5 lead singer has the perfect vocal set for the song, and the same goes for Clarkson, who has proven she can sing just about any song in existence.
Latifah hyped up this year’s country music representative with an endearing, “C’mon, Riley,” before Green let his signature twang shine. When Clarkson took the reins on the same verse, things quickly got a whole lot jazzier, with her soulful powerhouse vocals taking center stage.
If these four’s vocal chemistry is any sign of their dynamic on the upcoming season, then The Voice may just be in luck. Time will tell as the show returns this Monday, September 21 at 8/7c.