Luke Wade has been performing in Fort Worth for more than a decade. Now he has a new crop of fans as one of the favorites on this season of 'The Voice' on NBC. (NBC/Tyler Golden)
The week The Voice premiered, I dared to say “Fort Worth’s Luke Wade could be one of the best contestants.” It was way too early to know — and it still is. Wade now has 47 other competitors, including three who hail from the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
Two North Texas contestants are on Pharrell Williams' team: Luke Wade, seated at the piano, and Taylor Phelan, far right. (Trae Patton/NBC)
But the NBC show is continuing to show that Wade is a big-time favorite. In a 5-minute-long “sneak peek” that says Wade will perform in Monday night’s battle rounds, judge Adam Levine gives Wade the highest praise:
“I think Luke is the best singer in this competition right now,” Levine says. (Find the compliment at the 3:05 mark.) “You have everything: range, you have rasp, you have passion.”
Levine isn’t Wade’s coach. That’s Pharrell Williams, who paired Wade with Frank Sinatra inspired singer Griffin for a battle in which only one can remain on Williams’ team. The two were asked to sing “the Aretha Franklin version of ‘Maybe I’m Amazed’” by guest mentor Alicia Keys. (The song is a Paul McCartney original, of course.)
“I love ‘Maybe I’m Amazed,’ Wade says during an interview posted to YouTube. “I love it to my bones.”
You can hear it. Wade gives what appears to be an effortless performance dripping in smooth soul. Wade’s competitor Griffin hits some high, high, high notes that leave the judges impressed, too. (See it below.) Look out for Williams’ smirk mid-battle, as if to show maybe he’s amazed at what fellow judge Blake Shelton later calls “one of the greatest battles we’ve ever had on this show.”
Perhaps they’re just doing a good job of drumming up interest for our local guy. But those are big words.
The other local contestants who will be featured on the battle rounds are Taylor Phelan, from Dallas; Reagan James, from Burleson; and Kelli Douglas, from DeSoto.
The Voice does offer a sneak peek interview between Phelan and Jordy Searcy before they perform a battle to the song “Break Even” by The Script. (See that below.) Expect to see Phelan on the show on Tuesday night.
We’ll be keeping an eye out for videos from James and Douglas, too.