The Traverse City singer-songwriter takes the next big step this week on the NBC show. Check out the video, plus links to Monday watch parties in Grand Rapids, Lansing, Portage, Leland, Bellaire, Frankfort.
Finding — and Winning Over — America: Joshua Davis performing on “The Voice.”
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Joshua Davis just keeps rolling on “The Voice.”
Buoyed by a highly praised, live rendition of Simon & Garfunkel’s “America,” Davis collected enough votes from viewers to reach the Top 10 of the singing competition as announced Tuesday night during the first half of the popular TV reality show.
Sans Guitar: The singer-songwriter performed without an instrument on Monday.
Yes, in the parlance of NBC’s “The Voice,” he really was “saved by ‘America.’ ” Contestants Brian Johnson and Mia Z were eliminated.
For the first time since the competition began, Davis this week performed without his guitar, something the 37-year-old Traverse City singer-songwriter said on the air that he simply doesn’t do.
“You’re probably going to have to be uncomfortable along the way,” offered show judge, coach and singer Adam Levine.
Celebrity coach and country star Reba McEntire (who noted that when Davis smiles, his “eyes twinkle”) conceded that he would likely feel “naked to the world” without his guitar, but encouraged him to step out from behind the instrument to sing.
The advice paid off, especially with show judges who praised his unique, slightly raspy but sweet rendition of “America” – a version that quickly rose to No. 26 on iTunes U.S. Top 100 chart and No. 4 on “The Voice” chart (behind Sawyer Fredericks, Kimberly Nichole and Meghan Linsey).
DAVIS’ ‘BEST PERFORMANCE YET’
Christina Aguilera called his performance “refreshing,” while Pharrel Williams gushed that it was Davis’ best performance on “The Voice” yet.
Clearly, many fans and voters agreed, many of them from Michigan where Davis not surprisingly has enjoyed overwhelming support.
Ralston Bowles
“This is already a win for Michigan and the galvanizing of musicians who are overjoyed to see one of their own doing so well,” said Davis’ friend, Grand Rapids singer-songwriter Ralston Bowles.
“He went in with tremendous respect as an artist to begin with so all this can do is let more people discover what we here in Michigan already knew: Josh is an amazingly talented guy whose talent is only surpassed by his love for Michigan and his family and friends.”
Folks who downloaded the song from iTunes heaped five-star praise on Davis, too, with one fan calling it “artistry at its finest” and another calling it “beautiful.”
For his part, Davis said he relates to the 1968 tune as a veteran musician who’s spent time on the road. He said the song – which mentions Michigan – “takes me back to the journey I’ve had touring America.”
“The Voice” resumes at 8 p.m. Monday on NBC, with Grand Rapids’ Wealthy Theatre once again planning to host a free watch party for the show. Max Lockwood will be on hand to perform some music as well. Get more information about the theater online at grcmc.org/theatre.
Michael Beauchamp of Red Tail Ring and Nathan Dannison of Who Hit John? will also host a watch party at Celebration Cinema in Portage for Kalamazoo area fans, with Drew Howard and Jen Sygit doing the same at Lansing’s Celebration Cinema.
Other watch parties are being held at The Garden Theatre in Frankfort, The Old Art Building in Leland and the Moka in Bellaire.
VIDEO: JOSHUA DAVIS, “AMERICA”
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