Arab-American singer grabs attention on The Voice US
James Gabrillo
The National
His voice is so enormous, he doesn’t even need a microphone.
That’s what Maroon 5’s Adam Levine, one of the judges on The Voice US, says of an Arab-American contestant who is making waves on the American edition of the reality show.
Laith Al-Saadi, a 38-year-old blues guitarist from Michigan with Iraqi heritage, auditioned for The Voice with a performance of The Letter, a 1967 hit track by The Box Tops.
Two of the four celebrity coaches – Maroon 5’s Adam Levine and country star Blake Shelton – turned their chairs in approval.
Wooing Al-Saadi to join his team, Levine told him: “I think you’re unbelievable – a musician unlike anyone we’ve ever had … Your voice is so enormous, you don’t even need a microphone,” said Shelton.
“A lot of yelling in my house,” Al-Saadi quipped, and picked Levine as his coach.
In a 2014 interview with the Metro Times, Al-Saadi said his sound is influenced by Middle Eastern music: “Particularly in the improvisational areas, I really like the sound of a lot of Middle Eastern scales. I do try to incorporate elements of that. I grew up on [Lebanese singer] Fairuz.”
Soul and growl
On this week’s Battle Rounds, where contestants competed against fellow team members in one-on-one matches, Al-Saadi was paired with a fellow blues guitarist, 20-year-old Matt Tedder. They duetted on The Rolling Stones’s Honky Tonk Women, a performance praised by the other coaches, Christina Aguilera and Pharrell Williams, who told Al-Saadi he was “magical” on stage.
“Laith, your soul, your growl, you would definitely be my choice,” said Aguilera.
Levine picked Al-Saadi as the battle’s winner. He advances to next week’s Knockout rounds, featuring the final 32 contestants.
Source: www.thenational.ae