Singer-songwriter from Arkansas competes on ‘The Voice’

A singer-songwriter from Arkansas failed to advance to the next round during blind auditions Monday on the NBC singing competition The Voice.

Hannah Blaylock of Nimrod appeared on the show nearly five years after she stepped away from a musical career with the band Edens Edge. The trio signed with a country music label in 2009 and toured with Rascal Flatts, Brad Paisley and The Voice judge Blake Shelton.

She had hoped to follow the success of fellow Arkansan Barrett Baber, who was a member of Team Blake that finished third on the show’s ninth season.

“An opportunity like this would give me a chance to expose the voice I’ve created on my own,” she said on the show before her tryout.

The 31-year-old sang a rendition of “Baby, Now That I’ve Found You” by country singer Alison Krauss, but her performance failed to persuade the judges to choose her for their team.

During blind auditions, coaches face away from performers, and if they are impressed, they push a button that selects the artist for their team. If no one pushes a button, the singer is eliminated.

When the judges turned around, Shelton recognized his former tourmate and said he didn’t push the button because he already had artists on his team who had a similar sound.

“I feel bad about Hannah,” he said on the show. “She did a good performance. I’m being really picky right now. I need something special.”

Fellow judges Adam Levine and Kelly Clarkson expressed interest in Blaylock, with Clarkson calling her voice beautiful. However, Clarkson said she was waiting for “one thing that I just didn’t hear.”

Blaylock could return to the show by winning a digital series called “The Comeback Stage,” which debuted this season and allows a select number of unsuccessful artists to compete for a spot in the live playoffs.

The Voice airs at 7 p.m. Mondays and Tuesdays on NBC.

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