Gritty Fort Worth singer lands on NBC’s The Voice

Look out for Joe Kirkland from Artist vs Poet.

If you’re looking to root for a local, a Fort Worth singer made it onto Team Adam last night in the Season 3 premiere of NBC’s The Voice.

Joe Kirkland, front man for local power pop band Artist vs Poet, performed a version of All-American Rejects’ “Gives You Hell” in the blind auditions. Both Adam Levine and Blake Shelton hit their buttons during the performance, but Shelton only made a half-hearted effort to land Kirkland on his team, seemingly resigned to the inevitable, based on Kirkland’s vocal style. After some banter, Kirkland (predictably) picked Levine.

Another Texan made it through the first night of blind auditions: Devyn DeLoera of Snyder, Texas, landed on Christina Aguilera’s team after performing one of Aguilera’s own songs, “Ain’t No Other Man.”