Idan Raichel 'dug' again — but this time he was the only one who was right

There are few spots left on the The Voice team, and the battle is heating up. In today's audition episode, we got one of the strongest contestants of the season, without a doubt. I am talking, of course, about Omri Sabach, who gave an audition for the pantheon. Omri, for those who don't know, is responsible for the hit that conquered an entire country, "Ad HaMidbar" ("Until the Desert"). Although his song succeeded to a great extent and became a crazy hit on the radio and on the networks, the long-awaited success did not follow. Omri describes something that many artists experience: the field of music is one of the most complex there is. Omri said that at his peak he would perform three times a day, but slowly it faded, and he found himself struggling to make a living. I personally know many singers who work an extra job to fund their career, and therefore his sharing is so significant.

Omri is essentially exposing the hard sides of the industry, those that are usually found under the rug in flashy reality shows. When the mentors sold Omri a dream and made promises left and right, it was clear that he was not easily impressed. A person who has experienced the industry on his own skin knows that there is no instant, you don't come to a reality show and suddenly become a singer with a career. That's why I connected very much to the criticism of Idan Raichel, who, as always, brings things back to the ground of reality. He said that Omri does not need short-term promises, and that he needs someone who will know how to take him through a path that will also stand the test of reality.

In the audition itself, Omri sings amazingly. His voice is so perfect that at moments it feels like AI. He took the song "Ani Lo Mafsik Lehitragesh Mimech" ("I don't stop getting excited by you") and managed to make it his own. At least from my initial impression, Omri is a finalist and perhaps even a winner. Of course, the judges were also very impressed, and three mentors turned to him. Static literally recognized Omri within a few seconds, only by his great voice. Of course, the network did not miss the opportunity to ride on Omri's hit, and he was asked by Static to give him a renewed performance in the studio.

Although all the mentors fought for him, Static, in a dramatic moment, took off the masks and said that their combination was meant to happen. They have known each other for many years, and Static feels that it is much more than television. He appealed to Omri's heart and declared that he knows what to do with him and that this is the most right choice for him. After such a fiery speech, it's hard to get confused. The contestants on The Voice should, in my opinion, always choose the mentor who wants them the most, as he is the one who decides at what stage to part with them. Therefore, it is better to bet on the one who connects with them most naturally. Omri is going with Static, and in my opinion, this is definitely the right choice.

Another inspiring audition belongs to Yair Nahon. And for this casting, Reshet should send flowers to Keshet. Yair competed a decade ago in the program of the bitter enemy, "Beit Sefer LeMusica" ("Music School"), and it seems he left a mark, because he was familiar to me and the judges from there. Yair moved me very much when he told that despite his visual impairment, he does not give up on himself and performs with singing and acting. The fact that he does not give up on himself surely makes others who deal with a similar impairment believe that they too can, and that is already a huge mission. At the end of the audition, both Static and Idan Raichel turn to him. Here, the "uncle" comes out of Raichel again, and he wants to tell not one story, but two.

Never mind me, the cynic who has no strength for stories, it seems that his colleagues are already tired of it too, when Eden Ben Zaken and Noa Kirel teased him about the endless amount of stories. After Raichel tells about another albino singer who inspires him and gave him a lesson about the song he chose, he leaves disappointed. It seems that his stories did not buy Yair, who preferred to go to Static's team. To tell the truth, I felt that Idan Raichel was a more accurate choice for him, and he also fought for him more, to my taste. But with his talent, it doesn't matter who the mentor is.

And now to the question that I can't really answer, and it concerns all the mentors alike. Why do they sometimes turn when they are not really interested in the contestant? It happened in almost every episode, but I have a current example from this episode. When Ofek Levi came up for an audition, on one hand it was evident that he had talent, but my feeling was that it was a nice performance. I very much agreed with Idan Raichel who said that the song was a bit too big for him and made one miss the original singer, the late Yishai Levi. But precisely Static, Noa Kirel and Eden Ben Zaken thought otherwise and turned to him. Static definitely fought for him, but Eden less so. She reminded him that other excellent mentors turned to him, as if hinting for him to choose them.

Noa Kirel also said a few nice words, but admitted that usually she does not turn to Mediterranean singers because she has less to contribute to his genre. And here I am really trying to understand: why did Noa and Eden turn? Because when they want to convince, they definitely know how to storm the target. And the other mentors did it on other occasions too. I, of course, don't know what the reason is, but I can assume that there is a production desire here to create drama, so that there will be a sense of tension around the question of who the contestant will choose. But when the fight is so fake and sleepy, tension is not really created, and it just doesn't add anything. At the end of the fake battle, the only mentor who insisted also succeeded, and Ofek chose Static.

Immediately after that, Bnia Shanani came up, who had already managed to be on The Voice in his previous incarnation seven years ago. Bnia has a beautiful voice, but the excitement was evident and I felt that he sometimes ran away from the rhythm a bit. Of course, the situation is stressful and that is the most natural thing, but the audition was far from perfect. Despite this, Eden Ben Zaken heard his potential and turned. Bnia promised that he would make the rest of the mentors regret not turning, and I am waiting to see if that will happen.

Last but not least, Danit Shemesh and Yahav Dray. Both had good auditions, but the team is already limited and there are fewer places to take. With Danit, the performance was not bad, but the choice of song ruined it for her. "Mon amour" is a difficult song, and the original performer Slimane has a huge voice that is hard to resist. In contrast, Yahav presented a very special voice, but the excitement took over her and clouded the performance. Although both did not pass, it doesn't mean anything, and they will have many more opportunities. And so ended another audition episode.