After winning the ninth season of The Voice, Kentucky singer/songwriter Jordan Smith climbed the charts with his 2016 debut, Something Beautiful, which highlighted his powerful vocals in a set comprising mostly covers of traditional standards. On his 2018 follow-up, Only Love, Smith came into his own, recruiting pop producers for uplifting originals. The Harlan, Kentucky-bred Smith honed his talents as a singer with the Lee University Singers as a soloist, section leader, and, eventually, vice president of the ensemble, performing for both President Barack Obama and the Vatican. His wide vocal range helped him on notable covers of Adele's "Set Fire to the Rain," Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah," and Beyoncé's "Halo." A cover of Selah's "Great Is Thy Faithfulness" helped him top the Christian charts in late 2015. On The Voice, he auditioned with his take on Sia's "Chandelier," which resulted in standing ovations from all four judges. Although he got a hug from Gwen Stefani, he ultimately chose Adam Levine's team. In the finale, he beat Blake Shelton's Emily Ann Roberts to claim the top spot. A compilation of songs Smith sang on the show was released at the end of 2015. Smith's first LP, Something Beautiful, arrived in spring 2016 and peaked at number two on the Billboard 200. He returned to the chart that fall with the holiday album 'Tis the Season, which reached the 11th slot. After co-writing Céline Dion's Deadpool 2 contribution, "Ashes," he entered the studio to record his sophomore album, Only Love (Republic Records). Teaming with RedOne (Lady Gaga, Nicki Minaj) for a batch of original compositions that he co-penned, Smith also recruited Andy Grammer for "When It's Real" and John Legend for "End in Love." ~ Neil Z. Yeung