After Jared Shoemaker and Drew Russell “crushed” their March 2026 mega viral duet on Stevie Nicks and Don Henley’s “Leather and Lace,” The Voice fans said Jared is the next Bob Seger! Jared’s raspy tones on the early ‘80s classic had the coaches raving, with John Legend declaring Jared was one of his favorite vocalists in the competition, and that he sounded like a “star” and the “real deal.” It’s easy to understand why this magical duet had Kelly Clarkson trying to set them up as a touring duo!
Drew began the folk rock ballad with a heartfelt vocal that had fans comparing her to Stevie Nicks. Jared then kicked into gear, delivering a vocal that was just all star power, blending a whispery midrange and a delectable high range that had the coaches all shook up. Once they started harmonizing, it was clear it was an instant classic The Voice moment. Out of all The Voice duets this season, The Music Man has to say this one sounded the most like a masterclass from two hitmakers.
The Voice uploaded Jared and Drew’s duet on March 21, 2026, where it hit 3.3 million views across two uploads in a little over a week. This made it one of the biggest performances of the whole season so far. Fans were loving the chemistry and added comments such as “Jared sounds like a young Bob Seger. Amazing warmth in his voice. Like butter” and “They could release this today and I’d buy it! They complement each other so well. I don’t want either one voted off!”
Jared came out of the gate strong on The Voice, with his blind audition on Zach Top’s “I Never Lie” dropping on March 10, 2026. The 32-year-old Navy veteran impressed from the first note with a husky opening verse as he accompanied himself on acoustic guitar. Jared turned only Adam Levine’s chair during his audition. After hearing Jared’s smash hit take on “Leather and Lace,” no doubt Adam is very happy about that decision!
The powerful performances from both singers on “Leather and Lace” left Adam in the unenviable position of having to choose just one out of the two. The Music Man readers might not be surprised to hear that Adam chose Jared, sending Drew home. With the huge popularity of “Leather and Lace,” Jared is now in a commanding position in The Voice running this season. Media outlets have begun speculating that he may win the competition. After they both lavished praise on Jared, it seems that John and Kelly might be wishing Jared was on their team!