Midlands hits right note in battle to be The Voice

Three singing sensations from the Midlands wowed the judges to secure a place in the next round of hit BBC television contest The Voice.

Black Country Living Museum worker Lindsey Butler, Dudley barmaid Jenny Jones and Kidderminster student Becky Hill received heaps of praise for their performances.

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They were taking part in the last round of blind auditions, which was aired on Saturday night, and had to win over celebrity judges including Jessie J and Will.i.am, whose backs were turned while they sang.

Their success comes as it emerged The Voice is trouncing Britain's Got Talent in the ratings war.

The BBC's singing contest brought in twice as many viewers – 11.8 million – compared with 5.8 million for Simon Cowell's ITV talent show between 8pm and 8.20pm, when the two went head-to-head.

Lindsey, of West Bromwich, was picked to join the team of Welsh singing legend Tom Jones, after her stunning performance of Rod Stewart's I Don't Wanna Talk About It.

He said: "You sounded great to me, you have a great tone and you did wonders with that song. You put your own stamp on it."

Speaking after her audition, the 41-year-old, who works as a demonstrator at the museum, said: I didn't feel particularly nervous before I hit the stage but as I walked towards the microphone, I could feel my knees shaking."

For 25-year-old barmaid Jenny, who runs The Struggling Man pub in Dudley, the shot at stardom comes after she was struck down by meningitis four years ago.

After recovering from her ordeal, the former Bishop Milner Catholic School pupil took the job in the pub and sang for customers while pulling pints. "I realised I was really lucky to pull through it," she said.

Her rendition of Duffy's hit song Mercy left judges Will.i.am and The Script's Danny O'Donoghue fighting over her, with them both wanting her in their team. She picked Will.i.am and revealed after her audition that she could "relate a lot more" to the Black Eyed Peas star's music.

Sixth-form student Becky, 18, said: "I want to be one of those artists people remember in 50 years' time." After her performance of John Legend's hit Ordinary People, she chose Jessie J as her mentor.

All three women have gone through to The Battles round where each judge pits two of their own acts against each other to sing a competitive duet in front of a studio audience. Each judge will pick five of their contestants to put through to live shows.

The winner will be crowned The Voice.

By Heather Large