Neil Salsich isn’t strictly a country singer, but the guy sure can yodel. That’s partly why he became a standout contestant on “The Voice” Monday night, during the Season 23 debut.

Salsich, a full-time musician from St. Louis, Missouri, covered Hank Williams’ “Honky Tonk Blues” during the blind auditions on the NBC reality series, inspiring all four coaches to turn their chairs, indicating they wanted Salsich on their teams. Country star Blake Shelton was so impressed by Salsich, he immediately blocked one of his fellow coaches, Kelly Clarkson, making sure she had no shot at the singer.

“Your vibe is so cool, man. It’s like old school country,” Clarkson said. “Your falsetto is incredible and you also maintain this, like, throaty raspiness that’s really cool.”

“That’s a Hank Williams Sr. song, but I hear you kind of doing a yodel thing, and it was incredible,” Shelton said. “I’d be honored for you to be on the last Team Blake.”

“I’m not very familiar with country music, but the texture of your voice, the tone, the range that you had, and also the runs that you’re doing, this could be interesting,” said Chance the Rapper. “It’s TV; anything could happen. Why not a rapper and a country singer together? And it’d be really cool if I stole the country off Blake. … This guy is the definition of cool. I’m really cool. We could make something happen.”

“Straightaway your voice perked up to me,” Niall Horan said, “because I feel like you’re a seasoned veteran. Country, storytelling, it’s my thing!”

Salsich debated for a few seconds, but ended up choosing Shelton as his coach. The country star, who’s in his final season on “The Voice,” has a track record for picking and mentoring winners, and has coached nine “Voice” champs to date.

“We’re going all the way, Blake!” Salsich said.

Shelton’s block of Clarkson was strategic, as Chance and Horan (formerly of the band One Direction) are new coaches this season with no obvious background in country music. Clarkson, a veteran judge, knows country and can be very persuasive when coaxing favored contestants to join her team. She’s also led a couple of contestants to victory, with wins by Jake Hoot and Girl Named Tom.

Salsich, who performs in the band the Mighty Pines, kicked off the auditions during Monday’s episode, scoring the first four-chair turn of the season. He still has a long way to go on “The Voice,” but made a promising debut — with some help from a classic tune by an Alabama legend.

“Voice” fans in Alabama will want to keep their eyes peeled for another singer during Season 23. Jerome Godwin, a junior at Auburn University at Montgomery, auditioned for “The Voice” this season and is likely to be featured during the next few episodes.

“The Voice” airs on NBC twice per week: Mondays at 7 p.m. CT and Tuesdays at 8 p.m. CT. Early episodes of the show are filmed in advance.

Alabama’s never had a winner on “The Voice,” but three singers from our state have made it to the finals: Dexter Roberts, who took third place on Season 16; Kirk Jay, who placed third on Season 15; and Red Marlow, who came in fourth during Season 13. Other “Voice” contestants from the state have included Berritt Haynes, Emma Caroline Warren, Levi Watkins, Cam Spinks, Josie Jones and Worth the Wait.