Robert Hunter is a Sheriff’s Deputy, serving warrants in North Carolina. By night, he sings and plays guitar. But all the time, he’s a husband and dad, and it was his adorable family that made The Voice Coach Kelsea Ballerini squeal with delight after his Blind Audition for Season 27 tonight.

“Tomorrow is never promised,” Hunter explained, reflecting on a friend in law enforcement he lost in the line of duty.

Robert Hunter sings Kody Johnson’s “‘Til You Can’t” on The Voice Season 27 Blinds

With that in mind, Hunter performed a stirring rendition of “‘Til You Can’t” by Kody Johnson that made Ballerini turn around and tell her fellow Coaches to stay “out of my way.” His deep, rich voice got a chair turn from Coach Michael Bublé as well, marking the umpteenth time these two Coaches have gone head-to-head over an Artist.

“I love the power in your voice. It sounded like a passion performance,” said John Legend. Meanwhile, Adam Levine contextualized Hunter with the many, many Artists that he’s heard in Blinds over the years (he was a Coach from Season 1 through Season 16, making this his 17th time in the chair). “Eighty [Artists] times 17 equals… a lot,” he said, explaining, “I’ve retired from turning around for country artists… country musicians hate me.”

Kelsea Ballerini smiling while holding a trophy and boot on The Voice Season 27, Episode 1.
Kelsea Ballerini on The Voice Season 27, Episode 1. Photo: Trae Patton/NBC

Bublé joked that he needs to “learn [his] lesson” about turning for Country artists, but tried his best to do a Southern accent and even made up a little song about “cowboys in Calgary,” referencing his Canadian heritage. “I’m new here, but I’m also now in country,” said Ballerini, getting out her Coach gift for the season: “I’m gonna bring out the big guns. I have boots.”

As it turned out, though, Hunter wasn’t the one the Coaches needed to impress. To help him make his decision, the singer brought his wife and his 3-year-old daughter Mary Blake on stage, asking her, “Mary Blake, who’s your favorite singer?” Mary Blake leaned into the microphone and said adorably, “Kelsea Ballerina.” Her favorite song is Ballerini’s “IF YOU GO DOWN (I’M GOIN’ DOWN TOO),” and Ballerini immediately jumped out of her seat to give Mary Blake a hug.

Ballerini and Ballerina is an easy enough mistake to make, but the “Penthouses” singer said she’d change her name to whatever Mary Blake wanted. “She coulda said broccoli and I woulda gone by broccoli,” she joked.