Kelly Clarkson and Blake Shelton already picking favorites on season 23?The new season kicked off on Monday with the first round of Blind Auditions, and while Blake joked that Niall Horan has the art of deception down enough to fill his departing boots, Kelly took up Chance the Rapper's corner when she got blocked by «Blockhead Blake» for the chance to land St. Louis singer Neil Salsich.Neil's acoustic, singer-songwriter style leaned towards country and folk influences, so Chance knew he had an uphill battle ahead of him, but he took his best shot.«I'm not very familiar with country music, but the texture of your voice, the tone, the range that you have, and also, the runs, this could be interesting,» the rapper offered.