Ricky, I’ve found another man on The Voice will.i.am

THE seducer Ricky Martin takes on the producer will.i.am in a new season of the TV sensation The Voice. There’s only one winner.

DEAR Ricky, hola mi amigo and welcome back to our small screen.

Can I just start by saying how good you’re looking again this season? That stubble is working for you, man (and will no doubt work for your devoted fans, who can I add are the best in the business).

Listen, Ricky, we need to talk about the return of The Voice and how things are going down this year.

Remember how Australian fans of the Channel 9 series fell for you, the new recruit, what with all your Latin charm and your Puerto Rican passion?

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THE VOICE SERIES TWO: Kylie Minogue and will.i.am added

Hola ... The undisputed hunk of The Voice Ricky Martin has lost his crown. Picture: Channel Nine.

Don’t get me wrong, you’ve brought that back in spades but it’s just I’m, well, diggin’ on the new new guy, will.i.am this season.

It’s not you, really, it’s him with his cheeky grin and witty one-liners; his effortless chic and his machine gun mind, slaying contestants with his rapid-fire philosophies on everything from music to movies, science to the slate of A-list superstars he has on speed dial.

As you’ve told me, he has that “tick tick tick” brain which just makes me crazy mad in love with him.

Frankly, watching you rise to up to his challenge, like the bullfighter we know you to be, has been sexy hot to watch during the prerecorded blind auditions, which start on Nine this Sunday night (6.30pm).

Sure, he may try to steal some of your Spanish-speaking thunder, telling one contestant he’s the “Chocolate Latino” but as he says: “I’m the producer, Ricky’s the seducer.”

Willpower ... The Voice’s new coach will.i.am is the new star attraction. Picture: Channel Nine

You know what else I like about the new coaching dynamic this year, with Kylie Minogue picking up where Delta Goodrem left off and Joel Madden back being Joel?

We’ve all been spared those sanctimonious sermons from Seal and man, does the tight edit of the first episode set a cracking pace because of it.

From the top of the show, the coaches’ performance of The Script’s hit Hall Of Fame (which featured will.i.am on the original track) is a punchy opening flourish, as well as an obvious teaser to what fortunes could follow for the aspiring artists.

Complaints about folksy song choices last year should also play out better with a bit of everything in the first show — from diva-licious dance numbers to a quirky take on Miley Cyrus’ Wrecking Ball and a bit of Billy Joel for good measure.

Contestant Anja Nissen ... Performing in front of Ricky Martin, Joel Madden, Kylie Minogue and will.i.am. Picture: Channel Nine.

Three seasons in, the contestants are little more clued into what is required — relying less on complicated back stories and more on monster vocals to turn those big red chairs (watch for rocker Frank Lakoudis and power songstress Anja Nissen, in particular).

And where Seal turned his platform into a pulpit, will.i.am plays teacher.

Some of the best moments during the blind auditions weren’t always when some soaring voice got four chairs to turn but rather when will.i.am schools contestants in why their song choices didn’t work.

It’s an education as much for the audience as it is the performers who go away with more than just a pocketful of platitudes.

: The Voice coaches Joel Madden, Kylie Minogue, Ricky Martin and wil.i.am. Pic/Nine.

If The Voice has marked itself as being a safe place for a broader range of singers, then will.i.am fits this format like Michael Jackson’s glove.

From his hip hop prowess with The Black Eyed Peas, to penning hits for balladeers like John Legend, or producing pop albums for everyone from Britney Spears to Justin Bieber, the guy is a musical genius who will win over the audience with his brains as much as his #willpower personality.

I’m sorry to say, Ricky, but in 2014 I’m Team Will.

The Voice, 6.30pm, Sunday, Channel 9

Blog live with Holly Byrnes (eastern states only) from 6.30pm Sunday.