‘The Voice’: See How Reba McEntire Reacted to ‘Jolene’ Performance

Martin Holmes October 31, 2023, 8:00 am

Reba McEntire had a seriously tough decision on her hands on Monday’s (October 30) edition of The Voice after two of her team members delivered a performance of Dolly Parton‘s country classic “Jolene.”

Ruby Leigh and Al Boogie faced off in the latest round of Battles, both bringing incredible energy to the stage. Leigh, who earned a four-chair turn during the Blind Auditions for her impressive yodeling, was the favorite going in, but Boogie gave his best performance yet, showing off his stunning vocals and his rich tone.

The coaches were full of praise for both performers, with Niall Horan particularly impressed with Boogie, who had previously auditioned for the show last season but failed to get a chair turn.

“That tone… so infectious. It’s like a different man that was here last year,” Horan said. “The way you held some of those low notes alongside Ruby’s different range was just so impressive.”

We can easily understand why Al Boogie and Ruby Leigh are in the battles! #TheVoice pic.twitter.com/AM0hn0bjhE

— The Voice (@NBCTheVoice) October 31, 2023

However, the One Direction star was also blown away by Leigh, telling her, “Not a foot wrong. Your tone is so beautiful. And I was so excited to hear you again because what happened here at your Blind Audition was one of my most memorable moments I’ve had on the show.”

Ultimately, Horan told McEntire he was leaning towards Leigh, and Gwen Stefani shared similar sentiments.

“I forgot you were 16, Ruby,” Stefani told the young singer. “Just the way your presence is on stage, you didn’t look like a teenager, didn’t sound like a teenager. I had chills up and down my body when you said ‘cry’ because you yodeled it, and it was stunningly perfect.”

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The “Hollerback Girl” singer also complimented Boogie’s stage presence and his “beautiful” voice. “This is a really hard decision,” she added. “I would say Ruby in some ways, but that’s not fair because Al Boogie, you are amazing.”

John Legend praised both performers, telling them they’re “compelling” and both “connected to the lyrics.” He also said that Boogie started out as “an underdog” because of his one chair turn compared to Leigh’s four, plus him singing a song about being a woman scorned.

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“The inclination would be this is all pointing to Ruby, but you killed it, man,” Legend told Boogie.

In the end, though, it was up to McEntire to make the final decision. She told both that she loved the “wonderful” performance and how it “showed the versatility of you both,” and told Al that he “knocked it out of the ballpark.”

The Queen of Country said she was “very, very proud” of both performers, but ultimately Reba had to choose between them, admitting “I hate this part.” In the end the winner of the Battle was Leigh, who will now move on to the Three-Way Knockouts for Team Reba.

The Voice, Season 24, Mondays, 8/7c, and Tuesdays, 9/8c, NBC