For the first Battles performance from Team Reba on The Voice on Monday night (Oct. 30) the country legend chose two country singers — Al Boogie and Ruby Leigh — to sing a classic tune from another country legend: Dolly Parton's "Jolene." McEntire stated the influence of Parton as she sat down to rehearse with Boogie and Leigh. In fact, she even shared the story of the first time she met Parton.
"I got to meet her on the first time I ever got to be on the Grand ole Opry in 1977," McEntire said. "They told me I wasn't going to get to do my two songs; I was going to be able to do one song. I said, 'Why?' And they said, 'Because Dolly Parton just pulled in the parking lot and she's going to take one of your songs.'"
"I said, 'Well, shoot. She can take both of them,'" McEntire added. "Can I meet her?"
When Boogie and Leigh stepped on the stage to perform the country classic, they were well prepared by McEntire to deliver a knockout performance. Leigh's voice clearly shone, as the song was in the perfect place for her voice, whereas Boogie needed to change the tune a bit to sing the song. Boogie still had the chance to show his range, however, and he certainly had a few belting moments.
The performance earned a standing ovation from all four coaches. Horan, specifically commented on Boogie's performance, saying his tone is infectious. He remarked that the returning contestant is a "different man" compared to last year. Gwen Stefani praised Leigh's talent, especially considering the fact that she's 16 years old. Legend complimented both singers and mentioned that Leigh possibly had the leg up since the song is from a female perspective.
McEntire undoubtedly had a tough choice ahead of her, saying "I hate this part," but in the end she chose Leigh to move forward in the competition.
"It was a very hard decision because I love Al's singing. I loved his tone, everything about it," McEntire said. "It's just that Ruby has something totally different."
Watch below, and catch The Voice on Monday and Tuesday nights on NBC.
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
