She’s not old enough to vote, or drink booze, though Ruby Leigh can sing like a seasoned pro.
The 16-year-old closed out the Playoffs Monday night (Nov. 27) on The Voice with a performance that was mature beyond her years.
Leigh, a native of Foley, Missouri, was recruited to Team Reba following an impressive Blind Audition, when she covered Patsy Montana’s 1935 “I Want To Be a Cowboy’s Sweetheart.”
The youngster has mastered the art of yodeling, a talent that earned her a four-chair turn.
Then, in the knockout rounds, Leigh punched her ticket with her own take on LeAnn Rimes’s 1996 breakthrough cover of Bill Mack’s “Blue.”
On the latest episode of this current, 24th season, Leigh shone with a version of Linda Ronstadt’s 1970 classic “Long Long Time.”
Dressed in an all-black ensemble, complete with white tassels, Leigh looks the part. And she sure sounds it. The yodel was a part of the mix, but never overused.
“I think that if there was just a young girl that’s 16 years old that can sing like you and could make a record like that, the world would be saved,” Gwen Stefani later enthused.
John Legend, like his fellow judges, has been a fan since day nought. “It’s quite stunning that, at your age, you can sound like you’ve been through so much. I know you haven’t been through that much,” Legend explained. “The power of your voice is really stunning.”
Niall Horan chimed in, “that was so beautiful. I’m really, really emotional.”
Coach Reba McEntire was proud as punch. “I would watch mama when I would be on stage, and she would be drawn up in a knot watching me,” she remarked. “Nobody wanted to sit by mama because she was squeezing their hand so tight. I know how she feels now. You just got it all together. I’m just so proud of you, and your performance today was stellar.”
With that performance, Leigh progresses into the Live round, alongside Team Reba’s Jordan Rainer and Jacquie Roar.
The Voice’s Live shows kick off next Monday, Dec. 4 on NBC.
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