Why Reba Got Choked Up After Jordan Rainer’s “Compelling,” “On-the-Nail” Playoff
"Jordan knows exactly what she wants and how she wants to do it," Coach Reba McEntire said on The Voice.
"What I’ve always said is I want my Artists to move me, to entertain me, to make me feel something," Coach Reba McEntire said on Monday night's episode of The Voice as the hit competition series entered the second stage of Playoffs.
That was certainly the case when 33-year-old Jordan Rainer took the stage, banjo in hand, to perform "Boondocks" by Little Big Town, a kind of "swampy" (in a good way!) song that perfectly reflects the contestant's bucolic upbringing in rural Oklahoma.
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"I grew up down a little dirt road in the boondocks around horses and coyotes and snakes and a little log house," said Rainer, who grew up in the city of Atoka (not far from where Reba herself came of age). "When you’re a little kid, you’re taught, ‘Hey, don’t go outside without boots on because if the grass is a little too tall, you’ll get snake-bit. There’s a lyric in that song that says, ‘I can feel that muddy water running through my veins.’ I was born on the Red River, that Red River mud is thick in my bones."
It seemed that Reba already had her mind made up during rehearsals when the first-time Coach proclaimed: "Jordan knows exactly what she wants and how she wants to do it. She’s witty, she’s got a different look, and we need her in country music.”
Jordan Rainer sings "Boondocks" by Little Big Town on The Voice Season 24 Playoffs
By the end of Rainer's Playoffs performance, the Coaches were in awe and had nothing but praise for the Team Reba hopeful. "Every time you come out here, it feels like you’re gig already," said Season 23 champion, Niall Horan. "To have that natural stage presence every single week — vocally, musically, everything is perfect every time. So good. You have to go through!”
"I think that that song felt so you and today was just right on the nail," echoed Gwen Stefani. "You just had so much control over that song with your voice, the way you played it, everything. I loved every second of it."
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John Legend piggybacked on Stefani's feedback, adding that the people "who deserve to be in the Lives" are the contestants who exemplify a concrete sense of musical identity. "And Jordan, you’ve been doing that this entire competition," Legend affirmed. "It’s so clear, it’s so compelling — we all want to watch you."
As for Reba, well, the Queen of Country was literally in tears and "so proud" of her mentee. "You represent Southeastern Oklahoma so well with your humor, your great attitude, your look, your talent, your versatility," McEntire said.
And so, Jordan Rainer is officially moving on to the Live Shows as Part of this season's Top 12 alongside fellow team members Jacquie Roar (singing "The Chain" by Fleetwood Mac) and Ruby Leigh ("Long Long Time" by Linda Ronstadt).
Will Team Reba take home a victory during her first season as Coach? Find out by tuning in to The Voice Mondays and Tuesdays at 8/7c on NBC, and streaming next day on Peacock.
