Photo: NBC
Reba McEntire couldn’t help feeling “emotional” after a Georgia singer’s blind audition on The Voice during the season premiere on Monday evening (September 22).
Manny Costello, a father of two from Athens, Georgia, delivered a powerful rendition of “Almost Home” by Craig Morgan. Costello earned chair turns from McEntire and Snoop Dogg. The two artists returned as coaches for the show’s 28th season, alongside Niall Horan and Michael Bublé. McEntire said Costello’s performance reminded her of some of the genre’s legends, including George Jones, Merle Haggard and Randy Travis.
“You made me homesick,” McEntire said. “It took me back to all the greats that I have been so fortunate to get to listen to in my life. You’ve gotten qualities from George Jones and Haggard, and there’s a little Randy in there, and it’s just a great combination. This — gosh dang. Why am I getting so emotional? …It’s tears of joy because I am…I feel very blessed to have been in the country music business all these years, so you just triggered something that needed to come out and say, ‘happy to be here!’ And I’m very glad that you’re here, and I’d love you on my team.”
Snoop Dogg said Costello’s voice reminded him of working on a song with Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson. Snoop said, “emotionally, speaking, your music and your voice just sounds like it deserves to be on this show.” He welcomed the Georgia singer to the competition. Horan said it was the “biggest compliment” that the performance “moved the queen of country music to tears.”
“I love to encourage,” McEntire said of The Voice in an interview with iHeartCountry earlier this year. “I can’t tell anybody, ‘Don’t do this. Go get a job. You’re not suited for this.’ But the way that we get to do the – I don’t say critique – advice, it’s helpful advice. It’s not tear-down. We want to lift up. We want to inspire. We want to encourage, not tear down. They get enough of that out there in the world.”
Ultimately, Costello opted for Team “Queen” Reba on The Voice. Watch his blind audition here: