Reba McEntire said Josh Sanders “absolutely nailed it” when he covered a Chris Stapleton anthem on The Voice.
The Team Reba artist delivered his rendition of “White Horse,” which Stapleton unleashed on his latest studio album, “Higher,” in November 2023. Sanders, hailing from Kannapolis, North Carolina, kicked off the live semifinals with a soulful performance that earned a standing ovation and applause from McEntire. Coach John Legend also praised the performance on Monday night (May 13).
McEntire said the performance was “absolutely wonderful. You drew the audience in. We were all leaning forward. Your vocal was incredible. That ending note was so powerful. Stage present, firm, strong. You didn’t smile. You were very tough, just like we talked about.” McEntire added as she reposted the video on X, formerly Twitter, that Sanders “absolutely nailed it!”
Stapleton released “White Horse” last summer. He shared at that time that his wife, Morgane Stapleton, is always the first person to hear any of his songs, including “White Horse.” He said Morgane first thought it was “not the most romantic thing in the world,” though he continued to bring it up and, after recording it in the studio, “I think she might’ve changed her mind on it.” Stapleton wrote the song with Dan Wilson in Los Angeles, California, in late 2012 or early 2013, he said at the time. Inspired by the Lone Ranger movie that was coming out, the pair aimed for a “rock-driven-western-themed song, and that’s kind of where the song came from and we kind of built it around a guitar riff, really.”
Watch Sanders’ performance here: