Slater Nalley Honors Reba McEntire With Performance During Ladies’ Night On American Idol
American Idol contestant Slater Nalley tipped his hat to country queen Reba McEntire with his performance during Sunday night’s (May 4) episode. It was Ladies’ Night on Idol, as each contestant covered songs recorded by extraordinary female artists.

There was also a lot of pressure weighing on the night. By the end of the show, the Top 10 became the Top 8, as Idol inches closer to its upcoming season finale.

 

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Before their performances, the Top 10 contestants received guidance from guest mentor Miranda Lambert. Mattie Pruitt ended up covering one of Lambert’s songs, “The House that Built Me.”

Nalley honored another trailblazing female country artist with his Ladies’ Night performance. He covered “Whoever’s in New England” by Reba McEntire.

McEntire released “Whoever’s in New England” in 1986 as the lead single from her album of the same title. The song reached #1 on the Hot Country Songs chart and led McEntire to win her first Grammy award. She also created her first-ever music video to accompany the track.

Idol Judges React To Slater’s Rendition Of “Whoever’s In New England”

Slater Nalley, who’s 18 years old, wasn’t even born when Reba released “Whoever’s in New England.” But as he’s proven during his time on the show, he’s a big fan of older country songs.

Nalley handled his cover of “Whoever’s in New England” with respect and care. His poignant performance clearly struck a chord with the judges, and judge Luke Bryan appeared teary-eyed while listening to him sing.

Guest mentor Miranda Lambert, who was watching from the side of the stage, also had tears in her eyes. During rehearsals with her, Nalley debated whether he would go for a high note during the song. He went for that note and hit it with a burst of power, giving everyone goosebumps.

Judge Carrie Underwood complimented Nalley’s courage to go big in that moment, saying, “You went for it, and I think it paid off.”

Bryan said Nalley’s song choice was a huge surprise, but it worked perfectly. He complimented not only his vocal performance but also his guitar playing, saying, “What a cool move you just made by picking that song…“

America was also impressed with Nalley’s performance. By the end of the evening, it was revealed he earned enough votes to advance into the Top 8! Viewers will now get the chance to watch him sing again on Monday evening (May 5).

In the meantime, watch the video below to see Slater Nalley pay tribute to Reba McEntire with his version of “Whoever’s in New England.”