Kelly Clarkson treated fans to a twangy Reba McEntire cover during the “Kellyoke” segment of her most recent episode of The Kelly Clarkson Show.
Clarkson delved into McEntire’s catalogue from the 1980s, performing “How Blue,” which was the first single off of McEntire’s 1984 album, My Kind of Country. The song was a hit upon its release, marking McEntire’s third career No. 1 on Billboard‘s Hot Country Songs chart and the first chart-topper in a hot streak that lasted well into the ’90s.
Backed by a full band and performed in front of a virtual audience appearing on life-sized screens in their seats, Clarkson’s “How Blue” put a more straight-ahead country spin on McEntire’s bluegrass-tinged original version, but stayed true to the twang of the country legend’s vocals.
It’s no wonder Clarkson has such a knack for emulating McEntire’s classic country stylings: Not only are the pair longtime friends, but they’re also former in-laws. Clarkson married Brandon Blackstock, who is the son of McEntire’s ex-husband, Narvel Blackstock. McEntire and the elder Blackstock divorced in 2015, while Clarkson and her husband parted ways in 2020.
Clarkson has also been known to perform “How Blue” live in duet with McEntire. The pair found a spot for a duet version of the song in their set list during their co-headlining 2008 2 Worlds 2 Voices Tour, where they also sometimes joined forces for a live rendition of McEntire’s hit 1987 single, “One Promise Too Late.”
Clarkson’s “How Blue” performance on her talk show was the latest installment of her “Kellyoke” series, where she covers songs from a wide variety of genres. The singer often opts to go country during the segment, performing songs by artists like Patsy Cline, the Chicks and Blake Shelton.