<\/p>\n
\n\tSometimes, even a young artist can carry the weight of time, of life lived, in their vocals. <\/p>\n
Lila Forde showed the world those talents when she stopped by NBC\u2019s The Voice<\/em> on Monday night (Oct. 9) for her Blind Audition. <\/p>\n Performing at the keys, Forde has a vintage voice. It\u2019s fused at the hip with soul and soil and a touch of country, the type we\u2019ve all heard speaking to us from the radio over the years, wondering where on earth that came from. <\/p>\n For the younger generation, think Florence Welch and Freya Ridings. And some of us older fogies, Joni Mitchell and Carole King.<\/p>\n Like a hawk, Gwen Stefani swooped fast on that buzzer. John Legend turned next, then Reba McEntire and Niall Horan finished fourth, smacking that thing with his fist.<\/p>\n Following her performance of Blind Faith\u2019s \u201cCan\u2019t Find My Way Home,\u201d and her four-chair turn, Forde gave a wide smile. For a moment, it looked as though emotion had sucked the wind from her sails.<\/p>\n \u201cThat song could not have been more perfect if you tried,\u201d Niall Horan remarked. \u201cYou looked so comfortable up there at the piano. Your tone has so many parts to it.\u201d<\/p>\n It was a performance \u201cthat reminded me of everything I love about music.\u201d And then, yes, the first sales pitch. <\/p>\n Stefani stepped up her game by taking off her shoes, walking towards the contestant, and delivering her own pitch. \u201cWhat the world needs, we want a singer-songwriter with a true point of view, that\u2019s original, unique, that\u2019s not trying to be anyone else,\u201d she enthused. \u201cAnd the way you performed it, the confidence, it\u2019s everything I love. It was so good, so beautiful.\u201d<\/p>\n The cover \u201cwas magical,\u201d reckoned Legend, \u201cwhat I heard was wisdom, you understood everything you were saying, every nuance\u2026everything felt completely under your control.\u201d<\/p>\n Speaking last, McEntire remarked, \u201cyou are an old soul. You\u2019re mature beyond your years.\u201d<\/p>\n Hailing from Seattle, the daughter of a musical mom, Forde plies her trade on the Los Angeles gig circuit. With four Voice<\/em> judges beckoning her, begging for her, the choice was all Forde\u2019s to make. And she selected Team Legend. Watch below.<\/p>\n