Maiya Sykes and Elyjuh Rene sing 'If I Ain't Got You' (VIDEO)

Maiya Sykes and Elyjuh Rene sang 'If I Ain't Got You' by Alicia Keys on The Voice 2014 Season 7 Battle Round on Monday, October 13, 2014 for Team Pharrell Williams. Who won the battle?

Elyjuh absolutely flips his lid when he sees Alicia Keys is Pharrell’s guest mentor. However, Pharrell stresses that they don’t need to feel pressure about having to sing ‘If I Ain’t Got You’, because Alicia Keys is someone they both love and adore. Not sure how that doesn’t increase the pressure, but at least Alicia is supportive. In fact, Alicia is one of my favorite celebrities simply for this reason. She just seems to be having the time of her life playing alongside these contestants, discovering just how talented they are.

In the rehearsal session, Maiya actually helps Elyjuh with his technique, showing that while it’s a battle, it doesn’t have to be a cruel contest. That said, it’s going to take a lot for Elyjuh to win this thing, and he seems to recognize this, noting in a confessional that Maiya has way more experience than he does. But Maiya isn’t sleeping on Elyjuh either, intending to bring everything she’s got in order to avoid having to go back to singing at weddings.

This was a great battle. Not only were their individual segments fantastic, their harmonies were absolutely stunning. Elyjuh didn’t hit every note he went for, including the dodgy high note he had trouble with in rehearsal, but his tone is just so lovely. That said, I thought Maiya blew him out of the water. Not that Elyjuh doesn’t give it to her at the end, delivering a sustained closing note that’s among the most stunningly excellent closings to a battle I’ve seen on this show.

Preparation video:

Watch the full performance video of Maiya Sykes and Elyjuh Rene singing 'If I Ain't Got You' here:

Download MP3: If I Ain't Got You

Gwen thinks Elyjuh owned the moment, but notes that Maiya was downright electric, so she’s glad she doesn’t have to choose. Adam admits that Elyjuh and Maiya did the song better than his band did with their own cover. However, he’s giving the edge to Elyjuh. Blake felt like he was at the Grammys, watching two world-class performers ply their craft. But, much like Adam, Blake is leaning towards Elyjuh. Pharrell has no idea whom to choose, saying they offer two different singing styles.

Battle Round Results

Coach Pharrell Williams selected as the winner.

Coach	Steal	Results

Download MP3: If I Ain't Got You

Note: Text written by Nick Roman

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