Season 24 of The Voice is heating up, as the hopefuls look to nail down their places in the competition during the battle rounds. Tuesday night’s (Oct. 17) matchup saw Team Legend’s Deejay Young and Ephraim Owens put their vocal agility to the test to sing Justin Timberlake‘s 2002 hit “Cry Me a River.”
Young and Owens went head-to-head on the rendition of the track, which was peppered with soaring high notes and flashy vocal runs throughout the verse and bridge, before coming together and harmonizing on the chorus.
“You told me you love me/ Why did you leave me all alone?/ Now you tell me you need me/ When you call me on the phone/ Girl, I refuse/ You must have me confused with some other guy/ The bridges were burned/ Now it’s your turn, to cry/ Cry me a river/ Cry me a river/ Cry me a river/ Cry me a river (yeah, yeah),” the pair sang, wowing both the crowd and the judges.
Reba McEntire was impressed with the singers, telling them in her commentary, “You guys are really terrific together. I like the way you engaged the audience. It’s like you’ve been doing this for years together. Deejay, I love your vocals. Your range is out of sight. Ephraim, your attitude was really rocking. I loved it.”
Niall Horan also chimed in, stating that Young and Owen’s voices together were “electric.”
The decision of who remained in the competition lay with coach John Legend. “Both of you have such different voices, but the way you were able to just be really in sync with each other,” he said. “Ephraim, your tone is rich and has depth to it, it was just fun to see you do all the things that make you yourself. Deejay, your voice is so elastic — it can do so many things, and your range is crazy.”
Though both singers had their moment to shine, Legend ultimately picked Young to stay on his team and move on to the knockout rounds.
Watch the pair sing “Cry Me a River” in the video above.
