Prince and Jennifer Hudson perform during the ‘Welcome 2 Tour’.

Mary J. Blige didn’t quite deliver the stellar cover of ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’ that many had hoped to hear at the 2012 iHeartRadio Music Festival. So, Prince selected another soulful singer with a smoother set of pipes to handle the song at his ‘Welcome 2 Tour’ in Chicago – Jennifer Hudson.

Easily belting each note and soaring through the octaves without strain, Hudson proved that she has one of the best voices in music today. Yes, she clearly lacks an understanding of music and she even recycled several vocal runs from previous shows – her 2011 Grammy Awards tribute to Aretha Franklin and her cover of ‘I Will Always Love You’ – but she definitely did much better with ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’ than Blige.

Watch Hudson flex her vocals chops alongside Prince at the ‘Welcome 2 Tour’ in Chicago below:

Photo via Dr. Funkenberry!

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