Wednesday, August 12, 2015

The Voice Australia 4: Top 12

Well, I guess the format remains and we'll eventually lose a great artist from Team Madden and get stuck with a relatively underwhelming Team Ricky or Team Delta. I digress. This week, the performances were almost at par from last week and I saw a couple of potential dark horses in this lot. I hope Australia will be wise enough to pick who should go home next week.

On with the show!

TEAM JESSIE

03. Amber Nichols
Big Girls Cry
She has one of the most special tones I've heard this year, but there's something frustratingly inconsistent with her singing. Not sure if it was technique or phrasing, but this particular performance sounded breathy. 6.5

02. Simi Cuata
Land Of A Thousand Dances
The verses needed work, especially with his diction, but for the most part, this was a pretty interesting performance from Simi. His vocals weren't compromised from all the jumping around and that breakdown with Jessie was an unexpectedly nice little touch. One of his most accessible numbers to date. 7

01. Ellie Drennan
Lean On
Who knew Lean On could actually work in a reality singing competition? Of course I had reservations with the song choice, but it shockingly worked to her advantage. Her lower register was stellar, her phrasing sounded exquisite, the transitions were clean, and her timing was impeccable. Very nice. 8

SAVED BY JESSIE
Simi Vuata

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TEAM DELTA

03. Rik-E-Ragga
I Shot The Sheriff
The thing about artists like Rik-E-Ragga, they're annoyingly predictable. I have nothing against his chosen genre, but to sing an incredibly obvious song choice was just a waste of time. Where was Tessanee Chin when you needed her? 5

02. Lyndall Wennekes
Like I'm Gonna Lose You
This was a huge improvement from last week's performance, but my criticism about her remains. This sounded exactly like Meghan Trainor's version from the riffs down to the phrasing. She sounded lovely and her vocal control was surprisingly solid, but she needs to stop imitating the artists she's covering. 7.5

01. Caleb Jago-Ward
Shut Up And Dance
I've never been a huge fan of Caleb, but this was possibly his best performance to date. His manic and quirky facial expressions worked perfectly well with the song choice and there's something inherently cool with this number. Plus, his voice sounded awesome! I now get the appeal. He actually reminds me of Nate Ruess. 8

SAVED BY DELTA
Lyndall Wnnekes

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TEAM RICKY

03. Gail Page
Strange Fruit
Again, not for me. There's too much vibrato, her words were muddled especially during the verses, and everything was way too dramatic for my taste. Sorry. 4

02. Liam Maihi
Love Me Again
Not a fan of his affected tone and his voice got swallowed by the band during the second verse, but as soon as he hit the chorus, his voice just soared wonderfully. There's something about him that's not connecting with me though and I can't put my finger on it. 7

01. Naomi Price
Too Darn Hot
I love this offbeat song choice and I thought Naomi pulled it off quite nicely. There's character to her interpretation, the staging was magnificent, and of course, her vocals were spot on.  Not sure if this performance was good enough to be remarkable. 7.5

SAVED BY RICKY
Liam Maihi

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TEAM MADDEN

03. Peta Evans-Taylor
All By Myself
The song choice initially was a head scratcher. Yes, there was a hint of Celine Dion's voice in Peta, but I wouldn't necessarily pick this treacly ballad on her. That said, she made the most out of it and gave a good version that had enough edge, but with the notes and melody still intact. 7.5

02. Joe Moore
Believe
The build up on this performance was perfect. The verses sounded delicate, but then it progressed into something a lot more powerful than I expected. Plus, he hit a couple of notes that were pretty difficult and yet pulled it off quite nicely. I'm a fan. 8

01. Nathan Hawes
Only Love
His laidback quality and the tenderness of his voice was front and center in this performance. Sure, I would've enjoyed it had I understood some of his words, but this understated acoustic vocals was just lovely. 8.5

SAVED BY MADDENS
Nathan Hawes

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