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8 singers are still standing but only one from each team can make it to the Grand Final, in which they'll go head to head to become The Voice. Will it be quiet folk singer Celia Pavey? Veteran soul man Steve Clisby? The versatile voice of Luke Kennedy? The passion of Miss Murphy? The quirky Kyiomi Vella? Unique Danny Ross? Wide eyed Harrison Craig? Or vintage rocker Mitchell Anderson? The pressure has never been greater ... This is The Voice!

Recap after the JUMP ...

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Top 8 Results

The lines are already closed but before revealing the acts advancing to next week's final, all 8 finalists will be back on stage one last time. After each team performs, the result will be announced.

My predictions:

Team Seal: Harrison Craig
Team Ricky: Miss Murphy
Team Delta: Celia Pavey
Team Joel: Kiyomi Vella

 Celia Pavey

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"Xanadu" (Olivia Newton-John and Electric Light Orchestra) - 8/10 - This will be the first time she will perform sans guitar. She wants to show us she can do that. Delta thinks Celia has to have a certain pop sensibility when approaching the song so it doesn't feel like people can't sing along with her. Despite some minor pitch issues at the beginning, Celia's performance was pretty flawless. She's got an ideal voice for folk music, it's so eerie and relaxing, it makes you want to close your eyes and dream. She's incredibly gifted and she creates magic every time she's on stage. Her moves were a bit awkward at times but I liked the way she seemingly floated around the stage. The wind machine blew her hair all over her face and that managed to distract her a little at the end, but that aside, this was just stunning.


Steve Clisby

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"Change the World" (Eric Clapton) - 8/10 - Every time he's with Delta, he just want to stay there longer and talk a little more with her. Delta feels Steve is an inspiration to a lot of people. She thinks he deserves to win The Voice since he's worked so hard to be here. Steve is such a seasoned performer. It's obvious he loves being on stage and he translates that joy to the audience. This isn't the best song he could've performed but since there's no voting, why not? He delivered it only like a pro can and really entertained us.

(Sorry about the quality, The Voice's channel didn't upload this performance for some reason)

Through to the Final:

Celia Pavey

Eliminated:

Steve Clisby

"I just want to say thanks to everybody, the crew, all the coaches, everybody that works for the show. This whole thing is a great experience, it's been something really unexpectedly fantastic. I'm so glad to be a part of this and  particularly to you Delta, and Seal. It was cool, a really fantastic experience and I'm just glad that I'm here" Steve says. A predictable result, I wish all the best to Steve. He's an absolute professional and I believe there's a place for someone like him. He deserves some success.

Harrison Craig

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"Unchained Melody" (The Righteous Brothers) - 7/10 - Seal declares this one of the greatest songs ever recorded. "It's a big song but hey, if you are a great singer and you are faced with a situation like that, you've gotta bring it, you've gotta find a way and you've gotta to overcome it, and it will separate the man from the voice" his coach says. Harrison may be a great singer with a charming personality and a "captivating" back story but he's incredibly boring. He's basically a Michael Bublé clone but without that sex appeal Michael has. If The Voice wanted a classical singer, they should've pimped Luke more, he's the better act out of these two. Back to this performance, it was actually very well sang. That's all the positive things I can really say about it.


Mitchell Anderson

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"To Love Somebody" (Bee Gees) - 8/10 -  He's always been a fan of the Bee Gees. Seal pictures Mitchell singing it to his wife. "I'm so lucky to have her in my life, after searching and finding each other in our lives, I really get a great deal of strength out of singing this song" he says. Seal considers Mitchell a soulful personality, everything that come out of his mouth is heartfelt. He is absolutely right. Every word that comes from Mitchell's mouth comes from deep within. He's easily the contestant who connects the most when he's on stage. He just feels each song and even if he's not the most current act or the best voice in the competition, his pure joy when he performs make his performances stand out. And that raspy, gritty tone is exceptional. Imagine a duet between Mitchell and Seal, pure perfection. Make it happen!


Through to the Final:

Harrison Craig

Eliminated:

Mitchell Anderson

"I'd like to say, firstly, that thank you Sunny for supporting me through all this experience and my father. I'd like to thank Seal for giving me such a great amount of intelligent, loving direction through music. I'd like to thank Joel, what a beautiful man you are. I'd like to thank Delta for being so positive and supporting. I'd like to thank you Ricky for your beautiful heart. And I'll really like to say to the whole of Australia thank you so much for embracing me and my family and my love is with you, I could never thank you enough" Mitchell says. Again, not shocking at all. Harrison's been a fave from the start, even if he's only a mediocre act. Now that Mitchell is off the show, can he finally get working on that collaboration with his coach?

Kiyomi Vella

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"Running Up That Hill" (Kate Bush) - 8,5/10 - "Kiyomi is dangerous, she's a problem for everyone" Joel says. He thinks that if she can do this song, she can do anything and she could win. She messed up during rehearsals, which apparently never happens according to Joel. "It was kind of cool, I really enjoyed seeing her have a human moment" he says. This is a very Bo Bruce moment from our quirky lady. It's a great song for her but she doesn't really nail it the way Bo did. She doesn't has this airy voice that's required for this song. That said, she nailed every note and her tone was really phenomenal. She's my favourite, she's just so interesting. Her hand movements make her performances, it's her signature move and I love it. She better make the final.


Danny Ross

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"Let Her Go" (Passenger) - 7,5/10 -  He was engaged, he was ready, but he had to let her go. "Any true relationship is a beautiful thing and somehow, they come to an end sometimes, it's a difficult thing to even contemplate" Danny says "This song is love, I've not sang a love song, this is hard. The little boy in me needs love to survive, that's the part of me that keeps a hand out for love". The vocals here were a mess but thankfully for Danny, that's not what's important in his performances. He developed a deep emotional bound with the lyrics and that translated. If only he had opened his eyes more, it felt like he was shutting us out. Even with his eyes closed, he really delivered the song's message. My problem is that we aren't seeing the weird Danny from the previous weeks, just an unique dude singing indie songs now.


Through to the Final:

Danny Ross

Eliminated:

Kiyomi Vella

"OMG. This is so much, just thank you everyone for supporting me and you guys, I owe you so much for giving me that chance and believing in me, thank you" Kiyomi says. Wow! This is indeed shocking! Kiyomi has sold a lot more than Danny over the season and her inclusion in the finale was a forgone conclusion. It's a shame really, Kiyomi deserved a place in that final. I'm not saying Danny didn't but this girl is incredibly special. Will be seeing a lot more from her, there's no doubt.

Miss Murphy

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"Love Don't Live Here Anymore" (Rose Royce) - 8/10 - "This song is about abandonment, it's about that emptiness, it's about that whole in your heart when you end a relationship" Ricky says. She's never been there but she knows people who have gone through it. "They've gone through horror stories, it's been a nightmare for them, and you can see it in their eyes that they are shattered and broken hearted and I'm singing it for those people" she says. A powerful performance, every time I hear her sing, she reminds me to Karise. If you watched last season, Karise was very shy yet a beast when she sang. That's exactly what I feel when I see Miss Murphy. She's such a phenomenal singer, even with this so-so song, she manages to give us an outstanding performance. I really like Luke but Miss Murphy is one of a kind. As Ricky always says, magnificent!


Luke Kennedy

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"Caruso" - 10/10 - Ricky gave him this song because he thinks it's important for Luke to go back to his forte. "This song talks about the moment just before death. In that moment, there's this desperation to get the message across to a person that you love and those words could be the last thing that you say" Luke says "It talks about a really dark place and a dark place that I went to in my life, for me to get that across, I've to sing it like it's the last thing I'm gonna sing". This is emotional stuff and Luke is the right man to sing it. I'd normally complain that this is a very dull pick but he delivered this song so amazingly. Given Luke's previous battle with depression, he could draw from those emotions and gave us this gorgeous rendition. I could see tears in his eyes yet his voice was flawless. He finally had his moment, in the week he needed it the most. Take some notes Harrison, this is how it's done.


Through to the Final:

Luke Kennedy

Eliminated:

Miss Murphy

"I'd like to thank the show for giving me a shot. Ricky I love you and thank you Australia. Thank you my love, I love you, I love you, I love you" a sobbing Miss Murphy says. This was always gonna be the closest call. Miss Murphy out sold Luke this past week but he's been at the top for multiple weeks. I'll miss the incredibly talented Miss Murphy, I wish we see her again. I know we will. 

Top 4

So there you have it people! Your final four are: Celia Pavey, Luke Kennedy, Harrison Craig and Danny Ross. The lines are open one more time this season and we'll get to see the Top 4 perform again tonight with their original tunes.

Luke Kennedy

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"Love Is Gone" - 9/10 - His song is written as a breakup song but from a man's point of view. Luke gives Ricky a box with a shattered glass to give him an indication of what he was writing about. "You wanna feel like you can put it all back together but ..." Luke says, "it's impossible Ricky completes, "and it will never be the same, it'll never be as beautiful as when you started" (Luke). It's also a pop song. This is actually very good, specially the lyrics. I'm unsure about the melody and the chorus but Luke's performance is so extraordinary that I could see it growing on me. As Seal said, it may have not been his best vocal performance but his delivery was so passionate. I'm also really glad that this is a pop song, imagine this song as an opera track? I don't think I could. "That was for me, by far, my favourite performance of yours. Have you sang better on other songs? Sure. But the great thing about everyone getting to see this finalists do their original songs is for the first time we're getting inside into who you are, I haven't really felt that I've known you right until that point" (Seal)


Celia Pavey

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"Candle In The Night" - 10/10 - She wrote this song a while ago. "I wrote my song two and a half years ago and the song is for a special someone. My candle in the night would definitely have to be Hugo, my brother" she says. She thinks of this song as him being her candle, her strength, and their love being the flame. I'm definitely blown away by this. All her performances have been gorgeous but this was on another level. It's the best she's sounded, actually, it's the best performance this season. Stunning lyrics, enchanting vocals, lovely melody. It has everything a great song needs. Words can't describe how I feel about this song, it's perfect. Just perfect. "Congratulations, you did great tonight. At first, I was kinda hating on Hugo but then I was listening to your song and I was thinking to myself, 'Hugo must be a special guy to have you write a song like that' so good on you Hugo" (Joel)


Danny Ross

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"Windmill" - 9/10 - He says this song was made under a windmill, it started under a windmill. "It's about asking music to come" he says "This song is about me  asking for a sing that I'm on the right path as a songwriter, it's a big part of my voice and my expression, this is truly who I am".  This song is very much in the vein of "Let Her Go" but it's much more sweeter. Really pretty, very well written and it works perfectly with Danny's voice. My problem here is that it doesn't really have a moment. The song is flat, it's a beautiful, vulnerable, flat song. Don't get me wrong, I'll play this song on repeat when I get it as I love it's sound but as a song to get people to vote for you, I'm not sure it works. "What a beautiful lyrical place to go. That end lyric, when you were saying 'we are almost there', you are almost there, you are here and good luck and well done for doing such a beautiful sensitive vulnerable song, it was really nice to see your heart so thank you" (Delta)


Harrison Craig

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"More than a Dream" - 10/10 - "It's a reflection on past hurdles and obstacles" Harrison says, "if your father leaves you, if you are bullied at school or if you find it hard to talk, that's all irrelevant, you keep going, not matter what". He thanks his dad, who left him, for making him the person he's today. That's sweet and really sad. I admit I was expecting to hate this but this was actually very impressive. Did I like something Harrison sing? Yes, indeed, I enjoyed that performance like I've never enjoyed him before. Was it his clear sweet voice? The beautiful lyrics? Not sure but he finally proved he deserved his place in the competition with this song. I still don't want him to win but I can recognize something beautiful when I hear it. "You melt people, it's like you were talking to your father. He'd be so proud, I just wish one day my kids become as noble and as strong and as beautiful as you are. It's really touching to see you, god bless you man" (Ricky)


Predictions

Apparently, all the iTunes downloads will count. This week's performances as well as the previous recordings will grant the artists two votes per download. Taking a quick look at the charts, and based only on the iTunes rankings (which have proved not to be completely accurate), the winner will be Harrison Craig, who currently (11:00 AM, Canberra time) has the top 2 spots with his original "More than a Dream" at #1. Luke Kennedy is at #7 with "Love is Gone" and #8 with "Caruso". Also among the Top 10 is Celia Pavey with "Candle in the Night" at #10. "Xanadu" charts at #30. Danny Ross' "Let Her Go" is at #35 while his original song "Windmill" only charts at #38. So I was right about it not having a moment ...

Other covers among the Top 200:

Harrison Craig: "You Raise Me Up" at #18, "If" at #26, "Can't Help Falling In Love" at #27, "Broken Bow" at #39, "Home" at #43 and "It Had Better Be Tonight" at #51
Celia Pavey: "Will You Still love me Tomorrow" at #58, "A Thousand Years" at # 60, "Scarborough Fair/Canticle" at #86, "Edelweiss" at #93, "Jolene" at #123 and "Woodstock" at #175
Luke Kennedy: "Time to Say Goodbye" at #34, "Un Giorno per noi" at #52, "I Dreamed a Dream" at #56, "Please Don't Ask Me" at #63, "Overjoyed" at #73 and "Freedom 90" at #96
Danny Ross: "Old Man" at #95, "It's Time" at #127 and "The Joker" at #170

So that leaves Harrison with 8 songs, 7 among the Top 50 and the other at #51. Celia also has 8 songs among the Top 200 but only two of them among the Top 50. The rest charts quite low, but mostly still in the Top 100. Luke also has 8 songs, charting higher than Celia, with all his songs among the Top 100 but lower than Harrison. Danny only has 5 songs, with only 3 among the Top 100, yet charting low.

Based on this, the results should go this way:

1st Place: Harrison Craig
2nd Place: Luke Kennedy
3rd Place: Celia Pavey
4th Place: Danny Ross

Here's hoping Celia fans are texting like there's no tomorrow!
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