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Each team of 9 will be fighting for only 4 spots in the finals. 3 artists of each team will go head to head with a song of their own choosing. One will go through to the live shows, one gets a second chance and one goes home ... This is The Voice!

 Recap and videos after the jump ...


Again, only the performance will be reviewed.

Episode 1

Team Ricky

C Major - Blurred Lines - Live Finals - Why would he pick this song? We know he's not very smart when making decisions, see, his stage name. He struggles with the falsetto and I still feel his moves are all over the place, though he's totally toned them down for this performance, but he's a good performer, one with lots of sex appeal. The fact is that Carlos is basically Ricky's younger self, so there's no way he's getting cut.


Thando Sikwila - Sex On Fire - Sing Off - Another awful song choice, one I was surprised I liked as much as I did. There's just this intensity in the way she performs that even the weirdest choices make sense, it wasn't perfect but a major improvement over Carlos.

 
Matthew Garwood - Mama - Eliminated - I'm not a fan of Matthew's boring style. He's the classic act that doesn't sound the way he looks. I hope he did. This was vocally on point but overly cheesy and I don't need that.


Team will.i.am

Gabriel and Cecilia - Titanium - Live Finals - Gorgeous, intimate take on David Guetta's dance number. This is exactly why I love them so much. They are different and not afraid to take risks, they aren't doing covers, they're giving us an "original" every week. A truly amazing performance.


Julian Simonsz - Classic - Sing Off - This is such a cool song. I like him even more now that he's picked this tune. I really enjoyed the few changes he made to it and I felt hi did great on the vocals, despite not nailing them.


Carly Yelayotis - Un-Break My Heart - Eliminated - A pretty performance yet I felt the key was a little too low. I like Carly's voice, very sweet, I totally get why she has been singing in Greek for years. It's a shame she has to go but I agree with the decision, she needed to attack the song more.


Team Kylie

Candice Skjonnemand - Unconditionally - Eliminated - Candice is a karaoke champion, literally, so it's no wonder she sounds sorta generic. She's a terrific singer but there's very little of herself in her performances, had she done more of those little embellishments, it would've been a lot more impressive. Another problem is the song choice, she needs to be bolder if she wants to leave a mark.


Lionel Cole - Georgia On My Mind - Sing Off - This was quite great, up until the point he started jumping around the stage. That's not what this song needs and that's one of the  reasons, if not the only reason, for me not to like this guy. He's way too many gimmicks!


John Lingard - I Will Follow You Into The Dark - Live Finals - John, as Kylie noted, made a smart move with this choice. It's unlike anything he's done before and it's probably the best he's sounded. There's a little bit of country to his tone tonight but what secured his place in the finals was the beautiful way in which he connected with this lyrics.


Team Joel

Soli Tesema - Free - Sing Off - She sounds so much like the original here. Not a bad thing, since the original sounds so great. I could have used some of her awesome runs though. It's certainly not her greatest, she was way better during the battles, it's as if she's lacking some energy here.


Blake Leggett - Pompeii - Eliminated - Joel acknowledging he forgot all the words when he performed this song during last year's finale was awesome. Haha. Blake is doing an ok job but it's obvious he's not the best singer. There are a lot of issues with his delivery, mainly, the fact he doesn't look committed to it.


Frank Lakoudis - Keep The Faith - Live Finals - I don't get Joel's infatuation with Frank. I realize he's a good performer but I'm not that impressed by what he does. In fact, he reminds me to American Idol winner Caleb Johnson in that he takes no risks and always sounds exactly the same. Please don't let another unoriginal winner happen.


Episode 2

Team will.i.am

Anja Nissen - His Eye Is on the Sparrow - Live Finals - Anja is probably the most technically perfect singer this year. She nailed the vocals on this gospely track, much like Christina Aguilera would do. I like the fact she's not going for the typically diva-like song choices, that's what is gonna make her go far.


Jacob Lee - Story of My Life - Sing Off - He picked this song as a challenge. Not one actually. When Will told him it was obvious he took the words out of my mouth. Darren calling him the "baby faced busker" didn't help either. I enjoy what he does, his tone is wonderful and he's got an amazing control over his voice.


Louise Van Veenendaal - I've Got the Music in Me - Eliminated - Talking about obvious song choices. This is exactly what I expected her to do. Not a fan of the song, she gives it her all, for sure, but it's very old fashioned. Her delivery is fantastic though and one can't argue with that. That's why the call her "Voice Lady" after all.


Team Ricky

Fely Irvine - Hit 'Em Up Style (Oops!) - Sing Off - Fely really grew on me during the battles but I felt this was a step backwards for her. I liked how sexy and sassy she was here but I wanted to listen to that soulful, sweet voice of hers. I didn't see that here, the ending was great though.


Brandon Duff - Breakeven - Eliminated - I'm so not feeling this. I probably should start with the fact I don't really like Brandon. To me, he's the kid that signs up for a talent show because his mom is forcing him to. Vocally, this was a mess. He should be sent home on the spot.


Jackson Thomas - Resolution - Live Finals - People should really stay away from Matt Corby's tunes. Jackson did a beautiful job with the song yet his rendition came nowhere near Matt's. He was the best out of the three though and he can only get better.


Team Joel

Laura-Leigh Smith - The Voice Within - Sing Off - Laura is a wonderful singer but her inability to stray away from Disney/diva material may prove a challenge. A girl that cannot be current isn't going to win this show. She needs to broaden her appeal with more imaginative song choices.


Isaac McGovern - Tennis Court - Live Finals - This is an amazing cover and the perfect song choice. Isaac definitely knows what he's doing, which makes him the most consistent artist so far. Wonderful tone, unique sound, perfect pitch, he's everything you could wish for.


Jess Berney - Anytime You Need a Friend - Eliminated - Eh, I'm not feeling this. Her voice is good but my problem is the song choice, I really don't like it. She should have kept singing opera, or if she wanted to do something different, pick a more soulful song.


Team Kylie

Jhoanna Aguila - Fallin' - Eliminated - I fear for Jhoanna, who despite giving a phenomenal, passionate rendition of the Alicia Keys song, is pitted against two of Kylie's strongest acts. Her being a save, awesome singing might not be enough.


Robbie Balmer - Burn For You - Sing Off - I love this song, it's such a great fit for Robbie's sweet tone. It had some vocal issues but it was passionate and intimate, just what this tune needs. I felt what Robbie was saying even when he kept closing his eyes.


Kat Jade - Still Into You - Live Finals - This was an entertaining performance, with perfect pitch and control. Kat needs some coaching on how to move around the stage but other than that, the girl is ready. The fact she's got such a charming personality doesn't hurt either.


Episode 3

Team will.i.am

Mat Verevis  - All in Love Is Fair - Sing Off - Will's description of this song was spot on. It was kinda whatever, like a guy playing at a restaurant that didn't caught our attention. Mat's an amazing, passionate singer but he needs to find a way to be more than a lounge singer. He could start with song choice.


Chita Henneberry - Girl on Fire - Eliminated - Her battle was one of two that got montaged, so it's pretty obvious the girl is screwed. On top of that, she has a throat infection. The performance is ok but nothing special, had she picked a less predictable song she might have had a chance.


ZK - Say Something - Live Finals - What a beautiful performance! This has to be one of the best duos since Alex & Sierra. They complement each other, as if they were meant to sing together. Beautiful harmonies, awesome runs, the other acts should be scared.


Team Kylie

Megan Longhurst - Wind Beneath My Wings - Sing Off - I keep forgetting about her, something that doesn't bode well for her longevity. She looks great tonight and sounds great as well. The problem is that it's not what I'd call memorable. She's being way too predictable with her choices and unless Kylie has some great ideas for her, I don't see how she could win this.


Rosie Henshaw - Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground) - Eliminated - She's barefoot, playing bass and using a no-hands mic. Rosie is a fun girl to watch but not exactly the best singer in this bunch. Cool performer, if only she could find more interesting songs for her style. This was definitely something though.


Johnny Rollins - All Of Me - Live Finals - Johnny is more soulful than the first time we saw him. He's also showing way more personality than before. He got an easy pairing though, the girls were just ok and all he needed was this soft, sweet ballad.Still not sold on him.


Team Joel

Holly Tapp - Sunday Morning - Sing Off - Not the choice I was expecting from her but definitely one that suited her voice perfectly. Her tone shone so bright here, it felt as if I was listening to her for the first time. One of my fave performances for sure.


Doug Williams - The Way We Were - Eliminated - This is a cool cover, I didn't think Doug had it in him. He made this song sound completely different and the end result was wonderful. That smooth sound of his is phenomenal. It's sad to see him eliminated, I wonder what Joel could have offered him though, but he deserved to stay.


Taila Gouge - Redneck Woman - Live Finals - She sounds as if she's been singing country all her life, which she probably has, and that's not something we see often on Australian singing competitions, which is way everyone likes her so much. She'd be average on an American show though, I'm not really interested.


Team Ricky

Sabrina Batshon - Queen Of The Night - Live Finals - I'm not crazy about this song but I'm crazy for Sabrina! It's impressive to see such massive notes come out of such a tiny person. She's got sass, perfect control, great stage presence. Ricky would be a fool not to support her all the way.


Josh McDonald - Wake Me Up - Eliminated - This is a messy performance, not the type of song I picture Josh doing. I appreciate he's taking a risk but he could have arranged it for his voice. He's flat and incapable of reaching the higher notes. Worst showdown performance?


Elly Oh - Let It Go - Sing Off - Her rehearsal was a train wreck and her actual performance is only a slight improvement. Up until the chorus it was awful, then she recovered a bit, then it went back to being a mess. Elly's voice apparently isn't big enough to tackle this song.


The Sing Off

They'll be reprising their auditions, which I hate, since some finalists had awful choices to begin with.

Team Ricky

Elly Oh - Mamma Knows Best - Live Finals - She's not holding anything back here. Elly sounds way better than she did during her showdown. She appears to be Ricky's fave, so I guess he's choice is already made.



Fely Irvine - We Found Love - Eliminated - Never liked this song for her, which is why I initially didn't like her. She convinced me with her soulful battle, so it's a shame she couldn't show us more of that. She had so much potential!


Thando Sikwila - Mercy - Eliminated - Same case as with Fely. I wasn't crazy about Thando's audition, in fact I didn't feel a thing while she was performing. I'm not feeling it tonight either and it's sad, since she was so good.



Team will.i.am

Jacob Lee - Battle Scars - Eliminated - Jacob keeps growing on me, I actually really like his voice now and hope he stays. There's something so unique about his sound and the way he performs.



Mat Verevis - New York State of Mind - Live Finals - He's an incredible performer but not a compelling one as Jacob is. This definitely was his best and I don't blame Will for saving him but unless he gives us a new side I won't get on his train.



Julian Simonsz - Suit and Tie - Eliminated - Such a smooth sound. This is what I loved so much about Julian. He ruined it when he started running around the stage and sang to his wife though. He should have focused more on the performance.



Team Joel

Laura-Leigh Smith - Reflection - Eliminated - I liked the purity of her audition, I only wish she had picked something with more edge. She's much better here than in her previous performances but I'm not sure I'll keep her over Holly or even Soli,  no matter how sweet that was.



Holly Tapp - That's It, I Quit, I'm Movin' On - Live Finals - I adore this performance! Holly is such an intriguing singer, I just cannot get enough of her quirky sound. This is even greater than the first time around.



Soli Tesema - Halo - Eliminated - Soli is an incredible singer but I don't feel like this song showcased it. The second half of the performance was phenomenal, like absolutely gorgeous, but I could have used a bit more during the other half.



Team Kylie

Megan Longhurst - Don't Cry Out Loud - Eliminated - She's got a lovely but forgettable voice. The fact I still can't remember her shows that she leaves no mark on this competition.



Robbie Balmer - I Can't Make You Love Me - Live Finals - His was one of the best auditions so I won't complain for getting such a beautiful reprise. Such a raw performance, Kylie did well by picking him.



Lionel Cole - Unforgettable - Eliminated - Never really liked his audition and I wasn't a fan of what he did here though it had a few moments. However, if Doug went home after such a cool performance, Lionel should already be on a plane after such a sleepy cover.



Best Showdown:



Honorable Mentions:





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