The Voice Australia Season 2: The Showdowns - Part 4
13 May, 2013 9:58 PM
Over the next two weeks, each team of 8 will be singing off for only 4 coveted spots for a team in the finals. The artist we the most votes immediately goes through, then it's coach will have the chance to save one of the remaining three artists. "The showdown is designed to ensure that the strongest possible team makes it through to the final" Seal says. Tonight, it's the second half of Team Delta and the other half of Team Joel. "The showdown is the moment of truth" Joel adds. Who's ready for some singing? ... This is The Voice!
Recap after the JUMP ...
Team Delta
Celia Pavey
"Woodstock" (Joni Mitchell) - 9/10 - "Celia has a really natural beautiful clear folk voice. Her biggest challenge is psychological, she gets really nervous and distracted really easily. If you look back at her performance on the battles, you can see it in her face how determined she was to stay on track. It's all about her harnessing those notes and being able to really focus" Delta says. Celia tells Delta she's feeling the pressure. Her coach advises her not to lose focus. "I'm asking a lot of Celia in this performance by giving her a song by Joni who defined a generation. It's about taking on bigger and bigger challenges so she can define who she is as an artist". Nice pick from Delta, exactly the type of songs Celia should be singing. I love the ethereal vibe she created, her high pitched voice was pure bliss. She nailed that song, just as I expected her to. I believe we are looking at Delta's final act. "I really enjoyed your performance, I would've liked to have heard you sing more towards the end. A great song, a very difficult song to take on but I'm a big fan Celia, you can sing the phonebook" (Seal) "I believe in you and I think you are maybe the most unique artist on this show this year. I'm fine with you not being on my team, maybe you can just let me produce your record" (Joel) "It's fascinating. You are in control of your instrument, you really know what you are about and that comes across through the camera and that's very beautiful" (Ricky)
Tim Morrison
"Learn to Fly" (Foo Fighters) - 7/10 - "Tim's gone from heady days, fronting a rock band, Trial Kennedy, he toured for many years and he knows how hard this industry can be. During his battle performance I think I saw what's been holding him back all this years. He wants this so bad that he overthink things" Delta says "I've to get him to the place were he can just let go and be a solo artist". Poor Tim, this isn't the song he should be singing. He's got a lot of star quality and a killer rock voice but he should have sang a current song rather than this old tune. Vocally, that was fantastic and he's an excellent performer but the old fashioned arrangement didn't help at all. "It's a tricky song because that's a tough song to take on and capture the way that they do but I think you killed it, you put on a great show and the effort of what you just did to me had the more balls of any performance yet on the show" (Joel) "I thought what you did tonight, you set an example, you sent a message to all the rest of the contestants and that message is, 'you know what, I'm gonna show you all how to handle your business with the tools that you are given', it was a fantastic performance" (Seal) "It was great, at the end of the day it's all about the attitude, I loved how you kicked the mic stand" (Ricky)
Nathan Allgood
"When I Was Your Man" (Bruno Mars) - 7/10 - "I would say Nathan has one of the best all around voices on this show but he needs to watch his inner critic" (Delta) Nathan tells Delta he's doing this song to anyone who's ever had someone walk out on them. "When I was quite young my father left, there's not a day that goes past when I don't think what I could've done differently to keep him around, there's something inside of me that I'd never be satisfied with" he says. Great song choice, unfortunately, Nathan didn't do the song enough justice. I remember him sounding better than this, he nailed the emotional aspects of the song but vocally, it was a little lacking for me. While it wasn't bad singing, his voice has more texture than this. I expected a little more dynamics. "What I felt was a lot of honesty. You own every word, you turned it, you made it yours, you brought your personality and I believe that's incredibly important for The Voice" (Ricky) "Great job Nathan. It's a funny one that song because Bruno Mars is a hell of a singer but I actually prefer the sound of your voice" (Seal) "I think that Bruno is a star, I don't know if you are yet. I've yet to see you do anything on this show were it just bowls me over and makes me go 'man, he's a star' but I believe you have it. I'd love to see you play the trumpet. I think that might be one of those things that may set you apart, I feel I've been kinda waiting for that from you" (Joel) Nathan says Delta and him have been working on it.
Ben Goldstein
"Waiting in Vain" (Bob Marley & The Wailers) - 8/10 - "Ben is a cool Bondi dude. He has this Middle Eastern tone which is keeping with his Jewish heritage and faith" her coach says. "He stands for everything I stand for, peace and love and unity within the world" Ben says of Bob Marley. "His music is reggae and so back beat. My fear with Ben is that he'll cruise along too much rather than getting everybody hyped" Delta fears. Ben's audition was one of the most interesting so I always wondered what he was going to do next. Singing a reggae song actually makes a lot of sense, his voice suits it perfectly, specially because it's quite soothing. A great performance but until he hit those big notes towards the end I was completely distracted. That's the problem with reggae music, it's such a feel good genre that your attention goes elsewhere. However, he sang it so amazingly that I'd be surprised if he is sent home. "You were perhaps the one I was most looking forward to hear in this evening for a couple of reason because you are a bit of an enigma. I grew up listening to Bob Marley, that's a very precious song to me, I think you sang it really well. I'm not sure it's whether because of your voice or more so because I believe you know who you are. The reason why people are screaming because right from the get go you were into it" (Seal) "Great job very hard taking on a Bob Marley song without sounding kinda campy" (Joel) "You went from Bondi, to Jamaica to Israel and back and that's really cool. I think that to be able to sing Bob Marley successfully you have to be humble, I can see it in your eyes and that's what moved everyone today" (Ricky)
Team Joel
Michael Stangel
"Home" (Phillip Phillips) - 6/10 - "I regret not turning around for Michael in the blinds, I've really fallen in love with him. I just knew I had to save him" Joel says. "This song resonates with me because it really shows that as long as you are with the people you love, home can be anywhere you are" Michael thinks of the song. I give props to Joel for trying to make Michael current. That's been my main issue with him, he's too old fashioned. This song helped him get in the right path, though his arrangement took some of the grit of the song. His voice is very clear and with this tune, it just sounded boring. Unfortunately, I think this is it for him. "Wonderful in every sense of the world. What strikes me about you is that that performance can only come from somebody who really understands the value of life, there was a joy and a comfort and a calmness that really kind of fills the whole audience and I suspect the people watching at home will feel it too" (Seal) "I feel like it was the perfect song, you made us all feel like we were at home" (Delta) "I saw a lot of serenity but at the same time I saw courage and a lot of acceptance and that is something that is very important because it was contagious" (Ricky)
Kathy Hinch
"Bleeding Love" (Leona Lewis) - 7,5/10 - "The chair thing was crazy, I still feel anxious about it now" Kathy says. "Kathy has all the talent she needs, what she needs to let go off is all the self doubt. She's a professional, she's been gigging for years, I think that's part of the problem, I think she needs to let everything that she knew from before go and just be the best Kathy she can be" Joel says. He tells her he wants to get to know her. Wow. I wasn't expecting much from her, mainly because she disappointed me during the battles but that was a pretty great performance. Despite I think her eyes looked a bit lost and she didn't give us much emotion, the liberties she took with the melody were amazing and her voice made this boring song sound quite fantastic. She won't win the public's vote but hopefully, Joel will be able to save her. "I really enjoyed the fact that you were connecting with the audience. Did you get into the song? The goosebumps, you communicating and punching us in the face with everything you have, was it there? I don't know" (Ricky) "I think it was a great song. I think that when I see you in the video packages I go 'I can see her, her vulnerability', I find when you come out on stage you force it too much and therefore I feel like I just can't see you for who you are underneath this kind of veil in front of you" (Delta) "I thought that your performance was fantastic. I understand what my fellow coaches said, I don't know if I necessarily agree, I just know that I couldn't take my eyes off of you, if I can't take my eyes off of you you were using your voice to it's best ability" (Seal)
Lyric McFarland
"Let's Stay Together" (Al Green) - 9,5/10 - "Lyric has this killer vocal that makes you sit up and listen. She's got to be one of the coolest moms I know. She's just got this funky style, this great attitude" her coach says " In the excitement of being on stage sometimes she forgets to breathe. This song in particular, you have to finesse it. It's a classic car. I want Lyric to get behind the wheel and take it for a ride". Killer voice. Just what I've been waiting for all night. Just like Emma yesterday, Lyric is pure class. She's an absolute star that can essentially nail every song. The song choice could've been better but she sang it so well that I didn't care. Joel needs to do something unexpected with her the next time to keep things fresh. "I've only used the word perfection once in The Voice and that was with Miss Murphy, I'll use it with you" (Ricky) "I'll go one more perfect than perfection. Aretha Franklin-esque. A master choice by your coach" (Seal) "I seriously when watching that got so lost just listening to you because there's such warmth when you sing, you exude warmth. I was sitting here going, 'I wonder what type of album she's going to make'. I really want to buy your record the second you finish it" (Delta)
Danny Ross
"All Along the Watchtower" (Jimi Hendrix) - 9/10 - "Danny is something else. There's just something about him that intrigues me and I think he's one of those really introspective kind of guys but underneath all that there's still a little fear that he needs to tackle" Joel says. Danny says Jimi is one of his top people in music. Well, this is certainly different. I really dig it. I was rooting for Chris Sheehy during their battle but now that I've seen Danny do this amazingly weird thing, I totally get Joel's pick. He's one of a kind, not something we get to see every day and that originality is what sets him apart from the rest. I don't think many people will get this but I really hope they do. He's a star in the making. "It doesn't really matter what you do, you just are. You just exude something that you try and teach everyone else and you just have it. I really enjoyed that, I wanna see more of you" (Seal) "Killer song choice, your delivery is just spectacular. You just are so cool, you exude this really fascinating quality that is something from another era, I wanna watch you, your voice just really brings out a lot of emotion" (Delta) "I think there is no one like you right know. The cool thing is that you're not trying too hard, you are just you, you like it good, you don't like it good" (Ricky) Joel's bro was in the audience, he gave Danny the thumbs up.
Predictions
Based on the iTunes rankings (each song bought counts as two votes), the acts advancing by public vote should be Celia from Team Delta and Michael from Team Joel. However, I think Lyric charted higher than him all night, so that could factor in. Currently (May 14, 10:45 AM Canberra time), the highest charting act is Celia Pavey at #4. At #7 and #8 stand Michael Stangel and Lyric McFarland from Team Joel. Danny Ross' cool take on "All Along the Watchtower" stands at #21. Two of Delta's guy find themselves at #41 and #42, Ben Goldstein and Nathan Allgood respectively. Tim Morrison barely misses the chance to sing in the sing offs placing at #52 with Kathy Hinch being Joel's lowest charting act at #65. That means that Tim Morrison and Kathy Hinch will probably be instantly eliminated.
Delta will probably pick Ben over Nathan. It's a matter of taste cause both guys performed and charted at the same level. Unfortunately for Nathan, Ben is more original than he is and that Middle Eastern flavour his voice has will probably be the deciding factor. On Joel's team things are harder. If Lyric wins the public's vote, Joel will probably go with Danny. But if Michael is the audience's pick, he'll get to decide between two of his best acts, Lyric and Danny. Lyric's got a killer RnB voice while Danny's got one of the most interesting styles this year. In this case, I'm not so sure who'll be Joel's pick, probably, Lyric.
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