Recap after the JUMP ...

 

Team Delta

Rob Edwards

"Impossible" (Shontelle) - 4,5/10 - "It took Rob until his mid 20s to get back on stage and sing. I love it when a man can tap into his emotions. He did it in the battles and that's what got him through but now I want to see Rob extending his physical performance skills. Rob's biggest challenge, he needs to tell the story through his body as well as his voice" Delta says. This is obviously James Arthur's version of the song and unfortunately, Rob's is lacking in comparison. He's a soul singer, forcing him to sing this song wasn't a good idea. He's shouty and out of breath, in truth, he's just atrocious. Imogen's pitchy performance is a masterpiece next to this. Plus there was no movement at all, the whole intro focused on him telling the song through his body, which is exactly what he didn't do. WTF? The judges give him a standing ovation. "I really loved it Rob, fantastic performance. The sound of your voice is just incredible. I thought that you really took your time to get into it" (Seal) "I want more, I wanna go to your concert. Your tone is crazy, when you hit 'impossible' that was an amazing moment" (Ricky) "I fairly enjoyed that, so thank you" (Joel)

Jackie Sannia

"Arithmetic" (Brooke Fraser) - 8,5/10 - She just turned 18! "Jackie is so good that at times she forgets how young she is but the battle was a remainder she's still a teenager, she's got all those insecurities. Jackie's had a tough upbringing and that's why she sings with so much emotion. Her biggest challenge is that she naturally gravitates to darker songs, with darker messages" her coach says, "it seems so simple but when you are used to getting really intense on a song you don't think to smile but we have a positive lyric". Delta wants her to draw people in. When Delta picked her over Jenna, I wasn't convinced that was the right decision. Fortunately, Jackie proved me wrong with this gorgeous performance. Her tone is so beautiful! It sounds way better than it did the last time we saw her and she's bringing a lot of emotion into her delivery. A lovely performance, having her play the piano was a great idea, I imagine she would have looked uncomfortable without it. "That song and this moment watching you sing tonight, you've really come into your own, you are your own artist. No matter what, you have what it takes" (Joel) "Whenever you doubt yourself, look at this video again and your self esteem will boost because it was impeccable what you just did. It really was beautiful" (Ricky) "I thought your performance tonight was spell-bounding. Your voice is like a warm breeze, it just washes right over me" (Seal)

Josh Kyle

"Settle Down" (Kimbra) - 7/10 - "Josh is a singer with flawless tone and technique. Surprisingly, the battle turned out to be a big test for Josh. When I ask him to connect the feeling of the song, what I'm really saying is make me believe it and feel it from in here" Delta says. Interesting pick, I dig the arrangement, especially his semi-beatboxing, which was quite cool. Despite I enjoyed him way more than I did in previous weeks, there's something off about him and it bugs me that I can't say what it is. He's definitely a professional and knows what he's doing, he's also very original and his pitch was perfect. So what is he doing wrong? Probably nothing, just me being annoying. "I would play more with the audience. Try it, but you were great, don't get me wrong" (Ricky) "It took me a while to get into it but by the second half you had me. Once the melody kicked in and you had the support from the band then I kinda got it more. It did take me a while but congratulations on a good performance" (Seal) "I think it was a great song and a great opportunity to be different. I liked it, I liked the little opening with the kinda beatboxing scat, I don't know exactly what that was but it was cool" (Joel)

Steve Clisby

"God Bless The Child" (Billie Holiday) - 9/10 - "I feel like somebody was watching over me and somebody was watching over Steve. I got to save from the best battle out of the whole show. We are like the odd couple, him and I. I'm the youngest coach and Steve is the oldest of the show and somehow we can just meet in the middle and learn so much from each other" Delta says of her artist "I have so much respect for Steve. I think at 67 to come out on this show, owning the stage and still sing with love, shows anybody that you can have your moment and this is Steve's moment". Steve says he envisioned being on Delta's team from the beginning, "I get genuine energy from her and I think that's what will make all this thing work" he says. Even if I still think Lauren Dawes deserved a save, it wasn't Delta's necessarily because Steve really proved he needs to be on this show. He's an accomplished musician who knows exactly the way he wants to perform and delivers to perfection. The smooth feel he gave us with his soulful rendition of Billie's classic was outstanding. Delta's suggestion for him to go higher on some notes would have made the performance better, he needs to stop being so stubborn and listen to his coach from time to time. "It's just amazing to watch you because first of all that was, I'm speechless, I can't even find a word to describe that. Watching you perform, it just occurred to me that this is perhaps the only time in the show that the roles are reversed. You become the coach and we become the students, it's just amazing" (Seal) "I love hearing you sing. You can sing any song. I would be shocked if you don't make it through the showdowns. I'm actually going to go home tonight and I'm going to vote for you" (Joel) "I don't even know what to say. Can I have a hug bro?" (Ricky)

Team Joel

Danni Hodson

"Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)" (Kelly Clarkson) - 7,5/10 - "Danni can sing pretty much everything I throw at her but in the battles I noticed she gets easily intimidated by songs" Joel says. He tells her that she made it by a hair during the battles and that there's no room for error tonight. "Her biggest challenge is her confidence, when she sings to you and she enjoys herself, she's unstoppable. It's just that 99 percent of the time she's not that". Perfect song for her powerhouse singing. She killed the vocals, and while it felt shouty, that's exactly what this song needs. Her attitude was fantastic too, the look in her eyes was so fierce! I enjoyed that, not sure it was enough to make it through but certainly a good performance, she's come a long way from the mess we saw during the battle rounds. "You've grown so much. I remember your blind audition, you were really serious, you were kinda lost and look were you are tonight, you've got the audience going. You were smiling, you were feeling the stage, I felt a lot of security and that's really important" (Ricky) "You are such a killer singer, you are really great. I really want you to know that you are really fantastic and you are a beautiful woman. I think you really redeemed yourself from the battle rounds" (Delta) "I really loved your performance. Much is made of coaching but it's only half of it, at the end of the day you are the one who's got to make the adjustments, you are the one who's got to stand up there and basically be naked in front of everyone and I thought you showed so much courage tonight, it was really fantastic" (Seal)

Adam Garrett

"Animal" (Neon Trees) - 6,5/10 - "Adam is my singing postie. He's an unassuming, hard working, good Aussie bloke. I think Adam is struggling a little bit with his stage presence and what I tired to do in the rehearsal is just help him make a decision, decide and do whatever you want to do on stage. I want to see some conviction from Adam" Joel says "We want to believe that you know what you are doing, even if you don't. If he finds himself on that stage, he's a really good shot of making it through". Despite the awful song choice, Adam actually convinced me he knew what to do on stage. He had so much conviction on stage that it was easy to forget he's almost no experience. The intro made all his moves predictable but I don't think it matter that much. His voice sounded the best it could on this song. Joel should've picked something to showcase his style though, I've no idea who he is as an artist and that's a problem. "So likable. You were there, you were having fun, you were in touch with the crowd, that's so important" (Ricky) "What I saw was you doing all of the things that Joel told you to do. There's a difference between that and engaging, the next stage for you is to connect with them and you do that by taking the feeling that you have now and putting it at the beginning" (Seal) "I think that you look up to Joel and you can learn so much from him. I feel like that was a great step again, I think you can do even better" (Delta)

Kiyomi Vella

"Upside Down" (Paloma Faith) - 9,5/10 - "She's artistic, she's fun, she's quirky, the only danger with that is that not everyone is gonna get it. In the battles she went in as the underdog but she made the song her own and she totally stole the show. She's ready for the competition, her only challenge is continuing to stay true to herself" Joel says "Kiyomi has a tendency to oversing sometimes and it's tempting for her to get caught up and wanting to be too different. She needs to just be in the song and not over do it". Finally Joel got it right! That was a truly awesome performance. Since she opened her mouth, there wasn't a single off moment, just pure quirky perfection. She looked crazy without looking too insane and her hand moves stole the show. Her singing was really great too, she may have been pitchy a few time but that's not important here cause that was phenomenal. I loved that! "The thing that I love about you is that even though it's really structured when you move, there's a real authenticity about you, you are not trying to be anything, you just are Kiyomi. I'm a really big fan and I think you are so beautiful. I hope you go through so I can keep watching you" (Delta) "What you are bringing today is funky yet it's very precise, it's yours, your personality is very powerful and your voice is very unique as well and I love seeing you" (Ricky) "I really loved your performance. You are the consummate entertainer and I used that word specifically because that's how I felt, I watched your whole performance, I couldn't take my eyes off of you, I was entertained and I think everyone at home watching this performance will share in that view. You just look like you are having such a good time and I think we get off on the fact that you were having a good time so thank you so much" (Seal) Joel asks for an update on college. She's quit. "Another very Team Joel thing to do" he says, then proclaiming her the strongest on his team tonight, "you deserve to sing again on The Voice because I want to see you again". "I'm gonna go home and vote for Kiyomi" Delta adds.

Michael Paynter

"The Horses" (Daryl Braithwaite) - 9/10 -"Michael's got so much going for him. He was signed really young but it hasn't worked out for him yet. He's a great singer but I think that Michael still doesn't know who he is on stage. The battle went down to me a little lackluster, I think he could've been better. He could take this all the way, he just needs to know who he is when he steps on that stage" his coach says "He needs to just trust me a little bit more. He needs to learn how to let himself be produced a little bit. Michael could win this show, he just needs help showing Australia what's so great about him". I love his style and his personality, I wasn't digging this song choice at first but on a third replay, I actually see what Joel was trying to achieve here. He performed it perfectly, he's got a perfect tone and he delivers every note in such a great way. He actually reminded me to Brandon Flowers from the second he stood up and hit those high notes. An incredible performance, he's a star. "Really good song man. You did a lot of justice to it, you brought it to a very cool level, really amazing. I hope you make it to the next level" (Ricky) "That was a great performance. I agree with Joel looking at the tape when he said that you have what it takes to take it all the way, to not only win this competition but to win in life. I think you can do that, I do think there are somethings that stand in your way but you are in control of whether or not you let those things continue to stand in your way" (Seal) "I don't know how I felt about that song. I love that song, I just don't know a hundred percent. I feel like you are so good. We all in moments of our career have to open up and at the same time listen to our inner voice, we need to try to be as open as we can to be able to really take it on and go 'is there something else I could be doing?' and I know you do that and I know how good you are, I want you to be great, get out of your own way" (Delta) "I want you to give me your pet hamster, I will take care of it, I won't kill it" his coach says hilariously.

Predictions

Based on the iTunes rankings (each song bought counts as two votes), the acts advancing by public vote should be Steve from Team Delta and Michael from Team Joel. Currently (May 7, 8:10 AM Canberra time), Steve Clisby's cover places at #4. At #6 we have another of Delta's artists, Jackie Sannia. Team Joel's Michael Paynter is behind her, at #7. A little bit down the road is Kiyomi Vella at #10. Adam Garrett and Rob Edwards stand at #52 and #55 respectively with Danni Hodson's "Stronger" at #69. Lastly, Josh Kyle's Kimbra cover charts at #127.

Of his remaining acts, Joel should definitely pick Kiyomi. I wouldn't count her out as the public's pick just yet given her iTunes ranking is so close to Michael's. Either way, I think both of them are making it through. We've got a similar case with Steve and Jackie on Team Delta. Their covers are only one place from one another. So again, Jackie will be Delta's pick if Steve's the public's choice or viceversa.

RESULTS