Now that we’ve been given a week to recover from the hot mess that was the Chris Sebastian‘s “Firework”, last night’s final battle rounds promised a lot…but again, under delivered.
The talent was more consistent off stage than on last night, Ricki-Lee and Washington should have Seal and Keith‘s jobs next year. Seal is a pretentious wanker who thinks the show is called Seal Of Approval. Keith Urban’s relevance was questioned more than ever when he chose a country song for his contestants that was so out of place, even Chinese Opera would have sufficed in place.
He’s still doing better than Darren Hayes, who has made an art out of getting paid for standing around and flicking his hair dramatically.
So here we go….
Carmen Smith VS Michelle Serret-Cursio
Song: Rihanna – “We Found Love”
Quality: 9/10
Who Won: Carmen Smith
Who Should Have: Carmen Smith
Notes: Their performances were almost identical, but Michelle had pitch issues with the high notes. It was definitely Carmen’s by the end. As a combo they were one of the best so far, but the girls are fortunate that Rihanna’s live vocals sound like the doomsday siren. The victory was so exciting; Disney Pixar decided to make a movie about it!
Sam Ludeman VS Kieran Fraser
Song: Coldplay – Viva La Vida
Quality: 6/10
Who Won: Sam Ludeman
Who Should Have: Kieran Fraser
Notes: None of this interested me in the slightest. Kieran Fraser’s dancing was like watching Big Bird undergoing electroshock therapy but his vocals were stronger than Sam’s, who for the record is the campest man alive. No wonder Kieran Fraser ditched the tracksuit, that Straight Guy was Queer Eyed by Sam!
Kelsie Rimmer VS Brittany Cairns
Song: Adele – Turning Tables
Quality: 8.5/10
Who Won: Brittany Cairns
Who Should Have: 50/50
Notes: If you’re going to force them to sing Adele, could you at least pick an interesting song? Brittany had the high notes here while Kelsie had the artistry. It was one of the toughest decisions thus far. At least now I don’t have to type Rimmer anymore, consequently giggling like a 14 year old school girl.
Matt Hetherington VS Jerson Trinidad
Song: Stevie Wonder – Highest Ground
Quality: 7/10
Who Won: Matt Hetherington.
Who Should Have: Matt Hetherington
Notes: Terrible song choice, would have to be Stevie Wonder’s most boring song. While Jerson has had better moments with his audition, Matt had more stage presence. Neither were amazing, but this was largely to Delta’s appalling song choice.
Sarah De Bono VS Yianna Stavrou
Song: The Gossip – Heavy Cross
Quality: 7/10
Who Won: Sarah De Bono
Who Should Have: Sarah De Bono
Notes: Yianna’s dress wasn’t exactly a nun’s habit; I could see her uterus for half the performance. Sarah had way more control and better voice from the word go. There was no question here. At least Yianna was able to get a lift home (below.)
Darren Percival VS Brett Clarke
Song: James Taylor – Shower The People
Quality: 7.5/10
Who Won: Darren Percival.
Who Should Have: Darren Percival.
Notes: I’m sorry Keith, this isn’t Nashville. No cheesy, badly written country song with lyrics my 11 year old niece could have bettered. As soon as Darren started, it was his. Seal’s claim that Brett should win was abhorrent.
Ben Bennett VS Jesse & Ashleigh
Song: Owl City – Fireflies
Quality: 6.5/10
Who Won: Ben Bennett
Who Should Have: Ben Bennett
Notes: It left me feeling very meh. Maybe it was the song, maybe it was the performances, maybe it’s because I don’t give a shit about squeaky clean tweens from Teen Scene Magazine? It was all just a bit….
Casey Withoos VS Emma Louise Birdsall
Song: Etta James – At Last
Quality: 8.5/10
Who Won: Emma Louise Birdsall
Who Should Have: Emma Louise Birdsall, just…
Notes: A very interesting result. While Emma Louise was TERRIBLE in the audition, Casey rocked my world with Regina Spektor’s “Samson” and she had extraordinary likeability. Casey struggled first half and while she wowed in the second half, Emma Louise already had this in the bag. But this is how you do it…
