Before we start: Can I just say how much I'm loving Ricky in his mint leather jacket? So suave.
SPINNERS AND GRINNERS
Jason Howell, 25 :: Jason performs what might just be the funkiest remix ever of Sexy And I Know It by LMFAO. Unlike most auditions, the song choice wasn't revealed to us at the beginning and it was really only once the chorus began that you were sure of what he was singing. After some initial hesitatation from Benji, the Mad Bros hit their buzzer, impressed with Jason's abililty to transform a naff novelty hit to something actually soulful.
Jo De Goldi, 46 :: Jo is lovely. There. I said it. A former circus performer turned dance & circus teacher, Jo is an "old woman" (pshaw!) and "embarassing mother" (UM, HELLO? YOU WERE IN THE CIRCUS) who, to quote Joel, "sang the shit out of" Streisand classic Don't Rain On My Parade. Her booming performance turned the chairs of Delta and the Maddens, and Jo chooses to join Team Delta, saying "how can I go past the chair dancing?" They were some pretty spectacular high kicks...
Tim McCallum, 34 :: Tim is this season's "inspirational" contestant, which I normally have a little bit of an issue with, since in my opinion, disabled people aren't there to "inspire" us*. The difference here though is that Tim seems to really want to inspire people. Since breaking his neck on a sandbank, Tim has lost all sensation from the chest down, meaning he has no control over his diaphragm...which is a pretty integral muscle for a singer, ESPECIALLY when you're attempting Nessun Dorma. All coaches but Jessie turn, although she seems to genuinely regret this decision afterwards, describing her own fight against adversity after suffering a stroke at 17 and losing sensation to one side of her body. After a heated battle between the coaches, with Delta & Ricky both whipping out their operatic credentials, Tim is swayed to join Team Ricky.
Liam Maihi, 23 :: Liam performs a beautiful acoustic rendition of George Ezra's Budapest, inspiring Ricky to hit his buzzer almost instantly. He's not the only one though, as young Liam here is our first four chair turn in a while. YES SOMEONE HAS FINALLY BROKEN JESSIE J. The judges scramble to convince Liam to pick them, with plenty of interruptions and shouted pitches. After a well placed ad break to REALLY build the tension, Liam is persuaded by Ricky's passion, much to everybody else's disappointment. Delta is fuming and Jessie is heard to remark "Shit!" Mr Martin is en fuego tonight! Samba's for everybody!
Mark Stefanoff, 23 :: Mark here is another repeat offender, having auditioned back in Season 2. Although he didn't turn any chairs back then, Ricky did arrange for him to meet with his agent in New York and Mark spent some time on Broadway. This time around, Mark sings Johnny Farnham's Burn For You and at the very last second, Ricky turns, leading to this super sweet reunion.
Laz Chester, 30 :: Our final contestant of the night was taught music by his late WWII vet father, whose medal Laz carries in his pocket as a good luck charm. Performing Counting Stars by One Republic, Laz has a strong start with some jitters in the middle and by the end has turned Ricky, Delta and Jessie. Ricky pitches hard, saying that what sold it to him was hearing the moment that Laz went "Fuck, I want this so bad!" By the way, Laz's adorable mother is very much Team Ricky. Jessie wonders how she can top that, but she needn't worry since Laz chooses her, much to the disappointment of Delts and the Rickster, and probably his mum.
BETTER LUCK NEXT TIME, KID
Damielou Shavelle, 22 :: Youtuber Damielou takes a huge risk by singing Do It Like A Dude, by none other than Jessie J. Unfortunately, I don't think anyone gave her the heads-up that Jessie is as tough as nails and it's going to take more than a nice song choice to get that chair of hers to spin. Bless her little cotton socks for taking the risk, but between pitchy notes and ill placed growls, her performance fails to make any of the coaches turn. Jessie, kind soul that she is, jumps up on stage with Damielou for an impromptu singalong and coaching session.
Aaleatha Sandstrom, 28 :: Former competitive swimmer Aaleatha has decided to trade in the pool for the stage, quitting her job to follow her musical dreams. Her fiance mentions that he hopes she goes well, as "she has no back up plan." In hindsight, she probably wishes she did. I'll be blunt guys. It...wasn't great. I think her big mistake was deciding to "perform" for the crowd, moving and dancing around the stage. As soon as you start to move and sing at the same time, your breathing is compromised. She sings like someone who hasn't had much formal training: the voice is there, but it's rough, and her breathing is all over the place. Because she's struggling to catch a breath, she's forced. to. sing. staccato, which ruins the flow of the song. She pulls out the big note, I'm guessing to prompt someone to hit the button, but all she gets is a forced smile with major side-eye from Delts...
Luckily for Aaleatha, the coaches are a bit kinder than I. Ricky tells her she has a great voice, but that it was just too much. Better luck next time Aal. Ten points for the pins though. They are some seriously stellar calves.
Luckily for Aaleatha, the coaches are a bit kinder than I. Ricky tells her she has a great voice, but that it was just too much. Better luck next time Aal. Ten points for the pins though. They are some seriously stellar calves.
THE TL;DR VERSION
Delta did the cancan, Ricky was the man's man, and Jessie knocked back her fan...fan. Damnit! So close.
The Voice Australia airs Sunday to Tuesday nights on the Nine Network. Care to make it interesting? Play along with our drinking game here.
* For a far more eloquent take on this issue, I strongly encourage you to take a look at the TED Talk by the late Stella Young, entitled I'm Not Your Inspiration, Thank You Very Much.
Rest in peace Stella, we miss you.
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