This week The X Factor contestants were celebrating homegrown tunes with their Aussie Anthems special.
Mitchell Callaway kicked things off with “Throw Your Arms Around Me.” Again it was strange to see Nat picking a non-country song for her act, but I thought this suited him down to the ground. It’s the best I’ve heard him sing since the auditions, although I felt a real wall between him and the audience. Even when he was touching the hands of the audience it felt very uneasy. He needs to become more comfortable as a performer if he’s going to go much further in this competition.
Johnny Ruffo shot for the moon in taking on Delta Goodrem’s “Lost Without You.” Sadly the song exposed all his vocal shortcomings. He certainly tried, but he never got there. In parts it was bearable, but it was also flat and tuneless far too often. I admired his intensity, but it had more than a bit of Eurovision cheese to it.
Three Wishez gave what I think was the performance of the season so far with John Farnham’s “You’re the Voice.” This was just incredible. It had so much joy and patriotism; it brought a tear to my eye. Last week when Ronan lost YMS I wondered whether the competition was all over for him. With this though, Three Wishez showed they’ve got what it takes to win this thing. More of this please!
Andrew Wishart brought more tears with “Flame Trees.” This is one of those songs that always gets to me, and Andrew Wishart did it justice. I felt the song was a little poorer without the bridge, but perhaps we’re not allowed to sing about “sentimental bullshit” in this timeslot. At any rate, as always, Andrew did brilliantly with what he was given, which in this case was one of the greatest songs of all time.
I initially wondered at the wisdom of giving Declan Sykes something as mainstream as Crowded House’s “Fall At Your Feet.” After all, it was a fairly mainstream performance that landed him in the bottom two last week. However I think Declan gave us his best tonight. It was just stunning. Hopefully people pick up their phones, because this proved why he deserves his place here.
Christina Parie busted out a little Killing Heidi. “Weir” was a smart song choice, but the performance side of it was really puzzling. The track is so cool, but those crazy ballet dancers and the oversized chair made it feel like a novelty act. I don’t think she sang it badly, but she did seem to get lost in it all. This should have been so much better.
Reece Mastin is one of my favourites, but I struggled with his Wolfmother this week. “Joker and the Thief” has never been one of my favourite songs, and he didn’t do anything to change my mind. I’m not sure it was his fault. Vocally it was spot on. But I didn’t feel he made the song his own. Perhaps that’s again the fault of the song. What does it all mean, after all? And if it means nothing, what is there for the lad to latch on to? He rocked, but it was far from my favourite performance.
We’re getting down to the wire here, and it’s hard to pick who’ll go. Again I hope Johnny Ruffo is in the bottom two. I’m sure if he was in a studio with some autotune he could carve out a solid career, but he’s not up to the standard of the other acts. Christina may also be in danger though. On a night of strong performances, her average one may be her undoing.