After last week’s semi-shocking (although they really weren’t that great) elimination of What About Tonight anything can happen as the top 10 tackle top 10 hits!  Also, I want to apologize about last week, I got caught up in the busyness of last week at my work so I didn’t get around to writing the article.

I have to commend Guy Sebastian, when I read that Justin Standley was doing this fun. track, I thought it would be a complete hot mess.  I feel like in some ways this performance kind of worked, the drums were exciting, and unlike previous Justin performances I didn’t feel like this one was oozing with syrupy sappiness.  Guy is one mentor that is constantly trying to switch it up for his acts and the others should be taking note and honestly this was Justin’s best performance to date.

I am still convinced The Collective is going to take this whole competition.  I don’t feel like this New Kids on the Block song did them any favors, but as Mel B said in terms of performance I have nothing to complain about it.   They looked like a real group, a successful group, but this song was just a filler performance in the middle of their concert set.

Angel Tupai changed it up this week just her and a piano, which a good thing, a very good thing, because for the last two weeks Angel was simply a prop in her own performance.  The dancers were doing a show, and Angel was just singing in it, and she was swallowed by the production.  It wasn’t until Guy Sebastian pointed it out, but in terms of just glancing fast at Angel, you really could mistake her for Emeli Sande, especially with Angel’s new blonde do.  This was another very capable performance, but I feel like Angel isn’t connecting with the song or the audience completely.

Carmelo Munzone needs to work on his stage face, his looks ranged from nervous to frightened.  He sounded O.K., but that isn’t Carmelo’s problem.  Carmelo like a few of the other contestants honestly just lack X Factor.  This song on paper feels like it should’ve been a natural fit, but if you asked me to pick Justin’s “Some Nights” or this Carmelo performance as the superior one, I would without doubt choose Justin as the superior performance.  What can Carmelo do to improve his longevity on the show?  Work on emotionally connecting with a song?  This deer-in-the-headlights look isn’t going to work forever.

Honestly Samantha Jade should take this whole competition if it was based on having the full package.  The looks, the voice, and the ability, but Samantha just comes across as so anonymous.  I feel like if Samantha was a solo female in a male group, this would be a very different story, because then she would have someone to play off of, but by herself it just isn’t as special as it needs to be.  Her biggest flaw with this performance is that she tried to shout the chorus, the biggest was so sweet and the end was so nice, but that middle she was just pushing way to freaking hard.  This is a soft gentle plea, not a grab you by the throat shout.

I love Bella Ferraro, my friends who I watch this show with do not understand my love for the lovely miss Bella, but I still like her.  Besides that fact that she looked completely awkward for the first half of this performance, I really think Bella delivered her best live show performance to date.  When Bella released her inhibitions by the second half of the performance it was much better, in fact for like a second I thought, well she kind of looks natural with these “steps” as Natalie properly pointed it out it was best to not refer to this as “dancing.”  And something about Bella signing this 1972 nature anthem seemed just to fit right.

For Jason Owen I think he did very good with this Aerosmith classic.  I feel like in many ways Jason is sort of coming into his own in this competition.  Jason is going to be a 1950/1960s country crooner, so just accept it and embrace it.  I can easily see a world where Jason is in the final 3, and Jason is just so earnest, it’s hard not to root for him.  He’s so nice, from such a small town, and although he will most likely never have a viable music career, in terms of this competition he can go very far.

“Try a Little Tenderness” is just one of those songs that you can kill, and Nathaniel Williamse took on the challenge after his last week near elimination against What About Tonight.  Nathaniel is a very accomplished vocalist and unlike his sleeveless shirt, his voice was great throughout the entire performance.  He dug into the right amount of emotion and delivered this week.

Easily “Beautiful” is Shiane Hawke‘s best live performance show to date.  No dancers, no gimmicks, and minimal goat wail.  Shiane delivered a controlled performance that hit well with the audience, I hope Natalie takes note of this and stops trying to give Shiane these big production numbers, but knowing Natalie this fact is going to complete go over her head and we will have 30 chorus girls lined up next week for miss Shiane.  I feel bad for her, she is just too young for this competition.  I do like Shiane, but I know she can’t win.

Fourtunate they’ve got the moves, and they sounded plenty good on this song, but I don’t think this song didn’t vocally do them any favors.  Also there was a lack of harmonies, not that they missed them or were off keys, there literally was a lack of harmonies, it was all solo singing, they looked like a group, but it didn’t sound like a group.  Fourtunate excelled at being the most in sync group, but The Collective is giving them a run for their money and I don’t know how long two boy bands can last in this competition.

Bottom Two

Obviously this vote was easy Angel deserved to stay and Justin didn’t.  Although there is a slim part of me that feels bad for Justin, since he gave actually a pretty decent performance last night, so for that I am disappointed to see him go, but in terms of the whole competition Justin wasn’t going to go anywhere really, so I wish him luck and we should let real contenders for the title (Angel Tupai, The Collective, Nathaniel Williamse) battle it out properly.  Be sure to comment below!  Thanks for reading!