X Factor Australia 5: Top 9

I don't know what happened, but now that they were given the chance to tackle something more modern, most of them faltered. Was it the song choices? I'm not really sure, but something was off with most of them and I honestly hated most of the performances - or if not, pretty underwhelmed.

Anyway, let's get on with the performances!

09. Jiordan Tolli
Burn
Oh no. The verses sounded fantastic, but when she hit the chorus with those crazy falsetto, everything sounded awful! Why didn't they rearrange the song to fit her voice more? Missed opportunity. 3

08. Joelle
True Love
Sigh. This would've been good if she placed the key a lot higher after the first verse. Her lower register just couldn't support the melody of the chorus. Disappointing. 4

07. Jai Waetford
It Will Rain
Did the judges really believe that Jai sang and performed well with this Bruno Mars song? It's frustrating how they criticize contestants on their vocals and then praise this kid for his performance. Seriously? This was breathy, his phrasing was annoyingly choppy with weak vocals and a timid stage presence. 4

06. Omar Dean
Skyscraper
Too much falsetto with little vocal dynamics, but decent enough. 5

05. Ellie Lovegrove
Wings
Better than I expected. Not amazing, but she worked the stage well, her vocals were mostly on point, and I saw some unexpected swagger. 6

04. JTR
Want U Back
Who knew? On paper, this should've been a TOTAL mess, but it was actually one of their best performances to date. The beginning was solid, the rapping was unexpectedly awesome, and they sounded like a legit boy group. Very nice. 6.5

03. Dami Im
Roar
Dami definitely had moments during the whole performance, but the back track was just way too loud that I could barely hear her vocals. Plus, she looked so awkward on stage. Good thing, her vocals were spot on. 7

02. Third D3gree
Love The Way You Lie
It was odd that Kelebek was actually the weakess in this performance. Her singing went flat a couple of times and I actually didn't like the arrangement as it didn't really flow, but the last half was particularly strong. Jacinta's vocals just soared and it was quite riveting. 7

01. Taylor Henderson
Let Her Go
Minus the lazy vocal styling - he ended his phrases as if he was bored - I found this performance very soothing. His tone was sublime on this song and the liberties he took with the melody was enough to not sound karaoke but was able to put a stamp on the song. Very nice. 7.5