X Factor Australia 7: Top 7

And suddenly, they're down to 7. It was that fast! This week, they all tackled "Trailblazers", which basically means whatever song they want because I could probably think of something just to fit the artist to the theme. Haha. Bu seriously, this was a pretty solid week. No showstoppers, but no train wrecks as well. Hoping for the best result this week.

On with the show!

07. Mahalia Simpson
Tears Dry On Their Own
[GIRLS]
Her coach doesn't know what to do with her no? You see, Mahalia's strength is more on her interpretation of a song backed by her incredibly unique sound. It worked when she did Hello a couple of weeks back. However, Dannii keeps on giving her mid tempo songs that just doesn't highlight her full potential as a vocalist. Her lower register was muddled, her diction was terrible, and her pitch was rather inconsistent. Sigh. 5

07. Big T
Jailhouse Rock
[BOYS]
I seriously can't fault Big T's vocals on this song and it felt like he really tried performing the song. That being said, I just can't take seriously someone who sings Jailhouse Rock. Yes, it's a classic song, but there's novelty to it that just doesn't work on a singing competition. 5

05. Natalie Conway
I Have Nothing
[OVERS]
Another song choice that had me scratching my head. Why? Sure, Natalie probably has one of the biggest voices in the competition, but this was a bit of an overreach. Her vocals were fine, but her interpretation was as bland as slice bread. 5.5

04. Michaela Baranov
Diamonds
[GIRLS]
She sounded a little flat in parts - especially towards the end - but this somehow made a case for Michaela that she can actually be more contemporary than usual. Her voice sounded solid on this song and her tone came off a lot more distinct than I realized. 7

03. Louise Adams
Bad Romance
[OVERS]
Louise, to my shock, is turning out to be a pleasant surprise this season. I wrote her off as soon as the live shows began - she seemed more of a cannon fodder than an actual star - but she's proving to be this year's dark horse. This was another strong performance from her showcasing a different side of her. I admit, she sounded a bit like Lady Gaga - not sure if it's a good thing or a bad thing - but for the most part, it was pretty good. 7

02. Jess & Matt
Dancing In The Dark
[GROUPS]
Lovely. Not sure why Australia isn't voting for this duo as they've been pretty consistent throughout the competition and their version of Dancing In The Dark was no exception. Their harmonies were, as usual, spotless, Jess' tone was beautifully rich and Matt's vocals matched it to perfection. If they get voted off on this one, I'd slap a soul. 8

01. Cyrus Villanueva
Rumour Has It
[BOYS]
Not going to lie, the arrangement was a tad disjointed, but everything else was pretty flawless. His vocals were probably the most faultless to date, it was on a perfect key to highlight a more potent side of his voice, the staging was pretty entertaining, and for something as stylized as this Adele track, he didn't sound shockingly karaoke. 8

BOTTOM 2 PREDICTION
Natalie Conway
Michaela Baranov