1. Zak
- love your energy, fun to listen to, makes any flat notes, etc. okay (ex: diana ross might be flat, but she's so interesting and emotional it's okay. singing is NOT about being perfect. it's about communicating a message to your audience, and you did that perfectly; autotune point)
- funk/soul style really works for your voice and is a great take on this song;
- wish i could record you!

2. Wonderland
- vibratto pretty and appropriately placed at end of phrases for this style of music
- appreciate the verb on your voice, can EASILY be overdone.
- annunciation (TIP: can make a pop filter out of panty hose and a hanger so you don't have to worry about too much air in the microphone)
- TIP: pull back from the mic on your louder notes. we can't hear how pretty they are always clipping and distorting the sound so we can't hear the quality of the note
- a little flat and stagnant at the end while very driven and emotional at the beginning; make sure you're always first and foremost serving the composer and communicating to the audience. afterall, that's what it's all about! think about feeling and connecting with the message of the song instead of always listening to every note/phrase/etc.
- "live with all your faults" country/jazz flare is nice
- voice sounds relaxed, picked a great song for your voice instead of trying to do something huge and belty that your voice isn't built for

3. GurBai
- good song choice for voice
- great, strong ending
- used to oversing on other songs, esp. on higher/longer/belting-range notes. great job not doing that this time around. fact that you are taking criticism and working on those pointers REALLY impresses me.

4. Akron
- smooth, scoop into some notes: most ppl would count off but i like that style (biased, like amy lee)
- dragging out notes stylistically works, but make sure you're on beat
- TIP: balance your voice, we would rather hear you completely and very little music
- when repeating phrases, choose a stylistic approach and make none of them the same (ex: no i don't have a gun) starts to sound boring, unemotional, stagnant despite your smooth, pretty voice

5. Maxi
- music too loud, can't hear you in lower register
- "walked this floor" verse so nicely phrased
- "hallelujah" repeated needs to be different each time, as in WHY are you repeating
- make the song your own. EVERYONE covers this song. what makes your version different?
- TIP: away from mic on louder notes (same as Wonderland)
- last note BEAUTIFUL
- breath control. running out of breath at the end of some notes/phrases

6. Emmaleigh
- slightly behind then ahead of beat
- 'widing; binding' ends on 'ng'. 90% vowel, 10% consenant
- boring, need more emotion.

7. Black widow
- flat (think up on pitch)
- are you someone's prayer end pretty w/ vibratto (relax for vibratto)
- lower register good, try different key
- great voice for country; embrace that! sounded better when you let your accent go at the end and made it your own instead of the original: most of your problems disappeared when you let go and got into it!

8. Tolis
- nasal works for some parts and not for others. use sparingly (ex: 'take it on the other side' would sound great in your voice if you relaxed instead of pushing the nasal sound) very musical theatre. also works for ska-lite stuff like this
- song might not be right for you. try something like 'what a wonderful world' would be good to work on as far as tone. have a good, deep voice.

9. RJ
- behind the beat
- TIP: record with head phones on; recording will be better
- "believe what she said" pushing/straining instead of using breath support; "when you started..." lightened up, pretty

10. FlameonX
- behind the beat. make sure there's energy. HIGH energy song, watch it live! you need to match that energy. sound like you are really depressed... relaxed.
- balance. music WAY too loud, hard to judge voice because had to strain to listen (listening to this on surround sound LG speakers from a TV monitor, had to turn wayyyy up to even hear you)

11. Jermin
- timing off in some places
- song not quite right for voice
- can tell you're really holding back and barely hit high energy notes. COMMIT!
- match the mood of the song. especially in speaking parts. very belty/intense type song.

12. Triple
- choose another key; you're not on pitch for most of this song.
- phrasing is nice (like in jazz, no note is sung the same as the last. HATE that about pop music vocalists)
- nice emotional connection, esp. at end
- (TIP: record with headphones on so you can turn music up and balance
- first "don't tell me 'cuz it hurts" after lala's at end sound is GREAT. try for that register in your voice because it sounds silky smooth. jazz and blues standards might be good for you. try 'a man's world' or 'someone to watch over me' or 'can't take that away from me'
- "hush hush" stylistically good idea, but overdone; needs subtlty

************************************************************************

Here are the placings. This might be easier to read, becase there are so many comments lol. Great job everyone :P

1. Zak
2. Wonderland
3. GurBai
4. Akron
5. Maxi
6. Emmaleigh
7. Black widow
8. Tolis
9. RJ
10.FlameonX
11.Jermin
12.Triple

UUUGH I already do record with headphones on! Haha okay I'll make sure to have the music
Like a good 10 seconds after me so I can finally be ahead of the beat since that's my biggest note from like every song :p merrrrppppp

Those are some good tips though! Thank your sister for us Liz :) that was nice of her to chime in :)

thanks liz and liz's sister :)

BlackWidow – At times your voice sits below the pitch, think “up” on tones when they seem just a bit under. Especially watch to make sure you’re matching the correct pitch immediately rather than “swooping” into it. At times it’s a real neat effect, but it comes so inconsistently that it just seems a bit random and doesn’t match stylistically with the genre of your piece. I did however really enjoy the unique combination of your vibrato along with the timbre/tone color behind your voice. I definitely think you should embrace the fact that you have such a strong lower range. Matched with the proper song, you could definitely prove a lot to your other competitors and the audience.

RJ – I like that you really tried to make this song your own, even the smallest amount of ad lib was a joy to listen to. However, at certain points throughout your performance you’re pushing your vocal chords way too hard, and that really shows through the bit of strain that comes from your tone when you’re singing in the upper range. Especially when you are in the upper range of your voice you’ll need to use a ton of air support and those notes will just “sing” a lot easier. Also groove with the song a little bit more. Had we been in person it probably would have been easier to observe, you’re just a bit off beat. I find that when I perform I do a lot of “grooving” which can be seen as a slight dance and it helps keep me on beat. Stylistically it also helps with my tone color as well. Overall, keep at it; you’re doing a great job!

Akron – I felt like I should have been at a laid back bar enjoying your performance. It was really relaxed and just felt easy to listen to. I have a couple of suggestions however. Make sure that when you edit your sound clips that we hear more of your voice. I found myself getting lost in the bass line rather than listening to you and this is partly because the song is so repetitive. Don’t be afraid to go out of your comfort zone. You played it a bit safe, and with a song that is so repetitive you should feel like it’s a jungle ready to be explored! Just change it up a bit with repetitive phrases!

Wonderland – First off, I really enjoyed the song choice. It’s really important that you listen to your intonation constantly. At times you were a bit flat especially on longer notes. I think you nailed the piece stylistically and you added tone of personality to the piece. Overall the unique tone to your voice really did the song justice, and you did a great job.

Triple – I had to play your performance over and over in my head to think of what to say right now. My biggest criticism is that you were off pitch the entire song. Like literally the entire song. I think if you continue on in this competition that you should experiment more with the keys you perform in, and even think about straying away from something that is as demanding as your selection for this week. It was good that you tried to connect with your audience and the meaning of the song, but at times it seems over the top.

Flameon – I actually wasn’t a fan of the song choice, mostly because the music was way louder than you, and I had a hard time following what you were singing. I also feel like you sounded a bit bored singing it which is a bummer especially since I know you have a good voice.

Maxi – This song is super hard to cover because so many people do try to. I would've liked to see you change it up a bit. When you’re singing long notes pay attention to your intonation, because it seems to be all over the place. In other words, make sure you’re not floating flat or sharp, especially on lines at the ends of phrases. You did a great job, but another thing I noticed is that it seems you were going for a more relaxed tone, and your tone lacked air support. Make sure you have the proper air support, that way it doesn't sound like you’re singing with an overly-airy tone.

Zak – You absolutely rocked this performance.  I especially like your vibr

OH AWKS! I FORGOT ABOUT THE LIMIT!!!

Zak – You absolutely rocked this performance.  I especially like your vibrato; it’s just used so well that it gives me the chills! Way to go!

Tolis – Personally, I’m not the biggest fan of this song, or others alike. Make sure you listen to your accompaniment when you’re singing. At certain points you sound a bit off, but if you accomplish good listening technique, it will assure that you’re right on pitch. Overall, I think you did a solid job.

Jermin – Stylistically I don’t feel like you really matched the meaning of the song. I feel like you were just singing the words, and not really matching the attitude of the song. When Metallica goes at this, they don’t just speak the song; they go all out and rock the song. I was completely unenthusiastic during the performance unfortunately, if you move on, giving the song your all will definitely help you out with keeping the audience’s attention.

Emmaleigh – I think you did a good job on this song; however I feel like you need to do a better job listening to the accompaniment and learning the tendencies to your own voice. It seems that especially when you sing long notes that your pitch is all over the board, and really taming that will definitely improve your overall performance.

Gurlbai – Great job, it really seems like you paid special attention to your pitch in all ranges and it shows! You controlled dynamics and used a wide variety and I appreciated that. Overall, I feel like your voice has a unique sense and I’m curious to see what you’ll do with future performances.

After reviewing all of your performances this is how I rank y’all this week:
1.        Zak
2.        Gurlbai
3.        Wonderland
4.        Maxi
5.        Akron
6.        Blackwidow
7.        Emmaleigh
8.        Tolis
9.        RJ
10.        Jermin
11.        Flameon
12.        Triple

Hmm...

BlackWidow - I thought this was a real good song choice for your voice actually, it allowed us to hear that unique tone that I loved when you sang Blackbird. A couple of little flat moments here and there, but I definitely thought it was an improvement on last week. Good job.

RJ18 - It's difficult to judge this performance because it's not really a "singers" song if you know what I mean. It's more about personality and delivery as opposed to vocals. Personally, I don't think it was the best song choice you could have made, you were behind at times. It wasn't bad though, and I still think you have more to give.

Akron - This was a great song choice for you, I could actually picture you singing Nirvana, you have that kinda apathetic, distant voice that works so well for songs like this. I really enjoyed it.

Wonderland - Apart from a few flat moments in the longer notes, I thoroughly enjoyed this performance from you. It showed us a completely different shade to your voice than last week when you did Titanium, so I felt this was a great song choice. You have a pure tone to your voice which I hadn't really heard from you before, and I'd love to hear you take on a more vulnerable song. As I said however, great performance, the best so far.

TripleXXX - This was a real big song to take on, and I think you struggled with it in terms of technique, and a lot of the delivery was shaky. You do emote when you sing which is great, but I think if you're going to be a contender in this competition, I think you'll have to choose simpler songs, and I do agree with Liz, perhaps you should look at some standards to find your feet.

FlameonX - This wasn't your finest performance I'm afraid. Personally, I think the song choice is great but you really needed to attack it a lot more than you did. It needs more attitude, more gusto. If it was a different version then this could have worked. The vocals were consistent though, and we know what you can do based on last week's performance, this is hopefully just an off week.

Maxi - This was a very dangerous song to take on, because there's so many versions and each of us as judges might like different elements from all the versions and want that in yours... if you get what I mean. Personally for me, with a song with a lyric as strong and emotional as this, I prefer them delivered in such a vulnerable way, and a powerful vocal isn't usually the way to achieve that. So from a vocal point of view, I thought this was a strong, solid performance, but you lacked somewhat delivering the emotion of the song.

ZakAustin - This was fantastic. Love the song choice - probably one of my favourite songs ever. So much feist, rhythm, shifts, attitude, personality et cetera et cetera in this song and you delivered on all those fronts.

Tolis - I quite liked this song choice from you actually, and although there were a few sharp notes in the upper register, I have to say I enjoyed it. It showed us a different side to your voice as well which is almost essential in a competition like this.

Jermin - I kinda have to agree with the other judges on this performance. You definitely chose the one of the pure 100% all out rock songs but you didn't deliver a rock performance. It was just so subdued throughout apart from a few inflections here and there, but you needed to really attack this, and you didn't.

Emmaleigh - This was a real step in the right direction in my opinion. I wasn't a fan of your performance last week, but this week is just so much better. Being British, I've probably heard this song a million and seventeen times and I thought you handled it very well. Great job.

Gurlbai - I kinda expected a song like this, and I knew you could handle a song as huge as this. Like Josh said, you mastered the dynamics of the song and you're doing these RnB runs over Aerosmith... crazy! Crazy, but brilliant. Well done.

My rankings:

1. ZakAustin
2. Wonderland
3. Gurlbai
4. BlackWidow
5. Akron
6. Maxi
7. Emmaleigh
8. Tolis
9. RJ18
10. FlameonX
11. TripleXXX
12. Jermin

1. BlackWidow: I liked this performance. I agree with the other judges that you have a really nice lower register, and it's always nice when you are able to showcase that.

2. RJ: I thought this was a fun performance. I like the personality you are able to show in your voice. At times, it did seem as though you were pushing a bit too hard. I don't know if this song really showed off how great your vocals are, but I still thought it was pretty good.

3. Akron: I thought this was a nice song choice for you. It really seemed to suit you, and I thought you did quite well!

4.  Wonderland: I loved this performance!! The tone of your voice is so nice, and I think this song was great for you.  It was entertaining while still showing your vocal skill. Good job!

5. Triple: I really appreciate the passion you put into each of your performances. I don't think this song really worked for you this round, but I think you can do some great things if you are able to find the right song/key to match your voice.

6. FlameonX: Unfortunately, I found it difficult to hear your voice a lot in this song. It seemed to get drowned out by the music a lot of the time. I also thought that you could have shown more emotion in the song. I didn't completely feel it this time, but I know you have and can do better.

7. Maxi: Ah, this song is so difficult to cover. Overall, I think you did a nice job. I like the softness of your voice. The performance wasn't super original, but it was very pleasant to listen to, and I enjoyed it.

8. Zak: Great song choice!!! I love, love, love the energy you put into each of your performances. It translates so well. This was another wonderful performance from you. Excellent job!

9. Tolis: I liked this performance since it showed us a different side to your voice. I also liked being able to hear your voice clearly. Overall, good job!

10. Jermin: I enjoyed that you really did pick a "rock" song. However, I do have to agree with the other judges that you should work to match your voice with the mood of the song. Parts of the song felt like they were just a bit lacking.

11. Emmaleigh: This was MUCH better than last round's performance! I enjoyed really being able to hear your voice. Keep putting more emotion into your songs, and I'm sure you will just keep getting better and better.

12. GurlBai: This was a great song for you voice! The recording seemed a little bit "garbled" at times, and I wish it hadn't been because I'm sure it would have been even better to be able to hear you more clearly. However, you still did a really great job this round! Well done.

Rankings:
1.ZakAustin
2.Wonderland
3.GurlBai
4.Maxi
5.BlackWidow
6.Akron
7.Emmaleigh
8.Tolis
9.RJ18
10.FlameonX
11.Jermin
12.Triple

Definitely learned my lesson! Thanks for the feedback =)