Tonight The X Factor contestants showed a bit more of their personalities, with a show dedicated to their own musical idols.
Sally Chatfield gave us a little Evanescence with “Bring Me To Life.” I thought it was the perfect song choice for her, showing us that she could do more than the big tearjerker ballads. I loved seeing her rock out, and watching her vocal technique getting stronger under Natalie’s guidance. What a great way to start the show.
I’ve got to respect Altiyan Childs taking a risk and singing Prince’s “Kiss.” But that man does not have the falsetto to pull it off. He might have performed the hell out of it, but it was laughable. I guess at least it was entertaining though! Entertaining, but terrible.
I’ve got to say, I thought it was pretty pathetic to see Justin Bieber on Mitchell Smith’s list of heroes. I know he’s a young kid, but really? I didn’t think I’d feel that Justin Bieber could outsing anyone, but he outsings Mitchell. And out-energises him. This was flat and absolutely terrible. He made Altiyan look good.
Listening to everyone talk before Mahogany took the stage, you’d think that “Lady Marmalade” didn’t exist before Moulin Rouge. I was actually a bit disappointed to see them go that super sexy route, but I think they definitely brought everything they needed to the table. I found all the choreography a bit distracting and over the top, but I certainly couldn’t fault the girls here.
I was thrilled to see Hayley Teal back to her best this week with Aretha’s Franklin’s “Respect.” She seemed so much more comfortable, and because of that I think we all enjoyed it a lot more. It doesn’t matter how many times we’ve heard this track; a good performance of it is pretty easy to appreciate.
Andrew Lawson did one of my favourite songs, The Calling’s “Wherever You Will Go.” It started shaky, and got better as it progressed but never really got where it needed to be. I applaud him for taking a risk, but this just felt a bit undercooked to me.
Again, I applaud Amanda Grafanakis for attempting to take on Christina Aguilera’s “The Voice Within.” It was OK, but I really felt this song was too big for her. She’s just not there yet. I felt like she was focusing too much on hitting those difficult notes than really connecting with us, which was a shame.
I’ve been a bit critical of Luke and Joel, but they won me over tonight with their rendition of “Little Lion Man.” It certainly wasn’t flawless, but they did the song credit, and were a credit to themselves. They did it all with conviction, and sounded better than I’ve seen. They’ve definitely done enough to avoid finding themselves in that dreaded bottom two.
India Rose Madderom took on a big song in U2’s “One,” but I think she did them and the song justice. At the start I found all the editing a little distracting, but when she got to the guts of it, it was sublime. And getting to sublime in a couple of minutes on The X Factor is something special indeed.
James McNally continues to impress me. I love his voice and the way he performs. “Maggie May” is such an awesome song, and while the use of the girl was a bit cheesy, I can forgive it all because he does what he does so well.
Kharizma really impressed me tonight with their cover of “Single Ladies.” They’re really coming into their own with an attitude that’s almost like the rebel Mahogany. They always look like they’re having so much fun, and seem so natural on stage. It didn’t blow me away, but I really enjoyed this.
I think Kyle should prepare to send another of his acts packing, but we’ll see how it all turns out tomorrow night!