Hi chickadees!
I think about 10 people find their way to this page every week. I'm not sure if you're reading or just getting linked here when you're looking for gossip but regardless, welcome!
This week's theme was Halloween. Which never makes sense. It should really just be a cue for the art direction and nothing else because if you're smart (as the contestants were) you don't try and pick a song that has a "Halloween" theme. Unless it's "I Put a Spell on You". Love that song. Overall, I was a little bored with this week's performances.
Final Breakdown (in my opinion)
[Not including Christopher Maloney because the video wasn't available in the US or Lucy Spraggan because she was unwell and did not perform.]
1. James Arthur
2. Jahmene Douglas
3. Ella Henderson
4. Union J
5. Jade Ellis
6. Kye Sones
7. District3
8. Rylan Clark
Let's go through the contestants in order.
Kye Sones: I liked his vocals last week but it definitely didn't fit with the theme and that may have hurt him with the voting. The only "Let Me Entertain You" I know is from Gypsy so I didn't come into it with any expectations of how the song "should" sound. I think he is very professional and did a good job with it didn't really the energy or impact it needed to. It wasn't fun. Repetitive songs are risky because they can drag. Also, I'm not sure if the phrases were too long and he just didn't have a place to breathe but there were lulls in the vocals. It was a good performance. But it wasn't spectacular. And I don't know if running around and getting right up in the camera is going to win over the people who didn't pick up the phone last week.
Union J: I am a massive Beyonce fan. I didn't really know what was going to happen with "Sweet Dreams". I liked that Louis was sort of playing into the theme with the song choice but I was nervous. The vocals didn't start off as strong as the last two weeks. I thought the light show and the background images were a bit too chaotic but the vocals were good. I didn't love it as much as the last two weeks but I can't come up with anything to complain about. I think again you have the problem with a repetitive song and the fact that it didn't really go anywhere. I still think they're a really strong boy band. I agreed with Tulisa's critique.
Rylan Clark: This was a pretty weak performance from Rylan. I know I'm in the minority thinking he's charming in the nonperformance clips but I was let down by this. The mashup of songs didn't make much sense. There didn't seem to be much of a point to the staging/costumes. And the vocals got worse as the song went along. I thought they started out decent and then it just fell apart from there. He didn't bring it with the dancing. If he does make it through, I'm interested in the outcome of his promise to Gary (to just stand there and sing a song).
Ella Henderson: I love Evanescence and I think Amy Lee is a really strong vocalist so I started off unsure if Ella was up to the task of one of her songs given the way her voice cracks and the little issues she hasn't been addressing so far during her run in the competition. I thought it was smart for her to change up the song and lower the key because of that but the song lost something. I loved the staging and costume (though the hair was not flattering). I think Ella did a good job but she did not live up to Amy. I like the emotion she brought to it though. I just think she doesn't have the power she thinks so when she needs to ramp up, it doesn't always hit the heights it needs to. I'd like her to sing a straight ballad. I agreed with Nicole's critique.
Christopher Maloney: For some reason the video wasn't available for the US.
District3: Every Breath You Take is such a stalker-ish song. I don't understand District3. To me, it's like when there's a talent show at school and a group of people shows off a talent you didn't know they had. In the context of a school talent show, District3 are entertaining and mildly impressive. But for X Factor, I find them low energy and boring. The vocals are not strong enough.
Jahmene Douglas: Risky move going with The Fugees Killing Me Softly. That's Lauryn Hill...and also Roberta Flack. And it's a song you don't really mess around with. Part of the beauty of that song is the pure vocals. It's not a song for the runs and tricks Jahmene likes to do. But then Jahmene started to sing. And he respected that aesthetic. And I loved it. This kind of ballad was perfect for Jahmene. His expression came across as angst and it worked perfectly for the song. Not sure if it was Halloween but it was one of my favorite performances of the night.
Jade Ellis: I don't know this song. But I liked how Jade looked like a cyborg superheroine. Jade's voice is so unique. I just wish her voice had more power. The staging promised impact but the vocals were simple and pretty. They didn't have thunder and lightning to them. I agreed with Nicole, Louis, and Gary. All gave completely fair critiques.
James Arthur: I was so bored by the rest of the performances. I was just praying for James to do something interesting and amazing. I like that he was still sticking with that sexy, rich tone he brought out last week. The rocking back and forth was a bit odd. I don't think it was super high energy but I enjoyed it.
I think about 10 people find their way to this page every week. I'm not sure if you're reading or just getting linked here when you're looking for gossip but regardless, welcome!
This week's theme was Halloween. Which never makes sense. It should really just be a cue for the art direction and nothing else because if you're smart (as the contestants were) you don't try and pick a song that has a "Halloween" theme. Unless it's "I Put a Spell on You". Love that song. Overall, I was a little bored with this week's performances.
Final Breakdown (in my opinion)
[Not including Christopher Maloney because the video wasn't available in the US or Lucy Spraggan because she was unwell and did not perform.]
1. James Arthur
2. Jahmene Douglas
3. Ella Henderson
4. Union J
5. Jade Ellis
6. Kye Sones
7. District3
8. Rylan Clark
Let's go through the contestants in order.
Kye Sones: I liked his vocals last week but it definitely didn't fit with the theme and that may have hurt him with the voting. The only "Let Me Entertain You" I know is from Gypsy so I didn't come into it with any expectations of how the song "should" sound. I think he is very professional and did a good job with it didn't really the energy or impact it needed to. It wasn't fun. Repetitive songs are risky because they can drag. Also, I'm not sure if the phrases were too long and he just didn't have a place to breathe but there were lulls in the vocals. It was a good performance. But it wasn't spectacular. And I don't know if running around and getting right up in the camera is going to win over the people who didn't pick up the phone last week.
Union J: I am a massive Beyonce fan. I didn't really know what was going to happen with "Sweet Dreams". I liked that Louis was sort of playing into the theme with the song choice but I was nervous. The vocals didn't start off as strong as the last two weeks. I thought the light show and the background images were a bit too chaotic but the vocals were good. I didn't love it as much as the last two weeks but I can't come up with anything to complain about. I think again you have the problem with a repetitive song and the fact that it didn't really go anywhere. I still think they're a really strong boy band. I agreed with Tulisa's critique.
Rylan Clark: This was a pretty weak performance from Rylan. I know I'm in the minority thinking he's charming in the nonperformance clips but I was let down by this. The mashup of songs didn't make much sense. There didn't seem to be much of a point to the staging/costumes. And the vocals got worse as the song went along. I thought they started out decent and then it just fell apart from there. He didn't bring it with the dancing. If he does make it through, I'm interested in the outcome of his promise to Gary (to just stand there and sing a song).
Ella Henderson: I love Evanescence and I think Amy Lee is a really strong vocalist so I started off unsure if Ella was up to the task of one of her songs given the way her voice cracks and the little issues she hasn't been addressing so far during her run in the competition. I thought it was smart for her to change up the song and lower the key because of that but the song lost something. I loved the staging and costume (though the hair was not flattering). I think Ella did a good job but she did not live up to Amy. I like the emotion she brought to it though. I just think she doesn't have the power she thinks so when she needs to ramp up, it doesn't always hit the heights it needs to. I'd like her to sing a straight ballad. I agreed with Nicole's critique.
Christopher Maloney: For some reason the video wasn't available for the US.
District3: Every Breath You Take is such a stalker-ish song. I don't understand District3. To me, it's like when there's a talent show at school and a group of people shows off a talent you didn't know they had. In the context of a school talent show, District3 are entertaining and mildly impressive. But for X Factor, I find them low energy and boring. The vocals are not strong enough.
Jahmene Douglas: Risky move going with The Fugees Killing Me Softly. That's Lauryn Hill...and also Roberta Flack. And it's a song you don't really mess around with. Part of the beauty of that song is the pure vocals. It's not a song for the runs and tricks Jahmene likes to do. But then Jahmene started to sing. And he respected that aesthetic. And I loved it. This kind of ballad was perfect for Jahmene. His expression came across as angst and it worked perfectly for the song. Not sure if it was Halloween but it was one of my favorite performances of the night.
Jade Ellis: I don't know this song. But I liked how Jade looked like a cyborg superheroine. Jade's voice is so unique. I just wish her voice had more power. The staging promised impact but the vocals were simple and pretty. They didn't have thunder and lightning to them. I agreed with Nicole, Louis, and Gary. All gave completely fair critiques.
James Arthur: I was so bored by the rest of the performances. I was just praying for James to do something interesting and amazing. I like that he was still sticking with that sexy, rich tone he brought out last week. The rocking back and forth was a bit odd. I don't think it was super high energy but I enjoyed it.
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