X Factor UK 2013: Heading Into the Live Shows... Boys

Hello my dears,

Now, I'm not calling the Boys the weakest category this year just because they have Louis Walsh as their mentor. I'm not. Really. Part of the reason I think they're the weakest group is my personal bias as far as my taste in music goes. I mainly listen to female vocalists and when I do listen to male singers they're usually Broadway performers, Nat King Cole, 50's-60's crooners, country singers, or the frontmen of bands... and none of those labels describe the guys in this category. For me, so far none of them have really shown the skills for me to take them seriously as singers I would listen to outside of this competition.

Finalists
Nicholas McDonald: Of the guys, Nicholas is my favorite. He has a very pleasant voice and a lovely warm tone. Aside from his judges' houses performances, I have enjoyed all of his performances, largely because he sounds like someone who has had some training. Basically, he sounds like a choir boy. I don't know if he has star quality but with training and the right look and the right genre, he could melt a sufficient number of teenage hearts to make it far in the competition. His Bootcamp performance made me question how big of a range he really has and whether his vocals are powerful enoughful to tackle big songs. It could be a problem later on in the competition when he is given uptempo numbers or has to stand out next to the power singers in the Girls and Over-25's categories. I can see him getting lost in the mix or struggling to define himself.
Luke Friend: I find his vocals to be breathy, shaky, and strained. I think he has poor breath control and you can hear the way the notes quaver because they aren't well supported.
Sam Callahan: I think he has a very weak voice and right now his main selling point is that his looks might make him popular with a younger female demographic.

X Factor UK 2013: Heading Into the Live Shows... Groups

Hello chickadees,

It's time to break down the Group Category. Someone who is better at predicting the outcome of reality singing competitions might see a clear winner in this category but I am awful at predicting the outcome of reality singing competitions so I've just been going off of who seems the most talented. Foolish of me, I know. Gary Barlow is mentoring the groups this year. Based on the last two seasons he's been a judge, I'm taking that to mean that they have a shot of getting to the finals if they're talented but they'll probably be mismanaged along the way. I don't know if he has the most talented groups but he's definitely playing it safe.

Finalists
Miss Dynamix: Miss Dynamix? Really? At least try and hide the fact that you're trying to create another Little Mix. Right now their problem is that they're a newly formed group. In spite of the judges constantly talking them up, I don't see them working well as a group yet. I do think they are capable solo singers and they had their moments in the judges' houses performance. Miss Dynamix's success in the competition will largely be based on song choice and how quickly they can begin to work together as a group. If they can bring personality to their backstage segments and fan interactions, they might be able to buy themselves a few weeks to figure things out but right now they aren't sparking as quickly as One Direction or Little Mix did.
Kingsland Road: Kingsland Road is our traditional boy band entry this year. I'm surprised that they're the only ones who made it to judges' houses but I do think it's smart to only have one boy band like this in the live shows so they don't split the vote. So far they have not impressed me. Their early performances were kind of rough and not having all that extra material (aside from the performances) all I conclude at this point is that they don't seem to be as charming as One Direction or as talented as Union J. Though I did like their judges' houses performance. I don't know if it was the more intimate setting, but I didn't feel like they were straining as much to project their voices or hit the notes. They also go awfully high pitched for those harmonies. But they could always win me over once the competition starts. I certainly don't hate them as much as District3.
Rough Copy: I think Rough Copy were really charming when they first auditioned. They definitely have stage presence and good voices but I'm feeling the loss of their third member. It sounds strange because there are all of these solo performers who can command the stage on their own but I think Rough Copy needs another member. Maybe it's the songs they're choosing or the arrangements but there just seems to be a little bit of strain, especially compared to the other two groups who can fall back on their other members.

X Factor UK 2013: Heading Into the Live Shows... Overs

Hello peanuts,

Now that we've discussed the Girls category, let's move onto what I think is the next strongest category: the Overs. I know. I feel like I should be checked into a mental institution for just typing that sentence. But this is the first time since I started watching in season 7 that I feel like the Over-25 category is populated by more than the acts that everyone knows have zero chance of winning unless someone organizes a group of anti-X Factor fanatics who have never read Audre Lorde. Sharon Osbourne is mentoring the Overs this year and as I've never seen a season where Sharon served as a judge, I have no idea what that means.

Overs Finalists
Sam Bailey: Sam is clearly the one to root for. She fits the profile of the contestant you root for.... unprepossessing and unassuming with a big voice. She's the contestant who wouldn't have been discovered without a show like The X Factor. She has great power and great control. So far, I haven't loved any of her performances as much as I enjoyed her rendition of Who's Loving You but her judges' houses performance was very strong and placed her as a clear frontrunner. If she has the public's support, Sharon could take Sam to the finals.
Lorna Simpson: Speaking of Whitney Houston, we also have Lorna Simpson in the Overs category, who auditioned with I Have Nothing and performed I Wanna Dance With Somebody at Bootcamp. At 26, she just qualifies for the Over-25s which is lucky given how much competition there was in the Girls category this year. They barely let the international viewers see anything of her rendition of I Have Nothing, but from what I have to go on, I will say that it sounded great in spite of a few rough spots. Lorna is another power singer but like Whitney, she can bring both power and those lovely delicate high notes. I think her belting is a little rough around the edges and can be a little shouty but she's definitely one to watch in the competition. I'll be interested to see how she fares once we can actually pay attention to her as a competitor. She hasn't gotten all of that extra backstory material (at least on the youtube channel) so I find myself forgetting her. Based on how she looked in her three performances, I think she might be comfortable changing up her look so I hope she doesn't become one of those contestants who gets that B.S. critique of "you're talented but I don't know who you are as an artist."
Shelley Smith: I want to like Shelley. I really do. Actually, scratch that. I do like Shelley. I just haven't been impressed with her performances. Shelley is fun. She can dance around and command the stage. But she just doesn't fare well compared to the powerful voices of Sam and Lorna. She can shimmy all she wants but if you're going to sing the kinds of songs she wants to sing, you have to bring it, and I just don't think she can. I've been waiting for her to change my mind and convince me that she has more to offer than vocal acrobatics and if she does, I'll start championing her during the live shows but right now I still think she's choosing the wrong songs.

X Factor UK 2013: Heading Into The Live Shows... Girls

Hi chickadees,

I know no one is reading this but I just need to get my thoughts out. Of the finalists, Hannah Barrett is far and away my favorite contestant but so far I haven't felt any "wow" moments this season. That might be due to the short performance clips and lack of extra footage that they're posting on the youtube channel for the international viewers but I think it also says something about the performers. Sure, there were some interesting voices in the group that went to judges' houses but I haven't been knocked back by anyone's talent or invested in their journey to win. But that could always come in the following weeks. As of now, I'm tentatively planning to cover the live shows, but you know me. I could always get distracted or occupied by other things. I'd like to spend this post going through the Girls category and briefly touching on the contestants who are leaving us after the judges' houses phase of the competition.

Girls
Nicole Scherzinger is mentoring the category this year and if her acts prove popular, I think she has a great chance of winning for the second year in a row. But that is a big if. From my perspective as an international fan who is only watching the youtube clips, it seems like the girls in her category have gotten a lot of screentime this season which is always a good indication of who they want you to pay attention to and sympathize with.

Hannah Barrett: As I've said, Hannah is my favorite. I think she has a great sound. I may be channeling Louis and being completely off base with my references but I hear a little Lauryn Hill in her voice. I don't think she has the best control or the most power but she has great stage presence and I love that raw, dirty, gritty quality she can bring out in her vocals. She has already given so many great performances. I hope Nicole let's her have a say in her song choices. I'm totally fine with her doing older songs like A Change is Gonna Come and I'd Rather Go Blind and really looking for the songs that suit her voice. I don't know if she'll be popular enough to make it until the end, but if we're just going on talent, I think she could make it. (Oh, but please stop doing whatever it is you're doing to make her cry before almost every performance.)
Tamera Foster: Tamera had a bit of a rough start. She lacks polish and training and confidence. Her judges performance was her best one so far. She had much more control. She didn't forget the words. And she chose a great song. I don't think she really has the vocal power required for the songs she tries to tackle but I do like her.
Abi Alton: Oh, Abi. Maybe if she didn't look so much like singer songwriters that I do like (namely Lisa Loeb and Ingrid Michaelson) I wouldn't be as hard on her but I just don't see anything there. I know they're moving in this phase where they want people like James Arthur and Lucy Spraggan and Ella Henderson who can write songs and maybe play an instrument instead of just power singers who can impress you with their vocal tricks. But I just don't think Abi is that special. Her vocals are always very breathy and honestly, I can just think of people who do a version of what Abi does better. They have the voice to back up the quirkiness.