X Factor 2013 Winner... Sam Bailey

Hi peanuts,

So Sam was crowned the winner of The X Factor UK for 2013.

While I'm still hoping that Hannah Barrett and Tamera Foster will have interesting careers post X Factor, I have to say that I've come around to the idea of Sam winning. She has always been one of the better vocalists in this year's crop of contestants and when she embraces her weirdness like in this performance of Edge of Glory, I can see myself listening to Sam Bailey albums. Now, I don't mean weirdness as an insult. I'm a big fan of weirdness in vocals. It's what keeps thing interesting and makes an artist unique. I don't think Sam has that gift for interpreting a song in a way that feels emotional or genuine but she is a very good singer and she reminds me a lot of Celine Dion. I want her to keep embracing her way of pronouncing things, especially those hard "r's", and her controlled power. When Sam picks the right songs, I quite like her. I've let go of wanting her to be something that she's not. But I also want her to recognize her own strengths. Her winner's single, Skyscraper, is completely wrong for her.

Anyway, that's it for this year. Your X Factor winner is Sam Bailey. I'll probably be back next year but no promises. 

X Factor UK Live Show 9

Hello there,

Well, I hate everyone. Now that Hannah and Tamera are gone I guess I'm rooting for Sam Bailey? Sure. Fine. Sam Bailey. I'm still more interested in the potential albums Hannah and Tamera will put out than anything from the other contestants but sure, Sam Bailey for the win. Sigh...

Beyonce Round
Luke Friend: Best Thing I Never Had. It was a typical performance from Luke. This is not one of my favorite Beyonce songs so I didn't mind the arrangement as it made the song seem like it had more of a clear melody. There were the same issues with him going a bit flat around the lower notes but it was fine.
Nicholas McDonald: Halo. A bit dull. A bit flat. It had it's moments but it was generally a pretty weak performance and he was struggling to hit the notes. His voice kept breaking. He should really be better at this point in the competition. I hate this year of the X Factor.
Sam Bailey: If I Were A Boy. I don't know if they changed the key but it still doesn't sound like it fits squarely in Sam's range. This is a pretty dull song until the belting. I know it's one of the ones that people like to sing but it shouldn't be. There are better Beyonce songs to perform during a singing competition. Anyway, it sounded fine once she got to the fun belting part. Sam Bailey doesn't have that spark about her. She's the contestant I usually like on singing competitions who is a good singer but doesn't connect with the audience and gets eliminated after a few weeks or ends up placing anywhere from fourth to second. I think she could win this year but I'm not excited about it.
Rough Copy: Survivor. First of all, this is a Destiny's Child song. Surely they could have found something in Beyonce's catalog without having to go to a Destiny's Child song. There are only four contestants. Whatever. Secondly, I keep forgetting Rough Copy are in the competition. You know how people joke that the rest of Destiny's Child are just Beyonce's backup singers and Kelly Rowland is not-Beyonce and no one even remembers Michelle Williams' name? Yeah, Rough Copy are worse than that. They were fine in a mediocre, sure, this is acceptable way. They don't seem like semi-finalists.

Elton John Round
Nicholas McDonald: Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me. It's still not the strongest vocal performance and I wish someone would hold the notes for the full length of the phrase but this is definitely Nicholas' comfort zone and when his voice sounds the best.
Luke Friend: Something About the Way You Look Tonight. Simpler songs like this suit Luke. I think. I'm genuinely still not sure what kind of artist he's trying to be. Luke has improved during the competition but he still has some of the same issues that he did all the way back at judges' houses. But for the most part, I liked this performance.
Rough Copy: Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word. It still wasn't spectacular but it was better than their round one performance. There are just way too many mistakes and issues at this point in the competition. Either they aren't working hard during rehearsals, trying hard during performances, or they just aren't capable of doing better.
Sam Bailey: Candle In the Wind. Sam has a weird way of emoting during a song. I think the problem is that she's not connecting with the song but trying to "act." I would say she'd be at home on the West End but I don't think musical theater is her genre. It could have been a stronger performance, especially given the fact that she had the final act of the night sweet spot.

Overall Rankings (in my opinion)
1. Sam Bailey
2. Luke Friend
3. Nicholas McDonald
4. Rough Copy

Note: I will update with my thoughts on Sam's and Rough Copy's second performances once their videos are live on the youtube page and I am able to watch them.

X Factor UK Live Show 8

Hello chickadees,

Even though I'm pretty sure the only people reading this are spambots, and not very many spambots for that matter, I will continue to record my descent into madness. That's right, it's the eighth X Factor UK Live Show. Get excited.

The clear winner of round one. 

Nicholas McDonald: For his first song, Nicholas is singing Just the Way You Are by Bruno Mars. It seems appropriate for a low-key but generally pleasant and in tune performer like Nicholas. OK, starting off a little shaky. The pitch seems to be all over the place and his voice is cracking. Just get to the words. I wish Nicholas tried more. This is a high school talent show performance. This is not the kind of performance that deserves an arena. The high notes could be better. His falsetto is weak. I'm actually rather disappointed.
Sam Bailey: Sam is starting off with How Will I Know by Whitney Houston. I would have thought that at this point, the X Factor would have run out of Whitney Houston songs for the year. Surely, they've repeated some of them. There can't be this many Whitney Houston songs. I don't remember anyone singing Heartbreak Hotel but no one ever sings Heartbreak Hotel. I don't know if it's the arrangement or the set or the red lipstick or the spangly outfits but Sam Bailey feels dated to me. It's not that it feels cruise ship but she seems like a performer who has already had her moment in the spotlight and is just doing a tour to promote her greatest hits album. The actual performance was not perfect but quite good. Sam doesn't have a natural presence and a magnetic quality on stage but she is a capable performer and a very good singer. Basically, I don't think she has "the x factor" but I'd probably listen to her album.
Tamera Foster: Tamera is singing We Found Love by Rihanna. Again, not an unexpected song choice but one that should suit her. I hate her outfit. Seriously, who is dressing the contestants? The vocals were a little weak in spots. It wasn't a trainwreck but there wasn't that spark to make it interesting. She didn't do anything exceptional with the performance or her vocals.
Luke Friend: Luke is performing Skinny Love by Bon Iver. It's at this point that I realize I don't know who Luke is as an artist. Is he rock or is he acoustic guitar? But I don't really care so let's just evaluate the performance. The vowels are a little piercing for a guy with a guitar. You know these kinds of songs really reward performances who appear to let down their emotional barriers and do something genuine even if those performers didn't write the song and have zero emotional connection to it. If you do it right and fake it well, you seem like an "artist." That is not Luke Friend. It's not awful but not for one second does this performance come across as genuine. But after the last three acts, I have low standards for this round so Luke will rank high.
Rough Copy: Rough Copy are singing a mashup for the first round. I was a bit confused until I went to the wikipedia page and discovered that everyone is not performing the song voted on by the fans for the first round. I'm pretty sure I don't know either of these songs but I can still tell that they were a bit out of breath from all the words and not giving it their all on the vocals. They really need the background vocalists. Things are not looking good for Rough Copy unless people just insist on voting them through regardless of how well they perform. Which is entirely possible. I mean, Abi Alton.

First Round Rankings (in my opinion)
1. Sam Bailey
2. Luke Friend
3. Tamera Foster
4. Rough Copy
5. Nicholas McDonald

The clear winner of round two.

Nicholas McDonald: The video title tells me Nicholas is singing Greatest Day by Take That. That's nice, I guess. I've obviously never heard this song before unless it was performed on X Factor and I forgot about it. It's still not the greatest vocal performance but it has a bit more clarity and it seems to suit him a little better than Just the Way You Are. The falsetto is a little better but still not great. He's not holding any of the notes. Basically, better than round 1, but still not great. If Nicholas makes it through it's due to his popularity and the strength of his past performances.
Sam Bailey: Sam is singing Clown by Emeli Sande. It sounded vaguely familiar even though I still haven't listened to her album and long story short, Sam performed it at Bootcamp. Sam is doing pretty well so far. She gives solid performances and she's never been in the bottom 2. I'm not sure why they want her to repeat a performance since that's usually what an act does to remind people of a moment when the audience liked him, her, or them. Oh, well. Oh, dear. They've made up Sam to look like someone else. I can't quite place it. Maybe Ella Henderson? I don't know. Either way it's unfortunate. I listened to her Bootcamp performance just before listening to this one. There isn't a dramatic difference between the two of them but there is a slight improvement, so yay? I don't know. I didn't like the choices she made in an effort to make it more emotional. I would have preferred to see her sing it straight.
Luke Friend: Luke is singing I Will Wait by Mumford and Sons. Is this the songs I don't know round? I'm not sure Luke's low growling qualifies as singing. I can't tell if he's going flat or if he's just kind of talking. I think he was a having a bit of trouble negotiating the break between either his upper and lower register or the growling and his regular voice but on the whole it sounded fine. I think I'm broken. I think X Factor has broken me. It was probably awful but I can't really tell anymore.
Tamera Foster: Tamera is singing The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face by Roberta Flack. Well, she'll surely be better than Matt Cardle, right? It was a little weak at first. A little flat. But it had that little spark in it. It had "the x factor."
Rough Copy: Rough Copy are performing I Believe I Can Fly. I'm in a good mood after Tamera's performance so I'm hoping they'll do well. It wasn't fantastic. The vocals were not perfect. At this point I should really stop expecting their vocals to be any stronger than they are. That said, this is a perfect song for Rough Copy. Not only does it suit their voices but they get to bring in a whole host of backup singers for the second half of the song.

Second Round Rankings (in my opinion)
1. Tamera Foster
2. Luke Friend
3. Sam Bailey
4. Rough Copy
5. Nicholas McDonald

Overall Rankings (in my opinion)
1. Tamera Foster
2. Sam Bailey
3. Luke Friend
4. Rough Copy
5. Nicholas McDonald

X Factor UK Live Show 7

Hello peanuts,

So you're back, are you? Alright then. Let's get right into it.

Rankings (in my opinion)
1. Rough Copy
2. Sam Bailey
3. Hannah Barrett
4. Luke Friend
5. Tamera Foster
6. Nicholas McDonald

Nicholas McDonald: I do not like Miley Cyrus. I really do not like Miley Cyrus. I think she has an annoying stage presence and she has horrendous vowels. I don't mind The Climb as a song. It isn't brilliant but it's fine as a mediocre pop ballad. Nicholas is not a bad singer. But when he sings this song, it's just a mediocre pop ballad. In the hands of a better performer, this song could be magic. This is the song you perform so well that for a minute everyone is fooled into thinking that it's a better song than it is and it's actually inspirational. The other issue is that Nicholas really needed the background singers. On his own, he couldn't take the song up a notch. It was noticeable.
Hannah Barrett: If not for reality singing competitions, I do not know when I would hear this song. That said, I've already heard this song way more times than I ever wanted to hear this song. It's not a bad song. It's just that years of reality singing competitions have almost completely stripped it of emotional weight and meaning. She could have supported the song a little better. Just a little more air. It was very good. I just don't need to listen to this version with all the other versions. The only time I really felt Hannah in the song was at the very end. But those last 30 or 40 seconds were not enough to make it special or memorable.
Luke Friend: It wasn't incredible but it was good. It was borderline flat a few times but generally the simple melody allowed him to show what he can do. Admittedly that's not much but I liked it more than I liked Nicholas' performance so... win?
Rough Copy: Yeah, they still sound a bit rough when they sing in unison... which is really unacceptable at this point in the competition. It's not like they're Little Mix or One Direction or Miss Dynamix. They came to the competition as a group. They should be better than this. In his solo part, the one with the jacket was a bit flat. The one with the hat didn't really land those high notes. That said, this was one of their better performances. I think they benefited from a song that didn't overpower their vocals and by not having to run around the set and the performance improved as they went along.
Tamera Foster: Pfft. James Arthur. I saw Shontelle sing this song live in a tea shop. I think this is a perfect song for Tamera. It's a good genre for her and it's big enough to let her show off a bit without being too much for her to handle. I like this song but the original vocals aren't so impressive that Tamera is always going to pale in comparison the way she does when she attempts Whitney Houston, etc. A bit flat. Did she forget the lyrics or did she choke? Oh, good Lord. Girl, get it together. There are seriously not that many lyrics to remember. It's a very repetitive song. What is wrong with you? I didn't really love the vowels when she was singing "impossible". They were piercing in the wrong way. Even without the missing lyrics, there were problems with her vocals during this performance. That said, because it's such a weak showing this episode, she would probably be near the top of the pack if she hadn't forgotten the lyrics. I don't know if she'll make it through the vote this week.
Sam Bailey: I know there are some people who hate Leona. I am not one of those people. Sam was not as good as Leona. There were little weak points all throughout the song where I feel like she wasn't giving it her all. She just wasn't really singing out. This is not a subtle song. Just go ahead and wail away. That said, she did a nice job of managing the high notes and like Hannah, she kicked it up a notch for the latter part of the song.

My general summary of the week was "not impressive but not awful." I was disappointed with Sam, Hannah, and Tamera this week. I would still like to see them continue in the competition but I don't think they really fought for their places with these performances.

See you next week,
Cat

X Factor UK Live Show 6

Hi peanuts!

Seriously, no one reads this. But that's fine. I just finished watching Haute Cuisine or Les Saveurs du Palais, which is really not the same title at all but who cares? Yes, I'm in a mood. Let's get on with it.

Rankings
1. Hannah Barrett
2. Sam Bailey
3. Tamera Foster
4. Nicholas McDonald
5. Rough Copy
6. Luke Friend
7. Sam Callahan

Hannah Barrett: What in the heck were the dancers doing? Who thought of that? Bad, bad idea. Hannah is fantastic. She sounded great. But I think it was the wrong song. It was a bit low and I lost her vocals sometimes. And it's just not a very exciting song. She did her best during the performance but it's just a very repetitive song and there's not much to the lyrics. That's not the kind of song you do on a reality singing competition. It just isn't.
Luke Friend: He sang Your Song by Elton John. It was fine. Very breathy. Kind of weak. It's hard to impress with a quiet version of this song. At this point I've heard so many versions of this song that I really need to hear something amazing. Maybe Hannah could have done something with it but I just found Luke's performance boring.
Sam Bailey: Is it wrong that I was quite amused to see the video title read "Sam Bailey sings Something by The Beatles"? Get it, "something by The Beatles"? Just anything old thing. This is a reality singing competition. You know eventually someone's going to sing something by The Beatles. Nevermind. I absolutely hate her hair this week. Do they need to work out something with the sound system? I don't think Sam's performance was bad but it wasn't exceptional and the backing track or the musicians were really competing with her vocals. There is zero reason for the drums to be that loud on a song like this. It was a very good performance. Sam is dependable. It just wasn't all that exciting or compelling.
Rough Copy: I've been kind of souring on Rough Copy for the past few weeks. It was fine. I just don't think they're very strong individual singers, I like groups that harmonize more, and they're just not very interesting. The harmonies at the end sounded off. They don't bring anything to the performances or the arrangements that makes me sit up and pay attention.
Sam Callahan: He sort of sang the right notes at the right times? I don't know. It was very weak. I give up with Sam. I like my bad acts to be camp. Not just bad at singing.
Tamera Foster: I really like Shirley Bassey. I feel like I'm going to be disappointed by this. Clicking play now. It was a very pretty vocal, even if Tamera seemed to run out of air at the middle and end of phrases. I just think it was a mistake to choose a song that has been performed by such a powerful voice. If you choose a song by a fantastic singer, you're just setting yourself up for failure unless you can match their vocals or change the song enough to make it your own. Just adding a beat didn't make this a new song. Did she forget the words at one point? Tamera looks like a pop star. She just doesn't have the voice of a pop star. I think she needs some more work with her vocal coach and she really needs to stop singing songs that she can't measure up to.
Nicholas McDonald: Again, pick the right song. You don't pick Someone Like You and then make it sound even more boring at the beginning. It's already a slow ballad. Give it to Sam Bailey and let her belt the crap out of it. Aside from the boring beginning and Nicholas' voice cracking a few times, it was fine. Not exceptional. Just fine.

Well, that's another week of the X Factor. Contestants were bad for different reasons. Some were boring. Some sang poorly. Some forgot lyrics. And I've wasted another hour or so of my life on this. Hooray!

See you next week,
Cat

X Factor Live Show 5

Hi chickadees!

Let's see if I can muster up the energy for this. I'm expecting quite frankly horrible things from Big Band week. I'm not a massive fan of this style of music to begin with.

Rankings (in my opinion)
1. Hannah Barrett
2. Sam Bailey
3. Tamera Foster
4. Abi Alton
5. Rough Copy
6. Nicholas McDonald
7. Sam Callahan
8. Luke Friend

Abi Alton: Is she supposed to be Billie Holiday? You're going to need a lot more than a flower to make Abi Billie Holiday. If I'm judging this as a regular performance, it's barely passing. If I'm judging based on Abi's previous performances, it was one of the better ones. It was a good idea to give her the backup singers to fill in all the gaps when she dropped the ends of phrases and generally just support the song so the vocals didn't seem as weak. I also appreciated the fact that she pretty much stuck to the melody this time. She still doesn't have a strong voice. It was just better than it usually is. Her vowels still kind of grate on my ears at times.
Sam Bailey: A bit cruise ship-y. Part of it was the awkward dancing and the outfit. The vocals were great though and I did enjoy her little riff on "blues".
Luke Friend: How is Moondance a Big Band song? It wasn't horrifyingly bad but it was a little rough. Just generally a bit wonky. Verging on going flat, dropping the ends of phrases, blaring out notes in a way that did not fit this style of music. The dancers were a mistake. The scatting was just strange. Let's all try to forget it.
Hannah Barrett: She's singing It's a Man's Man's Man's World. She's wearing a fedora. I'm expecting her to kill it. She does. I believe Hannah when she sings. This song should be on her album. I refuse to criticize her this week.
Nicholas McDonald: I really like this song. But I don't think it's right for Nicholas. It was pretty... but boring. You can't just play it safe with a song like this. You have to sell it. There were little issues with his vocals but they were such minor complaints it's not worth detailing them.
Rough Copy: The performance was kind of fun but the vocals could have been better. I feel like Rough Copy aren't improving but they are an entertaining group. At this point I can't see them making the finals.
Tamera Foster: Oh, here we go. I love the Julie London version of this song so I'm definitely coming into this with expectations. It was a bit weak here and there. I didn't really emotionally connect to the performance but overall the vocals were strong. She really brought it home at the end.
Sam Callahan: Sam is not a great singer. Like Abi, he sounded better than usually does (marginally) and he does a better job of selling a song than Nicholas. That still doesn't make him any good but like everyone else this week, he managed to be tolerable.

All in all, Big Band week went a lot better than I expected it to. See you all next week!

X Factor Live Show 4

Hi chickadees,

This week's live show was not worth commenting on. I can't even be bothered to figure out how to rank the contestants this week. It was just a sea of mediocrity. This is the only performance you need to watch. You're welcome.

X Factor Live Show 3

Hi chickadees!

OK, you know I'm watching anyway so I might as well say something. I'll just keep it short this week.

1. Tamera Foster
2. Hannah Barrett
2. Sam Bailey
3. Kingsland Road
4. Luke Friend
5. Nicholas McDonald
6. Abi Alton
7. Sam Callahan
8. Rough Copy
9. Miss Dynamix

Rough Copy: Not terrible. Not perfect. Quite boring. You can't just make faces and change the music and convince me that you sound any better than you did 10 seconds ago.
Sam Callahan: Listen, he still doesn't sound great. But he's getting better. It's hard to judge Sam because I really don't even know why he's here.
Hannah Barrett: She looked fantastic this week. I think there could have been a little more to her performance. I know she was standing on a little platform but she could have moved just a little more and emoted more. And I think she needs to tighten up the softer notes when she starts before she hits the chorus. But it was fantastic. Hannah is fantastic. If she doesn't make it to the finals I will be so upset.
Nicholas McDonald: Finally, a suit! This set-up did not work at all. Good vocals. I like Nicholas. I just don't think the show knows what to do with him.
Abi Alton: Still breathy and bordering on flat. However, they do know what to do with Abi. Just... try harder, Abi. I don't mind unusual voices or affectations. But I genuinely question whether you can sing when you perform. That is not a good thing.
Miss Dynamix: Eh. Maybe they should turn the volume up on their mics? It wasn't as fun as it should be if they weren't going to blow us away with power vocals.
Sam Bailey: I can't tell whether I like or hate her dress. I think I like the bodice and hate the skirt. The performance was beautiful. Technically wonderful. But I think she's going to have to be a bit more dynamic in her performances because while it was a very good performance, I could just play Celine's version on Spotify and get the same effect.
Kingsland Road: There were a few issues but for the most part, I think they sounded great. I may be going insane but it seems like they all have decent voices and given how incredibly boring everyone was this week, I think they did fairly well and the performance was good. I think it was a good idea to strand them on the lighting gantry for part of the song and then do a combination of dancing and not dancing. I don't know. I think they still need a find a balance and figure out what kind of boyband they're going to be but they're on the right track.
Luke Friend: I liked it in the way I like performances on reality singing competitions that I will never ever listen to again. Terrible set-up though. I liked that they let him have his guitar but what in God's name were they thinking with the set design?
Tamera Foster: I pretty much feel the same way about Tamera that I did about Sam. No, I definitely liked her dress. But if you're going to sing a Beyonce song that I love you're going to have to be more than competent. All of that gesturing and hair-flipping with the hand that wasn't holding the microphone did nothing for me. I need some emotional connection to the performance or it's just you singing a song well. I'm giving her the top place for technical difficulty even though I didn't enjoy the performance as much as I wanted to.

By the way, I swear I type up my rankings before I know the results of the flash vote. OK, see you next week!

X Factor UK Live Show 2

Hi chickadees!

I'm back for week 2 of the live shows. I missed the live blog this week (I'll be reading it after I write this post). Instead, I watched a John Barrymore/Carole Lombard movie from the 1930's before remembering that it's Saturday and it was time for another episode of the X Factor. But then luckily all the videos had already been uploaded to the youtube page. This week's theme is "love and heartache". So... at least 80% of all songs ever written. Whatever, I'm in a good mood so let's see what the contestants do with this nice vague theme.

Rankings (in my opinion)
1. Hannah Barrett
2. Tamera Foster
3. Luke Friend
4. Sam Bailey
5. Rough Copy
6. Nicholas McDonald
7. Shelley Smith
8. Sam Callahan
9. Abi Alton
10. Kingsland Road

Sam Bailey: Why do they keep putting my favorites in the spot of doom? Sam is singing "To Make You Feel My Love". I know it's a Bob Dylan song but for me, Adele owns this song and unless you do it differently, it's hard to measure up to her standard. Yes, I cried when Lea Michele sang this on Glee. But I still don't think it was one of her best performances. There are four ways of singing a big song like this. Better, worse, equally as well, or differently. Sam ended up somewhere between "not as well" and "different". I think she should have changed the song even more to avoid the comparison. For me, her version was a little too breathy when she wasn't belting. I do think it improved as she went along. It was a very good performance, but it just wasn't my favorite performance from Sam. I just think she could have pushed herself a little more.
Kingsland Road: They chose to sing "Marry You" by Bruno Mars. There are days when I love Bruno Mars and days when his songs are just too saccharine or melodramatic or calculated to me. There was nothing wrong with the performance. At least nothing I can pinpoint. But it was just... there. There was nothing exciting about it. They didn't do anything interesting vocally. It wasn't out of tune (though the part with the lead singer was a little rough). It just wasn't great. The performance wasn't even all that fun. I don't know what it was missing.
Nicholas McDonald: Nicholas sang "She's the One". I am not British. Therefore, I do not know this song. The only Robbie Williams song I know is "Somethin' Stupid" with Nicole Kidman and that's only because it was a Sinatra song first. I mean, I may have heard this song in my years of watching The X Factor but I do not recognize it at all. Why is Nicholas always wearing casual clothes? Seriously, he looks like he just walked in off the street. Did he not have time to change after school? Is there not enough money in the budget to get him a proper wardrobe? Are they spending all the money on plinths so there's none left for Nicholas? So many questions. None of them related to his performance. Right. Getting back on track. His first "if there's somebody" was not good. The silent dancers in black were creepy. Guys, it's not Halloween week yet. Calm down. Other than that, it was a very pretty performance. There were a few notes here and there that weren't perfect but all in all, a very nice job. He's very cute but right now I don't know if he's a star. He doesn't have that Rebecca Ferguson thing where he seems very shy or nervous. But for whatever reason he just doesn't seem to perform as well as he sings.
Abi Alton: Oh, here we go. Abi is singing "Can't Get You Out of My Head" by Kylie. Oh, pink umbrellas. That's cute. I do like her dress. Uh oh. The dancers seem to think they're backing up Rylan, and not Abi. Why does she need dancers anyway? Well, Abi's voice is still very breathy and weak. It's not exactly that her voice is nasal. It's just not being projected out the right way. You can hear it when she sings the word "arms". That long, exposed vowel shows the way she's not singing properly. When she sang "won't you stay" I wasn't sure if she was straining to hit the note or intentionally trying to imbue her voice with a wispy quality. Either way, failure. I think what annoys me about Abi is that will never be a brilliant singer. But she is a decent singer... who refuses to try very hard.
Shelley Smith: Oy. Shelley is singing "Single Ladies". I don't even... why? I just... Nevermind. Let's get it over with. The big disco ball is distracting. The eye makeup ages her horribly. It was fine. The performance was an improvement from last week though I think her voice isn't big enough for a song like this and she kind of got lost once the uptempo part really kicked in. I think the biggest problem with the performance is that Shelley feels like an "Over". Unlike Sam, she doesn't seem to own who she is. Or who she is is someone's recently divorced aunt doing karaoke at a wedding.
Sam Callahan: Sam is singing "I Won't Give Up." That's the spirit! It's still very shaky. That's not vibrato. That's bad breath control. That slightly whiny affectation is a little less annoying in slow ballad form. OK, he's probably never going to be my favorite singer because of all the little idiosyncrasies that I just find so irritating about his voice. And he's probably never going to be the best singer in the competition. But it was better this week. Much better. I still wouldn't call it good, but I respect that he's probably been working hard to improve his singing. So, A for effort.
Tamera Foster: Tamera is singing "Beneath Your Beautiful". I'm not familiar with this song because sue me, I don't have the time to listen to every new artist that someone tells me is popular. I get to things in my own time. Which is usually 3 years late. I just got Spotify a few days ago. I think Tamera sounded gorgeous. A too little breathy and wispy at first for my taste but otherwise, a very good performance. What do you want me to say? It's harder to critique songs I don't know. I think there were one or two spots where I couldn't tell if she landed the note she was trying to hit but they were very minor things.
Luke Friend: Luke is singing "Let Her Go." I can't decide if I like or hate this song. Let's see if Luke's performance will sway my opinion. Well, it's a nice easy song to sing, which is great for Luke. He sounds pretty good. He's still a little rough at the ends of phrases but it's actually kind of pleasant. Did I actually like a Luke Friend performance? Yes. Let's just stop speaking about this.
Rough Copy: They chose to sing "I Want It That Way." They are apparently really determined to sell the 90's boy band thing. One of them is wearing a pleated wrap skirt. It wasn't perfect but when you sing a Backstreet Boys song you set off my nostalgia sensors and it's hard for me to judge things objectively. The boy band sound should be very smooth. There were maybe 4 rough spots. But they're people, not robots or a manufactured group lip-synching to an autotuned track. So, another performance in the good not great category. Moving on...
Hannah Barrett: Hannah is singing "Beautiful." I wasn't in love with the start of the song. I think her breath control was a little shaky. Just because you're singing more quietly, it doesn't mean you don't still have to support those notes. Hannah sounded so much like Lauryn Hill to me during this performance. You know it was fantastic once the song really kicked into gear. Why are you waiting for me to tell you that? She brought back that grit and those gorgeous low notes.

All in all, this wasn't a fantastic week in terms of song choices or performances. I did enjoy some of the performances but I don't think they're really going to stay with me. I'm hoping for better next week when the theme is... Songs from films. Oh, great. Well, see you next week!

X Factor UK: Live Show 1

Hi chickadees,

Well, I don't know how good I'll be to you today. I sat through Stuart Heritage's liveblog of the show for The Guardian for 2 hours and then I followed that up by watching Glee's tribute to Cory Monteith. But I promised to at least try to cover the live shows so here it goes.

Rankings (in my opinion)
1. Sam Bailey
2. Tamera Foster
3. Rough Copy
4. Lorna Simpson
5. Hannah Barrett
6. Kingsland Road
7. Nicholas McDonald
8. Miss Dynamix
9. Abi Alton
10. Shelley Smith
11. Luke Friend
12. Sam Callahan

Hannah Barrett: Why did they give my beloved Hannah the spot of death? Apparently voters have a hard time remembering the first acts of the night or tuning in on time so the act that starts the show is automatically at a disadvantage. It was a capable performance but it wasn't a powerhouse performance. She didn't push harder than she had to and I did hear her kind of dropping off during the ends of phrases. This felt like the kind of performance an older diva like Tina Turner would give on a tour later in her career. It would be a perfect middle of the show number to pander to the fans who came to hear her biggest hits where she didn't have to try very hard. That said, I still really liked Hannah and I enjoyed the performance even if I wasn't wowed by it. If nothing else, it showed that she's comfortable on stage. I'm not sure how I feel about the staging and the outfit and makeup. It felt 80s in the way Lady Gaga's Edge of Glory video felt kind of 80s but I don't think they fully achieved what they were trying to do.
Nicholas McDonald: Seriously, all that footage of him in the suit and he's just in a casual outfit?Fine. It was a pretty song which suits him but I thought he sounded rather nasal and his vowels were not nice and open. I did hear him going a bit flat on a few notes as well. The falsetto on "all night long" was weak. The whole prom thing was awful. Don't make your performer look like the random performer that gets hired for the dance in the teen movie. Sure I like Letters to Cleo and Save Ferris, but how many people remember the names of the bands who played the prom in 10 Things I Hate About You? I do think Nicholas is pretty adorable and when he's singing out... in his range... it works.
Miss Dynamix: Their blend is still very rough. It was a very fun, colorful performance and I do love The Pointer Sisters (even though I'm a bigger fan of Fire and Slow Hand). As I said in my recap of my performers after judges' houses, I think their success is going to depend on whether they get the votes to stay in the competition long enough to begin to work together as a group. They need to learn how to sing together and hopefully start harmonizing. They are decent solo singers and I love girl groups so I'm on their side. They just need work. There were parts of the performance I really enjoyed but the rough patches were undeniable.
Sam Bailey: Sam looks fantastic. Bad move with the flowers though. It made it seem like those videos that play with the karaoke tracks. She took a while to get into the song. I would have liked to see her start belting sooner. But once she was there I felt so comfortable watching her. A strong performer doesn't make you hold your breath for the high notes but they might make you gasp afterwards. When you watch a strong performer, you know they're going to hit the notes and you know you're going to enjoy the performance. You don't have to be nervous for them. I don't know if she was mimicking Celine or if that is just the way she pronounces certain words but I liked that it gave the song character. Sam's performance just made me smile.
Sam Callahan: I hate that vocal affectation he has. It just sounds whiny to me. And I know I grew up in the 90s and I should be used to it. But that doesn't mean I have to like it. The affectation makes his vocals so shaky and pitchy that it makes it very difficult to tell if he's singing badly or singing like that intentionally. It sounds like he's straining to hit the notes, cracking a few times, and kind of weak on landing the notes. But the song and his vocal affectation hid it most of the time, so kudos to him for that? I was waiting for him to throw that red baseball cap into the audience. That tells you how exciting I found his performance.
Kingsland Road: They started out OK. I thought the lead singer's voice sounded pretty good. Then he got to "I make you happy with the" and the sound almost completely dropped out because his voice just isn't that strong. They sounded a lot clearer and sharper tonight. I almost wonder if they were pre-recorded or if they turned the microphones up. The one with the weird hair (don't make the joke... it's too easy) did crack a few times.
Shelley Smith: She started by kind of swallowing the notes. They were all in the back of her throat instead of being projected out towards the audience. Do not pick a powerhouse song if you're not a powerhouse singer. This has been one of my biggest problems with Shelley from the start. She picks songs that are frankly more than she can handle. It got better once the chorus kicked in but it still wasn't special. I can see why Shelley ended up in the bottom of the flash voting thing. Also, this show freaking loves plinths.
Abi Alton: Oh, yeah. This is what I needed in my life. A really boring version of Livin' On A Prayer with an altered melody to hide how weak the singer is. Bad breath control. Irritatingly closed vowels. Always on the verge of cracking or going flat. If I want to hear a kinder, gentler version of a rock or pop song I can just head to youtube and find people with talent, thank you very much.
Lorna Simpson: She started out a little weak and was kind of shaky on a few notes. I loved the little growl but I wish the vowel on the word "like" hadn't been so rough. But from that point on things got better. I do think it was still a little rough. She needs to open up those vowels or it just sounds like she's screaming at you. I loved the little high notes. She definitely has a voice. She just needs to work on refining it. I know she's barely an Over at 26 but I really hope she doesn't get lost in the shuffle because I do like her and I want her to get the time she needs to come into her own. A few weeks of working with all the coaches behind the scenes and Lorna could be a great pop star.
Tamera Foster: Tamera started off really strong. She kind of lost the ends of phrases a bit as the song went on and something odd happened when she suddenly turned her back to the judges. She didn't really go flat or anything that was easy to pinpoint but it was just indefinably not right for a few moments. But other than those little things, I really liked the performance. It seems like Tamera has really been putting in some hard work rehearsing and gaining confidence.
Luke Friend: Well, his vocals are still very shaky. It's like he's afraid the world will be destroyed if he actually sings a note properly. It was also a little flat. It's times like this that I miss Aiden Grimshaw's weird intensity. He would have known how to sing a song like "Every Breath You Take". As much of a mess as this was, I really like this song so I probably won't put him at the very bottom of my rankings.
Rough Copy: Yay, their third member is back! So, here's the thing. I like their voices. But I don't think they are strong individual singers. They don't have a lot of power. Thankfully they do seem to enjoy singing together (unlike Miss Dynamix). There were a few weak spots here and there but it was barely noticeable. It was very 90s boy band but I enjoyed it. The storms and the light show were too much, though.

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.

X Factor UK Live Show #7

Hi chickadees!

I have no idea what's going on with the official X Factor youtube page. I found the versions I could find to critique but obviously, I accept that my opinions might be different if I heard/saw high quality versions of the performances.

Final Breakdown (in my opinion)
1. James Arthur
2. Jahmene Douglas
3. Ella Henderson
4. Union J
5. Christopher Maloney
6. Rylan Clark

Union J: Call Me Maybe. This is a pretty safe choice as far as guilty pleasures go. It's relatively current and popular. It's an expected choice. I think the suits were a bad move. I don't know who made that decision but it was the wrong decision. They're good singers. The song is just a little boring. There's not a lot you can do with it. Jaymi is one of the standout singers in the competition and I think he's very charismatic. He just pops and even gives boring songs some vitality. I could stand to listen to them on the radio. There's not much more to say. I think they could have gone with a better song but this was fine.

Ella Henderson: I am coming off of Glease. The Role You Were Born to Play was AMAZING. Glease was a little bit of a letdown though I think the second half picked up and I like what they're building between Marley and Ryder. It's been good for the show to hire more real actors. "You're the One That I Want" was one of the standout numbers in that episode of Glee. So, I was kind of nervous for how she would take that duet and spin it. I could only find an audio version. But I thought it was gorgeous. This is the magic she brought during Bootcamp. Could I think of little things to critique? Yes, she was kind on the edge of going flat and could have been stronger at the beginning and there was bit of shakiness. But excluding one part where she didn't really land the note, she was really on top of her game. She avoided the awkward voice breaks. It felt like the right key. She pulled out all of her tricks. It was a really strong performance. Understated in the right way.

James Arthur: I love the Four Seasons. I love Jersey Boys. What do you mean guilty pleasure? Anyway, I thought this was a really sweet rendition. James has really done a great job of showing his range in terms of style and appeal. It wasn't the most radical interpretation or the most skillful rendition of the song. But it showed us another side of James that I didn't know we needed but that I'm glad we got. He can be quite a charmer. ;)

Rylan Clark: Girls on Film/When Will I Be Famous. I don't know either of these songs. The audio quality wasn't great but Rylan seemed to sound alright. I don't think it was his best performance but it wasn't his worst. The setup wasn't great. Even if it hadn't evoked a strip club, it was rather tacky. Maybe I was just expecting more OK Go and less... I don't know what it was. You have to love Rylan for that "I'm too skinny" comment in his bout with Gary.

Christopher Maloney: Total Eclipse of the Heart. I love Bonnie Tyler. It's a Heartache. Holding Out for a Hero. What's not to like? OK, the songs that weren't hits but still, Bonnie has some chops. This is not an easy song to live up to. And I've also got the Glee version in the back of my mind and anytime you go up against Lea Michele there's going to be trouble. There was something weird about it when he started. I almost had the sense he was talk-singing for some reason. The screen projecting what vaguely looked like his face was creepy beyond belief. When it kicked in and he started singing out, I thought it was alright. He's still not Bonnie or Lea but I thought it was fine.

Jahmene Douglas: Don't Leave Me This Way. Love this song. Jahmene killed it. I still think he still looks a little angry during his performances sometimes. But the vocals? Except for a few rough patches where I think he took it a little too high, it was perfection.

X Factor Live Show #6

Hi chickadees!

I know some of you may be wondering where my weekly recap/review of The X Factor UK Live Show is for Live Show #6. Well, unfortunately the official X Factor UK youtube channel didn't upload the performances for this week and they seem to have blocked all of the good quality uploads on youtube. Hopefully things will be back to normal next week but I can't say I'm sad about the person/group who left the competition. I managed to find a few decent audio versions so here are my quick thoughts.

Final breakdown (in my opinion)
1. James Arthur
2. Jahmene Douglas
3. Union J
4. Ella Henderson
5. District3
6. Rylan Clark
7. Christopher Maloney

Christopher Maloney- Average, same as always
Jahmene Douglas- Gorgeous cover. I loved hearing the warmth in his voice. He can do amazing things with riffs but I love when he just sings things straight. He has the voice for it. Some nice power. Just listening to his voice, I will say that he hasn't quite reached the point where I can hear the emotion yet. It's a small nitpick but I don't feel like the emotion is tied to the particular words. It's more like a general emotion that is present throughout the song.
District3- I think they benefited from getting back to their strengths, but I think their "lead" singer is so much stronger than the other two. The other two do kind of irritating things with their voices and they don't always land the notes the way they should.
Ella Henderson- Immediately, I like that she took it down into her range instead of straining because she has some lovely warmth to her voice, but I think that she could have played with the melody or arrangement a little more to give the song more momentum and excitement. There were definitely rough spots as always, but she has a very good voice. I think the thing that works with Ella is that more often or not you remember the good things and not the moments when her voice breaks or she fails to land notes. But I don't know how much longer that will carry her. If she doesn't resolve those issues, it could very well cost her the competition.
Rylan Clark- It was cute. Not his best vocal performance, but I feel like he's reached a good place where he's kind of average. I wish I could have watched a high quality video version. I think it would have the same fun factor as the Spice Girls at the Olympics.
Union J- They have the range for this song. So, immediately they're over the first hurdle. Yes, I'm looking at you, Matthew Morrison. Their lead singer is incredible. I don't think they are the best group ever but just judging them on his singing, I think they deserve to be in the top 3, if not to win the competition.
James Arthur- Undeniably good. He's ready for it. 

X Factor Live Show #5

Hi chickadees!

This week's theme is Number Ones. Should be interesting right? Before we get started, I would like to say that I'm a little heartbroken that Lucy had to withdraw from the competition due to illness. I really felt her absence last week and I continued to feel it this week. I feel like the spark of fun and life in this series has dimmed more than a little with her departure. I hope she puts out an album soon. I will buy it. :)

Final Breakdown (in my opinion...very conflicted about the order this week though)

1. Jahmene Douglas

2. Union J

3. Ella Henderson

4. Christopher Maloney

5. James Arthur

6. Kye Sones

7. District3

8. Rylan Clark

Rylan Clark: Hung Up/Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight). I don't know if you know this about me as I only reveal it when I feel like I'm in a safe space... but I'm an ABBA fan. A massive ABBA fan. Not in an ironic way. I genuinely love their big hit songs. This was before the phenomenon of Mamma Mia really took off with the movie, though I did see the stage show with Louise Pitre and it was brilliant. It was one of the few shows in my life where I've sat front row and those are always fun. Where was I? Oh, right, Rylan. The feathered shoulders felt unnecessary. They didn't really create interesting body shapes or make sense with the outfit. They just seemed glued on for camp value. Loved the way he broke the glass though. I think this is one of his best vocal performances. It still wasn't very strong but I think it was a marked improvement from last week. I did think it lost a little energy. Rylan just needs to find the balance between singing and dancing/performing. Nicole does a great job sticking up for him though. Very entertaining. 

Union J: Love Story. I couldn't get the best quality version of this because TheXFactorUK youtube channel wasn't uploading it and Fremantle was blocking all the high quality videos. I really like Taylor Swift songs. I can't help it. They just make me happy. With the quality issues, I thought they sounded good. It was a little safe. Anytime you sing a Taylor Swift song, you're not really trying to vocally challenge yourself. 

Kye Sones: You Get What You Give. He burst out with a lot of energy. I think this was one of his stronger attempts at using his falsetto. There was something about it that felt safe to me. Maybe it was just that American Idol style circling camera trick. I think this is a good song but it doesn't really have an arc. Kye did his very best and I can't fault him on the vocals or the energy but I wasn't thrilled by it. I pretty much agreed with Tulisa. I think Kye just needs to find the right song if he's going to rise in the competition again.

James Arthur: Don't Speak. So...I do kind of like this song. But while I've learned to trust James for the most part repetitive songs like this always scare me. It's very easy for them to start to get tedious even in a minute long performance. I felt like it was more of a return to the James we saw at the beginning of the competition. Some of the riffing felt excessive and unnecessary. It felt a little low energy though the vocals were good. I think James has to work on his performance style when he moves around the stage because before the emotional high point kicks in, it feels a bit random, like he's just wandering around. Maybe I'm just spoiled by so many great performances. Though this one was good, I'm used to being surprised and impressed by James and this week it just felt like another track on an album that sounded like the song I listened to a few songs back.

Ella Henderson: Firework. Katy Perry has some great songs. Now, there's some garbage on One of the Boys. And Peacock is just... *shudders* But those hits are hits for a reason and have rightfully spawned hundreds of youtube covers. There's something about some of those songs that has that magic capacity for a great performance. Personally, I went into this holding Ella's performance up to the amazing Lea Michele. So, no pressure, right? This was Ella doing Ella. She has a beautiful way of interpreting songs sometimes. When it started off a bit quiet it felt like she was speaking from the heart in singing those lyrics. And that's what a great performer does. But there were definitely weak points as it progressed. Some notes were weak and a bit strained. Her voice definitely cracked a few times. The high notes weren't always as strong as they could be and I would have sung some of those notes on different vowels because they were a little painful. It was good but there was so much randomness to it. It didn't feel natural. It felt strained. I really want her to work on fixing these same problems that come up almost every week without fail. It's really getting to the point in the competition where she can't just rely on the strengths of her voice. She needs to start addressing the weaknesses.

District3: I love the song. It's great exercise music. Again, I couldn't get the best quality version. Is the X Factor UK youtube channel against Louis for some reason? Anyway, even forgiving the sound quality, I thought they sounded very rough at first. It improved throughout the performance but it still just felt average. And I'm not sure they're ready to interact with dancers. It came across as awkward.

Jahmene Douglas: Listen. I know I've already told you I'm a massive Beyonce fan. But there is almost no touching her when she sings a ballad. I love Jahmene, but I was nervous about this performance. You can't mess around with riffs for this song. You need to bring POWER vocals. While Jahmene's performance was very, very, very good. It was lacking that power. There were so many brilliant points. But there were also some missteps when he strayed from the melody too much. And he couldn't sustain the amazing belt you need to make this song truly impressive. I think if I didn't know how this song can sound, I may have loved it more. 

Christopher Maloney: There was something very odd about Christopher's vowels during the verses. Maybe it was his placement. I did however think that the song choice really worked for him. He's a very good singer. What more can I say? In a week where my favorites all had issues I think Gary has a point in saying that Christopher consistently gives good vocal performances. 

X Factor UK Live Show #4

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.

The X Factor (UK) Live Show #2

Hello darlings!

I know this is primarily a nail polish/beauty/fashion blog with some occasional ramblings thrown in for good measure. But as I was sitting down to add The X Factor onto my Things I Am Currently Obsessed With post, I decided I should really give it its own post. Because I knew I was about to start rambling.

I love the UK version of the X Factor. I kept up with series 7 and 8 though I'm apparently bad at picking winners. I rooted for Rebecca Ferguson and Marcus Collins. I basically keep up with the show as much as I can. Since Freemantle is blocking the videos on the channels I used to watch, I can no longer watch the intros to the performances or the joy and silliness that is the Xtra Factor. But I still watch all of the performances and the judges comments through the X Factor's official youtube page.

I always tweet my thoughts on Saturday and Sunday. My twitter handle is aradia18. If you ever want to talk about The X Factor, we totally can. I haven't decided if I want to do weekly posts or not but you could start a discussion on a nail polish review. I wouldn't mind. :)

I think the best way to go about this is to just do a rundown of the performances...