I know it's just a clichéd, cheesy, reality TV show but X Factor is my guilty pleasure and I watch it every year. I acknowledge that one of the reasons I love this show is the freedom it allows me to sit at home and laugh heartily at some of the weird, wonderful and terribly untalented people that turn up at auditions. Freeing me temporarily to pander to the darker side of my psyche, which would normally shrink away in guilt ridden horror if I laughed at people like this in real life. Yet this aside, every year it succeeds (to my mind) in producing at least one or two individuals who have the required balance of talent, charisma and bravery to furnish them with a reasonable career.
This year is different. Whether it's because the nation has become so groomed by these types of shows that more and more people are 'discovering' their talents or because of the change in the judges line up, I do not know. What I do know is that this year, instead of seeing those one or two people I think might make it, I'm seeing at least six or seven and we've only had two live shows so far.
Every time I look at Kelly Rowland I think of Disney chipmunks or the rabbit from the Cadbury's Caramel adverts but despite her sickly sweetness she is doing a fantastic job as a mentor. The girls are very strong this year and despite liking them all, Janet Devlin is my clear favourite in this category. Before she even opens her mouth she has this wonderful aura of sweetness and honest emotion. When she does sing, her beautiful, unique voice grabs you by the heart, changing anything she sings into an emotional, musical paradise. Of the others, Sophie seems proficient technically and although her voice is not as unique, it is as equally as beautiful, especially when she sings those wonderfully clear high notes. Misha, as was said on the show last night, is very polished for so early in the series. However her voice, to me at least, is nothing special. Not because it isn't technically spot on or powerful but because there are already so many artists out there with this type of voice, do we really need another? I must admit though that I'm really impressed with the ways she makes the songs her own. For me, this is her greatest talent.
The boys are not so strong this year, maybe this is because Gary's so musically talented himself he's never had to work on the showmanship side of performance like other artistes such as his band mate Robbie. Let me start with Frankie. There has been a lot of hype about this young lad but I can't help feeling that he's shaping up to be a one trick pony. His voice is indeed unique but not in the least special, he makes each song he sings sound exactly the same and for me that is a far from useful talent. This aside I'm pretty sure we'll see a lot of Frankie, at least while he's of the right age to attract the teenager girls found in every generation that can't help but love a bad boy, especially if he's a pop star. Marcus I can take or leave although he seems to be a really nice, genuine person and I do love his voice. I think that the judges were far too harsh about his performance last night but unfortunately, he just doesn't stand out from the crowd for me. This leaves Craig, who is by far my favourite boy this year. His rendering of the songs he has performed have been utterly flawless, original and a complete pleasure to listen to. I also love his cheeky, lob sided grin. He's a bit of a sweetheart. However if he'd not have been knocked out at Judges houses (very bad choice Mr Barlow), Joe would have been my favourite. That lad had a voice that gave me goose-bumps, something that's never happened in any series of X Factor before or in my thirty-four years breathing air.
Ah. Now we come to the groups. I was very excited this year about Tulisa getting the groups and I remained excited until last night when I suddenly plummeted down to earth realising that groups rarely make it in this show because they are just so inflexible as opposed to solo artists, leaving them unable to truly show what they are capable of. I'm also disappointed that Tulisa appears to have switched from her innovative, fresh approach to dealing with the groups to a 'how best to make these groups commercial' stand point. Now I am well aware that this is an important issue within the music industry but new talent needs to be created and fresh sounds depend on people willing to take risks. To be fair I do believe she is achieving this with Rythmix but sadly it is not a sound that I myself can really get to grips with as it is aimed at a much younger audience. The ones with all the money and power - teenagers. The other groups however are something else. Yesterday, Nu Vibe's vocals and lack of togetherness were so awful that I actually muted the volume on my TV. The only other times I've done this in the history of my X Factor viewing were during Same Difference and Wagner performances. The Risk were far better. They were together, they were technically sound and their harmonies were lovely. So why am I still unimpressed? Because we've heard it all before with countless boy bands in the past. If you want to make these lads truly commercial Tulisa, give them an edge and quickly.
Now we are in really scary territory. Usually, everything Louis touches turns a little surreal and peculiar when it comes to the X Factor. Normally the category that find itself empathising with these qualities is the over twenty-fives and this year is no different. What IS different is that every person in the category this year has talent (thanks for leaving when you did Goldie, it would never have worked). Sami, obviously, has the most marketable personality and talent. She has solid, powerful vocals that, albeit are not particularly original but have a firm grounding in sell-ability. She also has a bright, bubbly personality which helps to earn her a place in our affections and a 'knock 'em dead' attitude. Johnny, bless him, is totally adorable, very funny and even though he has an unconventional (to say the least) voice, I just love it! Last night, his version of Kylie's 'I can't get you out of my head' was great, but in the wrong way. The other judges are right Louis, you are risking turning Johnny into a freak show when he deserves the opportunity to truly show off his talent. As I said, I loved last nights performance but because it was all round entertaining. If this was Britains Got Talent I'd say, go for it but it's not it's a singing competition and I want to hear him sing. Properly. Last but by no means least we have Kitty. I admits she is a very intense person who I would imagine face to face could actually be a little intimidating but she has one hell of a voice and last night her performance was so impressive she has made it to my list of favourites. Do I think she or Johnny can win? No, as Gary himself said people make this show too much of a personality contest rather than a talent competition and the majority of people watching are fickle, too afraid of what's different.
So who is my over all favourite? At the moment, Janet but I'm voting for all six of my favourites, however people keep surprising me so who knows, it may change week by week.
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