X Factor Philippines: Top 7

This week is very important because it marks the halfway point of the Finals. It’s time for these contestants to take it to another level and prove to us that they have what it takes to win. I fully expect to see that next week, because tonight was a wake-up call for them. Sort of. Haha.

As always, I placed the contestants accordingly, and while the night seemed fairly easy to rank the elimination is once again slightly unpredictable.

Well, let’s get to the rankings!

DISCLAIMER: I am no expert, but this is my opinion - to each his own - and yours will be in the comments below! Haha. 

07. Kedebon Colim

Eye Of The Tiger
Kedebon sang Eye Of The Tiger, but if you’re like me it didn’t really matter. Haha. It could have been any one of the similar sounding songs he sang - alliteration alert! - over the past couple of weeks. I’m done. I can’t even look at him anymore and understand why he's still in the competition. I guess, it's remotely relevant now. So you guys enjoy his performances. Haha. 4/10

06.  Gabriel Maturan

Forever
His vocals, though not entirely flawless, was very nice and Gabriel is clearly a very capable singer. However, he's now becoming such a bland contestant that he never sticks out. Don't get me wrong, it’s not that he has a bad voice, it’s that he's a boring performer. Every time he sings I have this urge to look longingly at my bed and sleep. Haha. I’m not one to ever underestimate his voting block - he's never been in the Bottom 2 despite some annoyingly weak performances before - but I don’t see him winning this competition. 5/10

05. Daddy's Home

Will You Still Love Me
True, this was, yet again, another soulful performance from the group and some of it was quite good, but, I just can’t bring myself to care about them. After their performance, I felt empty. I don't know. Maybe I’m starting to really find myself bored with their sappy cheese-infused stylings. The performance was nothing special and the song itself just felt unimportant. Sue me. 5.5/10

04. Joan Da

Billie Jean
I love the song and I have heard it sung on singing competitions a few times - see, David Cook (American Idol 7) and Drew (X Factor US 1) - but Joan's version, though relatively good, was a tad underwhelming. To me, she should have kept it sparse, ditched all the theatrics and just went on a purely stripped-down arrangement of the song just to highlight the character of her tone. It's unfortunate that every week, I feel like Joan has to do ten times as much as the other contestants just to scrape by in the bottom two. It’s not fair and it’s not right, but it is what it is. I'm hoping that she can pull off another week. 7/10

03. Jeric Medina

Careless Whisper
I’ll probably get some flack for this ranking, but while Careless Whisper was one of those song titles that makes no sense to me outside of the realm of cheese, Jeric sold me this performance despite the uneven vocals. I thought the beginning of the song was a tad pitchy, the middle was decent, and the ending was brilliant. Somehow, he made the song work for his great natural tone and the connection to the lyrics, the phrasing, the interpretation were all spot on. 7/10

02. KZ Tandingan

Eternal Flame
Throughout the song KZ latched on to some incredible connection with the material and drove it home. The song did lack a little bit of intensity, but her strengths were on display. Her outstanding musical instincts were evident, excellent phrasing, and her tone was exquisite on this song. But, the vocals and overall presentation were pretty basic “KZ”. I’d seen it before in another form and it felt slightly contrived. Still, even saying this, the performance was pretty good. 7.5/10

01. Allen Sta. Maria

Every Breath You Take
It was cool, current, and gave Allen the opportunity to show that swag once again on that stage. The rap at the beginning was a nice touch, she kept the pace of the song strong and didn’t rush to the end, which really helped to enhance the vocals. You see, I looked at Allen last night and I saw someone who could be a viable recording artist. I shake my head at the fact that she was considered nothing more than canon fodder when we entered the live shows. No one knew this girl and no one would have predicted such success this deep into the competition. Very nice. 8/10