X Factor UK 10: Top 12

Not sure if it was the theme - why the hell did they choose 80's week as an opener to the live shows? - or the actual set of talent this season, but this was pretty underwhelming. Where's the Ella Henderson? The James Arthur? The Little Mix? or even The Cher Lloyd? Some people sounded good, but most of them delivered so-so performances with incredibly lame wardrobe styling. Please tell me there was no stylist! Haha.

Anyway, here we go!

12. Luke Fried
Every Breath You Take
His hair was more interesting than his actual performance. Sorry. 3.5

11. Shelley Smith
Alone
I'm sure you will be after this performance. 4

10. Hannah Barrett
What's Love Got To Do With It
BORING. It felt very monotonous. 4.5

09. Miss Dynamix
Jump
This just didn't quite work. They didn't blend well together, the arrangement was weird, and they needed energy to pull this one off and it was sorely lacking. 5

08. Sam Callahan
Summer of 69
Cute kid. Wrong song. Uneven vocals. 5

07. Abi Alton
Livin' On A Prayer
I actually liked the arrangement of the song and her musicality was front and center here, but she made a mess with how she wasn't hitting all the notes. She was off key for the most part and that's unfortunate. Good thing, the staging and arrangement worked in her favor. 6

06. Lorna Simpson
So Emotional
She probably has one of the more powerful voices in the competition and I thought her version was nice. It sounded a bit dated though when the dance track kicked in. 6.5

05. Tamera Foster
Ain't Nobody
Tamera obviously has the whole package and the most potential to breakout as a pop artist with a good tone and some power to her voice. Her stage presence still needed a little work along with his breath control, but other than that, she could be a real darkhorse. 6.5

04. Nicholas McDonald
True
At some point, this performance sounded like a school recital, but he probably showcased one of the better vocal performances in this episode - especially that long note towards the end. 6.5

03. Rough Copy
In The Air Tonight
Not exactly a fan of the arrangement and I'm missing the syncopation of the original, which makes the song dramatic, but their vocals were good enough to rank them this high. 7

02. Kingsland Road
I'm Your Man
Minus the unfortunate styling of these boys, their vocals sounded really tight. They blended well together and one of them actually sounded pretty solid. Good stuff. 8

01. Sam Bailey
Power Of Love
While I'm feeling that Sam could end up like Mary Byrne from Season 7, I can't deny the fact that she killed Power of Love. This was so good I almost thought I was listening to a studio recording. Maybe a few diction issues, but that would be easy to clean up. Fantastic. 8.5