X Factor US 3: Top 13

Not sure what to feel about this show, but it's like they weren't even trying to put a good show anymore and I'm thisclose to abandoning this show. I mean, Motown week again? Can't they think of anything else other than this tired theme? Also, why are the performances so short?

Oh, and don't get me started with Paulina Rubio. She's worse than a drunken sailor. "Lexington, South California", "Peachy", "The Jackson Fives", "Work In Process". I just can't. At the rate, I'll be shocked if there's a season four. Haha.

But enough of that, let's get on with the performances!

13. Tim Olstad
I'll Be There
I've seen objects with more personality than Tim. Heck, a rock has more personality than him. Sure, he has a relatively better grasp on pitch compared to most of the contestants, but that's nothing when you're absolutely the MOST BORING contestant on any television show EVER. 2

12. Carlos Guevara
What's Going On
On paper, this should've worked, but he sucked the life out of this song. Uneven vocals with zero charisma. Blech 3

13. Sweet Suspense
Keep Me Hanging On
Was there actual singing invloved in this performance? Look, the girls looked great, the arrangement sounded fresh, they worked the stage particularly well, but when there's little to no actual LIVE singing, what's the point?! 3.5

10. Rion Paige
Ain't No Mountain High Enough
She actually started off quite good with a delicacy to her voice, but then the arrangement somehow dragged the performance to snooze inducing territory. Her voice was also shaky and lost control over it especially towards the ends and I got uncomfortable watching her perform for some weird reason. I don't know. 4

09. Restless Road
Easy
To be fair, the group's harmonies sounded good - with a great deal of help from the back track - during the first part, but when they went into the key change, the lead singer somehow botched his note and everything went downhill. In fact, he never really recovered as he further messed up some more notes towards the end. 4.5

08. Rachel Potter
This Old Heart Of Mine
This gave me a terrible flashback of Krisy Lee Cook's Eight Day A Week! Ok. Ok. This was not half as bad, but the strange arrangement somehow threw me off. Good thing, her vocals were mostly on point, but still, there's no way I'll listen to this again. 5

07. Carlito Olivero
Stop In The Name Of Love
I got the idea of slowing down this ditty to give it a fresh vibe, but I somehow didn't like the overall arrangement of the song. It felt like it just went nowhere. He sounded good for the most part, but his whole performance left me cold. 5

06. Ellona Santiago
Baby Love
Hmm. Ellona's performance wasn't perfect and it came off a little desperate, but she can actually sing on pitch - despite all that lame choreography - and that's not a label that I would put on too many of these contestants. She has a lot of stage presence, and it was actually more entertaining than some performances. 6

05. Lillie McCloud
All Is Fair In Love
There's no doubt that Lillie has the look and the voice, but if she keeps on performing the same types of songs in the same way, she'll be gone faster than Stacy Francis. It was unfair that Demi called her out for being outdated. Give me a break! Almost everyone sounded old-fashioned! 6.5 

04. Josh Levi
Who's Loving You
While I would've preferred James Kenney as a wildcard, I'm not really mad that Josh got back - even if he's in the weakest category this season - because he actually sounded great on this song. His vocals were mostly solid, the vocal choices he made were spot on, and he somehow made it a lot more current than I expected. Good enough. 7

03. Jeff Gutt
Say You Say Me
Not exactly a fan of Jeff, but this was the first time I actually enjoyed his performance. The arrangement reminded me of the 80s, which was outdated in itself, but there was a precision to his tone and vibrato that I enjoyed. This actually worked for me. 7.5

02. Khaya Cohen
My Girl
Simon nailed it. She actually sounded like Amy Winehouse, it's almost creepy. I thought the song choice was perfect, her smoky tone added character to her vocals, and she infused just the right amount of vibrato to give it texture. Plus, to make this song sound incredibly modern just from her vocals was pretty impressive. She needs to work on her diction, but I digress. 8

01. Alex & Sierra
Heard It Through The Grapevine
For the second week in a row, Alex & Sierra topped my list - not that its hard for them not to. There's no contest. They just slayed possibly one of the most overdone songs in music history and gave an incredibly appealing arrangement to the song. Tight vocals. Fantastic harmonies. Outstanding arrangement. 9