Monday, November 16, 2015

X Factor UK 12: Top 9

It's Movie soundtrack theme and it was a pretty interesting night! Lauren Murray and Monica Michael were supposed to cover Licence to Kill from James Bond and Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down) from Kill Bill respectively, but due to what happened in Paris, they decided to change it last minute. Oh, and Celina of 4th Impact almost collapsed on stage after performing. It was uncomfortable to watch, to be honest.

Other than that, the performances were mostly good with a couple of stinkers from the usual suspects. That being said, with another double elimination later tonight, I'm pretty sure I'll lose one of my favorites.

On with the show!

09. Anton Stephans
I Have Nothing
[OVERS]
He should be disqualified on the song choice alone. No, his vocals weren't totally terrible - although he hit some major off key notes - but he's just too intense that it was too distracting to watch. Can he go now? 4

08. Max Stone
Secret Garden
[OVERS]
I had high hopes for Max prior to the live shows - he showed some flashes of brilliance since his audition - but he's been incredibly bland and generic his past few performances. Vocally, this was pretty decent, however, everything else was such a bore. His delivery, his pained look, the staging, the arrangement - things just didn't go anywhere. 5

07. Reggie 'N' Bollie
Who Let The Dogs Out?
[GROUPS]
Not going to lie, this duo is slowly growing on me. They will NEVER be the best singers, but the entertainment and fun that they bring to the show is unmatched. I thought the song choice was genius, the beginning was hysterical, and the energy was incredibly contagious. My only problem? I can't take them too seriously. 6.5

06. Monica Michael
What Is Love?
[GIRLS]
Despite the last minute change of song choice, I found Monica's take on Empire's What Is Love? quite lovely. Her connection to the song was palpable, the way she added some sass to the bridge was a pleasant surprise, and there was both nuance and power to her performance. Her pitch sounded a bit under halfway through the bridge and it didn't sound right, but that's mostly nitpicking. Plus, she looked gorgeous. 7.5

05. Mason Noise
Men In Black
[BOYS]
Let me say something controversial: I love myself some Mason Noise. Vocally, he can't compete with the likes of Chè, Lauren, Louisa or 4th Impact, but this is all about that extra special quality other than the voice - he did not audition for The Voice. Ha. I honestly think Mason has that and he proved with this performance that he can be a potential popstar. The singing needed a little work, but his rap was on point, the choreography was fantastic, and that swagger and attitude was the perfect fit for the performance. I'm not mad. 7.5

04. Chè Chesterman
When A Man Loves A Woman
[BOYS]
Look, I cannot, for the life of me, fault Chè's version of When A Man Love A Woman. I thought his version was vocally strong with his pitch, for the most part, intact considering the difficult vocal runs he tried to embellish the song with. That being said, I heard better renditions of the song with a much more impassioned delivery and that somehow pulled me back from the performance. It was good, but it could've been better. 7.5

03. Lauren Murray
One Last Time
[GIRLS]
Lauren's stripped down version of Ariana Grande's One Last Time was actually very pretty. I found her vocals solid with some interesting melodic and phrasing choices. The key change sounded weird, but she managed to recover and finished the performance with a gorgeous softer tone that we don't usually hear from her. 8

02. Louisa Johnson
Everybody's Free
[GIRLS]
There's just no stopping her at this point. Everybody's Free wasn't exactly the most stirring song choice for the beloved Louisa, but she somehow managed to make it a rousing vocal performance. I thought the first half had that beautiful restraint that eventually blow up to something much more powerful. The build up and dynamics was on point that I couldn't fault it. Good job. 8.5

01. 4th Impact
Work It Out
[GROUPS]
Welcome back, ladies! This was easily their best performance on the show. The vocals were terrific, the harmonies sounded tight, it didn't come off as if they were shouting at us, the belting made sense, the choreography looked crazy fantastic, the production was on point, and it had some serious hairography. What else could you ask for? 9


BOTTOM 3 PREDICTIONS
Mason Noise
Max Stone
Anton Stephans

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