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John Adeleye is a champ. It can’t be easy being saddled with tracks from Louis Walsh’s ‘Best of Magic FM’ CD or sharing a stage with disturbingly lustful dancers. Then again, ‘Because of You’ is a song that is FAO Kelly Clarkson ONLY, which is the nicest way I can package the fact that he butchered the lyrics, went off-pitch and was regrettably out of time – in other words, a deserved straight ticket home.
But TreyC tread in the same puddle; Jennifer Hudson is tackled only if you can own it from start to finish. She was never going to sound as vocally flawless or tug at the heartstrings like the Oscar-winning American Idol alum – which is a shame. For all my criticism of TreyC, who continued her streak of shouty performances Saturday with ‘Whole Lotta Love’ (a song that, by the way, fit her like a glove fits a pigeon), ‘One Night Only’ sounded, well, not bad. She just needs a decent vocal coach to be watching her back.
In their sea of superlatives, the judges had a point when they observed that contestants were stepping up their game this week. Matt did a lovely stripped-down version of ‘…Baby One More Time’; it’s been heard before, but dang, that kind of creativity is so rare on X Factor that the fleeting moments it does appear should be cherished. Paije similarly slowed down the funky ‘Ain’t Nobody’, transforming it into a stunning piano ballad reminiscent of Rihanna’s ‘Unfaithful’. Paije needs a better awareness of his limits though – i.e. call a moratorium on those freestyle vocal runs. In an otherwise perfect song, the end sounded more like a drunken homeless man than a future popstar.
Additional gold stars go to Rebecca, who seems to be shaking off those nerves and blossoming into someone comfortable on stage and musically hypnotising – I even registered chills. I would rant about changing things up, but this Billie Holiday-meets-Sade thing is suiting her so perfectly it seems wrong to mess with something so right.
Aiden, on the other hand, could do with a little refreshment in the song choice department. While ‘Diamonds are Forever’ provided much-needed redemption following last week’s awkward ‘Jealous Guy’, dude should enjoy himself for once. Not saying he requires a sleazy Brian-Friedman-endorsed number, he just needs to have some fun. Both him and Mary should realise they’re safe no matter what for the next 5 or 6 weeks and take some risks. Heck, borrow a leaf from on-thin-ice Katie’s book; ‘I Wanna Be Like You’ wouldn’t have been out of place at a Disneyland parade, yet its 1920s playful styling overshadowed its erroneous platform.
The ‘good effort’ badge goes to Belle Amie, who asserted their independence to show off some pleasing vocal harmonies – too bad they couldn’t have picked something not so cloned Girls Aloud. Cher also delivered her best live show performance, but the extravagant stage structure and countless dancers dwarf her individuality and make her put across a much blander impression than should be allowed.
Finally, I’d like to point out that Wagner isn’t the comic star this year (I actually feel seriously sorry for the Brazilian beefcake – since when did mocking a foreigner become acceptable TV?). No, that dubious honour has to go to Zain of One Direction, who provides the only light of joy with his perfectly comically timed echo singing. I rest assured that every time his group injects a key change and ‘boybandises’ another song I love, I can look forward to such gems as “Nobody li-i-ikes”, “inner vo-o-oice” or, my personal favourite, “me-e-e-y-ey-ey”.
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