Thursday, November 15, 2012

X Factor US 2: Top 12

The Voice had a pretty rough week this week, but somehow X Factor US made a dumb decision to follow suit. Haha. This was the first time I didn't feel compelled re-watching the performances for some reason. Almost everyone were annoyingly mediocre and I'm actually stunned at how bad this episode was. If you like bad song choices, cheesy staging and the worst mentoring that one could imagine, then this is the right episode for you. Haha.

Never thought I would say this, but this season is looking like it's going to be worse than last year. Shocker. To be fair though, I loved Britney Spears' sass tonight and easily her best night. Oh, and they will eliminate two people tomorrow! 

Anyway, on to the rankings!

12. Lyric145
We Will Rock You / ET
What was this? How was this a diva song? It was, yet again, another interesting mash up, but it's a bit of a stretch to call Freddie Mercury a diva. The song choice was awful, the rapping sounded monotonous and I didn't like how they rap the lyrics of the classic song. I actually loved Britney's advice for them to stick to HIP HOP. Their genre has plenty of Hip Hop Divas from Missy Elliott to Lil Kim to Lauryn Hill to even Queen Latifah, and yet they chose Katy Perry and Queen? Just. No. 4/10

11. Cece Frey
All By Myself
To be honest, I seriously can't decide if this was good or terrible. Haha. While I didn't think Cece got the right voice to pull off this incredibly difficult song, I thought she hit more notes correctly this week than last week's absolute vocal train wreck. She was still pitchy in parts though and her transitions were rough, but that's still an improvement. Good thing, the glory note at the end was spot on, because everything else felt strangely off. 4.5/10

10. Arin Ray
Crazy For You
I thought he was good last week with American Boy, but this was decidedly forgettable. His vocals were shaky, he botched the lyrics and the arrangement was a tad slow that I felt like he was ahead of the track. He was impressively charismatic last week, but it was all gone with this ballad. Maybe he was put into a group last year because he's not strong enough as a solo artist no? 5/10

09. Jennel Garcia
Proud Mary
This her weakest live show performance yet. Her phrasing was non existent, her vocals were surprisingly weak and she went off pitch a couple of times. Vocally, this was slightly better than most, but the overall performance was pure karaoke. If not for her impressive stage presence and charisma, this would've been a hot mess. 5.5/10

08. Fifth Harmony
Hero
Aargh! I seriously hated their song choice - possibly one of the most treacly, awful songs of the past twenty years - that I considered not listening to it. Haha. Yes, they somehow made the song a little palatable to me, but even their vocals were not enough for me to like the song. The harmonies were good if a bit sparse, but it also went off the rails towards the end mainly because of the sloppy vocals from Camila, who I thought did too much runs that messed up the last harmony. I don't know. Somehow, this performance lacked something I can't point my finger on. 5.5/10

07. Tate Stevens
From This Moment
Another decent vocal performance from Tate even if he looked more angry than lovely. Haha. To me, he actually sounded forced and the song didn't fit his tone, but I have a funny feeling that America will eat this up yet again. If Tate wins this whole thing, they should just rename the show, American Idol. Haha. It's silly, I know. 5.5/10

06. Paige Thomas
Last Dance
How I wish Paige kept it stripped down no? Not a big fan of Paige prior to the live shows, but she's turning out to be a viable pop star. I thought she sounded good at the beginning and she looked more comfortable on stage this time. If only her voice didn't get swallowed up by the production when she started moving, this would've been a lot better performance from her. 6/10

05. Emblem3
No One
They want to be on top and yet they act like douchebags? It's like they were purposely trying to make me hate them. Haha. No One was an odd song choice for them, but it was quite interesting how they made it work for them. Their harmonies were lovely and it had a perfect vocal blend. They should've just kept it mellow throughout the song though instead of increasing the back noise because that slightly ruined their performance. 6.5/10

04. Beatrice Miller
Time After Time
Was Cindy Lauper really considered a diva? Beatrice sounded good and possibly her best live show performance yet. Her tone worked well with the song, her delivery was absolutely fantastic and her emotional connection to the material was impressive. That said, the performance was boring and that, as Simon said, felt like it will never end. 7/10

03. Diamond White
Halo
She started off incredibly shaky - her lower register was rough and she should have sung it in a higher key - but she really picked it up towards the mid section of the performance. I thought her performance was  better than last week and I was actually surprised that she managed to pull off possibly one of the more difficult song choices tonight. Still not her best, but good enough. 7/10

02. Vino Alan
Let's Stay Together
I personally wouldn't have picked this song for him - too pub singer - but he had full control of his voice and he sounded really good. I thought the production was nice although seeing him slog around the stage made me uneasy. I don't know. There's something about him that sort of bugs me.  8/10

01. Carly Rose Sonenclar
My Heart Will Go On
A couple of days ago, Sylvia Yacoub of The Voice performed this song and I hated it. Carly, who's possibly half of Sylvia's age, impressively nailed the performance with spot on pitch and a good amount of intensity. I'm somehow tired of this song, but it suited Carly's tone to perfection and I loved how the more mellow and emotional arrangement made her voice crystal clear. It's funny how she performed a song that was released in 1997, when she was born in 1999. Haha. 8.5/10

PREDICTION
Who should go home?
Lyric145
Cece Frey
Who will go home?
Lyric145
Arin Ray

1 comments:

Desperate Houseboy said...

Carly Rose Sonenclar
Diamond WHite
Tate Stevens
Jennel Garcia
Vino Alan
Beatrice Miller
Paige Thomas
Fifth Harmony
Emblem3
Cece Fray
Lyric 145
Arin Ray

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