Ben Haenow sings 'I Will Always Love You' on The X Factor UK 2014 (VIDEO)

Ben Haenow sang 'I Will Always Love You' on The X Factor UK Live Show 7 on November 22, 2014.

I've long seen Ben as a virtual lock for the finale, but this is the first time where I actually considered the possibility that he might win once he gets there. This was passionate and heartfelt and all of those things I wasn't expecting it to be when I heard what Ben was going to be singing -- not because Ben isn't capable of those emotions, but because I feared his heart wouldn't be in it. This isn't the kind of song I would imagine Ben would sing, so I worried that he might not be as invested in it as he needed to be. But I was off, and I couldn't have been happier to be more wrong.

It wasn't a flawless vocal, since he pushed himself pretty far, almost to the point of rawness. I could see what Mel B meant when she said he sang it too much like a rock song, without enough softness. But I just loved this too much to nitpick, since Ben once again brought something different from everyone else in the competition, a certain grit and realness that's hard to replicate. This easily could have been bad karaoke, but instead, we got a version of the song that's eminently listenable. Honestly, this is the most I've liked 'I Will Always Love You' in YEARS. Possibly ever.

But what do you think of Ben Haenow?

Watch the performance video below: