The X Factor UK 2014 - Recap: The Sweet Sixteen Take the Stage (VIDEO)
Live shows are finally here on The X Factor UK 2014! Twelve acts were put through to live shows last week, but four more will be added as wildcards, with each of the four judges selecting one act for a rival judge's category. That gives us 16 acts, and a competition that's suddenly gotten a lot more heated. The acts:
Mel B's Boys: Paul Akister, Jake Quickenden, and Andrea Faustini
Cheryl's Girls: Lauren Platt, Stephanie Nala, and Chloe Jasmine
Simon's Over 25s: Ben Haenow, Fleur East, and Jay James
Louis' Groups: Only the Young, New Boy Band and Blonde Electra
This week's theme: No. 1 Songs!
But which four acts were selected as the wildcards? And which of the 16 acts delivered, and which faltered? It's time to face the music!
Credit: ITV
RECAP
The show kicks off with an intro to the judges, followed by the reveal of the wildcards, as we see a video package revealing each of the four judges giving the good news to their wildcard act.
WILDCARDS:
Simon selects JACK WALTON for Mel B's Boys.
Cheryl selects STEVI RITCHIE for Simon's Over 25s.
Louis selects LOLA SAUNDERS for Cheryl's Girls.
Mel B selects OVERLOAD GENERATION for Louis' Groups.
Now, onto the show...
PAUL AKISTER opens the show!
Performance: Paul sings 'Ghost' by Ella Henderson, and it's a pretty terrific way to kick off the show. I thought the verses sat a bit low on his register, which made his voice waver a bit. it might have been nerves, but I'm not all that sure, since Paul is usually such a strong, confident performer. Of course, the first live show will do a number on the nerves of even the most seasoned pro. That said, I still liked this performance a lot, thanks to Paul's tone and the overall ferocity with which he tackles his songs. Dude shows a TON of passion, and that makes him far more engaging than he'd be without that characteristic. And I didn't have any qualms with the song choice, even if I think there are songs out there that would have better fit Paul's voice. Ultimately, Paul continues to be one of the best singers this competition has to offer.
Judges: Cheryl congratulates Paul on being the contestant to open up the show and the season, and lets him know what a great job he did. Simon chastises Louis for sending Paul home last year, before telling Paul that he was fantastic, and adding that he should actually gain a bit of swagger to his performance, almost like a "diva". Louis defends his choice from last year, saying Paul just wasn't ready yet. But he adds that he's one of Paul's biggest fans. Mel B, meanwhile, says she wants everyone to vote for Paul. Well, obviously.
LOLA SAUNDERS is up next!
Performance: Lola sings 'Stay With Me', and while I can't fault her tone one bit, I thought the performance had some pitch issues throughout the song. I'm also not convinced that she's as over her nerves as she claimed in the video package, since she spent the entire performance wavering between a look of terror and a look of concentration, like she's trying desperately to just get through the performance. However, she did gain confidence as the song went on, building to a wonderful conclusion. Lola has an amazing voice, and I genuinely believe she'll only get better as the weeks roll on.
Judges: Simon is, once again, gobsmacked at how one of the other judges could be so stupid as to not put through such an obvious slam-dunk of a contestant. That said, he isn't crazy about the dress she's wearing, saying it looks like she's wrapped up in tape. However, his criticism is mostly due to a lack of anything negative to say about her performance, since he expects her to be here next week. Louis was happy to choose her as his wildcard, because she deserves to be here. Mel B, meanwhile, feels Lola has "that extra-special something". Cheryl derogatorily calls Simon "Captain Fashion" before praising Lola for her performance.
OVERLOAD GENERATION is up next!
Performance: The group sang 'I Kissed a Girl', and this was completely the wrong song for them. The first verse was just a mess, although I'm mostly chalking that up to nerves, because it was plainly written all over his face. The song does pick up a bit as it goes on, but really, the guy in the glasses is the one to look out for. That dude has PIPES. Hell, he has a voice good enough to carry the entire group. Not that the group will necessarily need carrying, since Dermot barely even said the word "Overload" in the introduction before the crowd lost its mind. By the end of the performance, I thought girls were going to start rushing the stage. Louis could have a finalist on his hands.
Judges: Mel B likes their work ethic and attitude, and praises their harmonies, although she felt there were nerve, confidence, and rhythm issues. While Cheryl felt Overload Generation was the obvious choice to bring back, she agrees with Mel B, in that there was nothing new or fresh about this performance or the package they're presenting. Simon makes an implied comparison to One Direction, saying that they're the Ferrari of Boy Bands while Overload Generation is like the Volkswagen Beetles. However, he does like that they fought for their place to be here. Louis then gets into an argument with Mel B over whether the group is too timid or not. Honestly, I don't think timidity was the issue so much as song choice.
JAY JAMES is up next!
Performance: Where has THIS Jay James been?! I really enjoyed this, and I wasn't really expecting to either, after hearing what he would be singing. Jay took "Changing" by Sigma and made it sound like his own song, illustrating that he has a far more current sound than he's shown. He even got into the performance aspect, making use of the stage and interacting with the fans. And while all that movement hampered his vocal a bit towards the end, that's all something that can be worked on with time. Ultimately, I thought this was great. Jay looked and sounded like a real star out there.
Judges: Louis loved the performance and, strangely, compares Jay to a young Kevin Costner. Mel B declares that Jay smashed it, and calls him a sexy thing. Cheryl compliments Jay on his performance and on the song choice, and begrudgingly gives Simon credit. However, Simon admits he doesn't want to take too much credit, since Jay's performance illustrates the difference between someone singing another person's song, and someone developing into a future star themselves. Simon says Jay reminds him of a "British Adam Levine", and feels that's the direction he should be taking.
STEPHANIE NALA is up next!
Performance: I hated this. I have no idea what Cheryl was thinking, giving her 'Everything I Own' by Bread, and giving it an uptempo, hip-hop type arrangement. Nothing about this worked, in my opinion, from the staging to the song choice, to Stephanie's vocal itself. She seems like a wonderful girl, and I definitely have sympathy for her over the confidence issues she's facing now, as a solo artist (after having made it to the finals of Britain's Got Talent as part of a group). But her voice sounds so nervous and whispy, and it gets downright unpleasant at times. I will say she delivered a hell of a closing note, but it just wasn't enough to rescue everything that came before it.
Judges: Simon compares it to getting a bowl of sorbet when you want an ice cream sundae. He thinks she should be in a group with four other girls, saying he just doesn't think she has the confidence to survive as a solo artist in this competition. Louis agrees, saying the song was flat, and declaring, "It just didn't happen." Mel B actually liked the twist on the song, and thought Stephanie's vocals were great. Cheryl tries to correct Louis by noting that this is a current song, even though he never really said anything about it being an old song. (It made me wonder if she even realizes this song is a cover or not.) Cheryl says she doesn't expect Stephanie to have heaps of confidence right away, but she has every confidence that Stephanie will develop as an artist.
JACK WALTON is up next!
Performance: This is the most I've ever liked 'Only Girl In the World'. Seriously, Jack took a Rihanna song and made it sound like an Ed Sheeran track. Granted, this is because they basically swiped the drum loop from 'Sing', turning this almost into a mashup of sorts. Jack's vocal wasn't as impeccable as I was hoping it'd be, as it seemed like he missed a few notes here or there, and went for runs that he couldn't always hit. But that raw quality is what I loved about Jack, and his style is one that this season needs.
Judges: Cheryl loved the song choice, and never would have thought to put that kind of spin on it. Simon then relates a story from last week, as he received a text an angry text from One Direction's Louis Tomlinson, demanding to know why Jack Walton didn't get through to live shows. He loves Jack's honesty and is stage presence, although he does feel Jack needs to work a bit on his vocals and originality. But overall, he's positive on the performance. As is Louis, who feels Jack will go far in the competition. Mel B, meanwhile, just screams "Jack is back!" over and over again. So yeah, pretty much my reaction.
CHLOE JASMINE is up next!
Performance: I thought this was wonderful. From start to finish, just wonderful. I'm still not sure just how marketable Chloe is beyond the adult contemporary niche she inhabits, but this jazzy arrangement of 'Toxic' fit her voice like a glove. I could actually imagine this version being a hit, which I guess disproves my argument that she's not all that current. She has a very classic sounding voice, but it's not at all beyond the realm of possibility that she'd land on the charts, given that Adele has a bit of a throwback voice.
Judges: Simon is fascinated by Chloe, but addresses all the bad press she's been receiving by advising her to toughen up a bit, since the only thing worse than bad press is no press. Louis thinks Chloe is sultry sexy and spectacular. Mel B says that Chloe transported her, making her feel like she was in a lounge watching a jazz singer. Chloe says she's glad she could glam up Wembley for her. Lastly, Cheryl thinks Chloe's uniqueness is something to be embraced. She says that Chloe is a dream to work with, and that she delivered a fantastic performance.
STEREO KICKS is up next!
Performance: I have no loving idea why Louis decided to give BOTH his boy bands a Katy Perry song, but this was better than Overload Generation's performance, in my opinion. That said, Overload Generation seems more popular, to me. I think girls like some of the guys in this, but not all of them. They get a good reaction, but not the absolutely NUCLEAR reaction that Overload got. Although that might have just been because they were the first boy band of the night, leaving them all screamed out by the time these guys hit the stage. Or maybe I'm just reading the tea leaves wrong. Either way, I thought this was a better vocal overall. Not sure how much of that has to do with there being eight guys here instead of five though. But I enjoyed this, either way.
Judges: Mel B thinks these guys could sing anything and the crowd would go crazy. She adds that their harmonies are on-point. Cheryl chides Louis for basically just "looking at Katy Perry's No. 1's" for his song choices this week, saying that they didn't do enough with the track, and that it was lazy mentoring on Louis' part. She also still feels that having eight of them up there is overwhelming. Simon says he felt Overload Generation was okay, but says Stereo Kicks just blew them off the stage. Of course, one has to wonder how much of that is Simon's honest opinion, and how much of that is Simon wanting to push the manufactured act, so the show can tout another huge success if these guys make it big? I'm sure if the show had put Overload together, they wouldn't have had to rely on the Wildcard slot to make it through to live shows. But I digress. Simon says that it isn't perfect, but it's impressive that they've bonded as a band, worked out who the strongest singers are, and solidified their harmonies all in two weeks. Louis agrees, saying he feels there's something special here.
STEVI RITCHIE is up next!
Performance: This was utterly ridiculous and over-the-top. But I kind of loved it, as a guilty pleasure. Stevi knows he isn't the best singer. Hell, everyone knows it. So he makes up the difference in showmanship. You had Stevi twerking like a madman while dancers made it rain! Nobody else is giving us that kind of absurdity in the competition. And hey, he's not even in the Bottom 5 worst novelty acts we've ever had on this show. Hell, he's not even the worst novelty act to perform 'Livin' La Vida Loca' on the live shows, lest we forget the plague known as Wagner. Does Stevi deserve to be here? Eh, probably not. Especially when Helen Fulthorpe is sitting at home. That said, I still had fun with this. At the early stage of the competition, this kind of silliness can be badly needed.
Judges: Louis loved the performance, joking that he once saw Simon doing all of Stevi's moves while drunk at a wedding. Louis then states that while Stevi isn't the best singer, people are going to love him anyway. Mel B, however, is less enthusiastic. "Is this a joke?" she asks, before saying the only thing she liked was the dancers. Cheryl says she brought Stevi back because of how much she loved him, how much Simon loved him, and how much the audience loved him. However, she does have to call Simon out on his ego, revealing that the hundred dollar bills the dancers used to "make it rain" on Stevi all have Simon's face plastered on them. ("It's good money!" Stevi shouts) Simon agrees that Stevi isn't the best singer, but notes that putting Stevi through will come back to bite Cheryl, since she'll be around longer than most of her girls. He tells Stevi he's living the dream, getting to dance onstage "with eight hot chicks" and having the time of his life.
LAUREN PLATT is up next!
Performance: Well, I wasn't expecting 'Happy' to ever get an arrangement like that. I liked it, even while I'm not entirely sure it worked. This sort of arrangement takes it so far away from the original that she's not really doing 'Happy' anymore. She's doing a completely separate song that just happens to have the same lyrics. Adding the drum loop and the chorus from the original helps, but by then, it's too little, too late. I loved Lauren's vocals, her look, and even the staging. I even liked the arrangement, in theory. But if you're going to change up the song that much, just give her something different.
Judges: Simon thought it was a very smart arrangement. He loved Lauren's version, and Louis agrees, feeling Pharrell will like it too. Mel B wasn't expecting something like that, but thought it was great. Cheryl is similarly enthusiastic about Lauren's performance, although why wouldn't she be? I wasn't as crazy about the arrangement as the panel seemed to be, but I can't front on Lauren's vocals one bit.
BLONDE ELECTRA is up next!
Performance: Okay, I guess Stevi isn't the only one giving us the novelty fix this show occasionally needs, because we've got Blonde Electra singing 'Kids In America' like it's some kind of current dance track. But, honestly, I didn't hate this as much as I thought I would. These girls can sing, for the most part, and they embrace their inherent silliness. Sort of the way Katy Perry does on some of her more fun, upbeat tracks. Blonde Electra would be a worse act if they wanted us to take them seriously, but I'm not sure that they do, and so this sort of performance works better than it would otherwise.
Judges: Mel B expected to hate it, but thought the girls made it a proper performance. She does feel they have to own their wackiness a bit more though. Cheryl thinks the girls are refreshing, saying they're a bit bonkers, but are proud of it. Simon finds them a bit annoying, although he does like them, admitting he looks forward to them. Simon does have a problem with the song choice, saying that the theme is supposed to be #1's, yet the only place this charted #1 was Finland. Louis sticks up for the song choice, adding that it was definitely #1 in Ireland.
BEN HAENOW is up next!
Performances: Ben sings 'Bridge Over Troubled Water', and while it starts off a bit shaky, he quickly takes control of the song and never looks back. I loved this vocal, and I loved the restraint. No crazy runs, no shouting himself hoarse, and no ostentatious arrangement. Seriously, I was shocked there was no chorus brought out for this. This wasn't flawless or anything, but Ben is so wonderfully raw that I couldn't help but find it compelling. Simon gives Ben a standing ovation, and while that might be a bit much, I definitely think Ben has standing ovation-worthy performances in him.
Judges: Louis can't believe Ben was driving trucks just a few weeks ago. He tells Ben he has an amazing voice, and states Simon will go far in the competition thanks to him. Mel B loves Ben's voice and thinks he's a great singer, but she would have chosen a different song, since the choice was a bit boring for her. Cheryl, however, declares it one of her top 3 performances of the night, noting Ben's grittiness and authenticity. Simon says when he came back to the UK, he prayed he would find an artist like Ben, declaring him among the best the UK has to offer.
JAKE QUICKENDEN is up next!
Performance: Jake sings 'She's The One', and while he's no Nicholas McDonald, I thought this was a terrific vocal from Jake. I do wish Jake hadn't been roaming the stage so much. He just seemed distracted and disengaged from what he was doing. It just created such a disconnect between his passionate vocal and the dispassionate nature of the performance itself.
Judges: Cheryl would prefer Jake were a better singer than better looking, and Simon kind of agrees, saying it's hard to follow Ben. He feels Jake needs grit, since it's something he lacks at the moment. Louis didn't think it was a great song choice, but feels Jake has likability, which is more than he can say for Simon. Mel B thinks Jake did a great job, but Simon eventually feels compelled to ask her if she thinks Jake did a better job than Ben. Mel B says, "As a performance, 100%, yes." Well, I'm not sure what Simon expected her to say. It's her act.
FLEUR EAST is up next!
Performance: I liked the breathy, jazzy opening more than I liked the rest of the performance, since Fleur was delivering a relatively unique take on 'All About That Bass' in those first few seconds, before transitioning to doing a fairly straight rendition of it. That said, Fleur's vocals were solid, and I think she has tons of upside as an artist, between her work ethic, her vocals, and her look. She also feels very current, which was her big positive from last week. She might be Simon's most marketable act, actually.
Judges: Louis says he loved the performance, and proclaims Fleur "a born pop star." Mel B is glad Fleur is on Simon's team, because she's made him cool. She loves Fleur and didn't want the performance to stop. Meanwhile, what Cheryl loves about Fleur is that she came out of nowhere, and is suddenly at the front of the pack. Simon does one of his kitten analogies before stating that he's proud of Fleur because Britain needs an act like her to represent them. Wait, did something happen to Emeli Sande?
ONLY THE YOUNG is up next!
Performance: This felt far more current and relevant than I thought it would feel. I didn't love it, by any means, but I'm still excited by the potential Only the Young shows as a marketable, potential hit act. Doing a mashup of 'Jailhouse Rock' and 'Twist and Shout' somewhat mitigates the handicap of performing such old songs, while nearly everyone else is doing stuff that's currently on the charts. I still would have chosen a different song, but I thought their energy made up for whatever shortcomings there were in the song choice department. They're a fun act with the potential to grow into something more substantial that we might take a bit more seriously as the weeks go on.
Judges: Mel B has been a fan of the group for a while now, but didn't like this performance, saying they're way cooler than the performance they just gave. She chides them for choosing that song (since Louis admitted that the group actually picked the song). Cheryl isn't enthusiastic about the performance, but she does love the group, saying they brought the energy in the room up. Simon, meanwhile, admits that it may not have been the most original song choice, but notes that it was smart to integrate their love for retro culture into their performance. He agrees with Cheryl, noting that they have great chemistry. Louis gets on Mel's case for ragging on the group, saying there's a gap in the market for a group like this.
ANDREA FAUSTINI closes the show!
Performance: Best vocal of the night, and it's not even close, really. 'Earth Song' is an absolute monster of a track, yet Andrea made it seem downright simple. The man has a once in a lifetime voice for a competition like this, and with each subsequent performance, I'm getting to think he has a once in a lifetime voice, period. How he even needed this show to be discovered, I'll never know. Andrea is outstanding, and I'll be absolutely stunned if he doesn't top the voting for this week once the vote totals are released at the end of the season. If he keeps it up with these sorts of vocals, he might top the voting every week.
Judges: Cheryl's critique gets drowned out by the raucous crowd, but it's positive nonetheless. Simon praises Andrea for taking them to church, and says he's now a frontrunner to win the show. Louis agrees, and declares that while it should be unbearable for him to say (since Andrea is not his act), the Italian is in it for the long haul. Mel B boasts with a "Ha ha ha" to Simon before declaring Andrea the winner. A bit early for that, but...well, it's kind of not, since I don't think anyone here can touch Andrea, vocally. It's all a matter of whom the audience connects with most. This competition is really shaping up to be one for the ages, even if we might look back on this and wonder how anyone ever entertained the notion of another singer having a chance.
And that's a wrap! What did you think of the performers? Who stood out? Who surprised you? Who disappointed? And which three acts do you feel will be at risk for elimination? Sound off in the comments! And join us tomorrow for a live blog of the results! Until then, thanks for reading!