Tabby Callaghan: 'King of the Town'

Being voted off The X Factor is a double blow for any wannabe warbler. Not only has that "million-pound recording contract" just slipped through your fingers, but you've got a crushing realisation to stomach, too: if you don't land a deal now, it's highly unlikely that you ever will. With this in mind, it's surprising to learn that Tabby Callaghan, third on the original X Factor back in 2004, has a new single out. Whatever next, eh? That Voices With Soul album we've all been waiting for?

Even more surprisingly, 'King Of The Town' is a bit of a gem. A dirty great slab of seventies-style party-rock, it conjures up images of Sharon Osbourne glugging vodka from the bottle while Louis Walsh shows off his air guitar skills. (Simon Cowell, of course, would be watching disapprovingly from the corner.) Callaghan channels Anthony Kiedis on the verses and Rod Stewart on the big, boozy chorus, but just about carves out his own scampish identity by the end of the song. If you like your rock without a side order of modernity, well, this is twice as much fun as Nickelback.