Sowing the seeds of love

Love was in the air as we had a theme week, which at least had plenty of scope. In theory, all of the remaining finalists would be able to sing a song that suited their style.

Here’s my take on how they did:


Ben – ‘I Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing’

This should have been safe ground but some of more tender passages seemed to somewhat flummox him. Of course, such an expansive rock ballad gave him plenty of chances to soar but somehow it just didn’t feel quite right.

Something just didn’t click on the night and that going into the audience bit was very cheesy indeed.

Nowhere near his best week.

The MacDonald Brothers – ‘She’s The One’

I really liked these boys in the audition shows but whatever they had there hasn’t really transferred to the live shows.

To be fair to them, this was easily the best performance they’ve managed so far but even then I was bored way before they’d finished.

I didn’t think they did anything wrong at all on the night. I just don’t like them.

Ray – ‘Crazy Little Thing Called Love’

My major problem with Ray is that he’s still comes across as a little boy playing at being a star rather than actually looking like the real deal.

He’s obviously enjoying himself though and that enthusiasm shines through while his vocals have improved immeasurably from the earlier shows.

He may well be a one trick pony but it’s becoming a very polished trick.

Nikitta – ‘Last Dance’

If Nikitta was singing down at your local karaoke bar, you’d probably give her a resounding round of applause for an effort like this. As one of the last seven of The X Factor I expect a little bit more.

She was miles better than in the previous two weeks but for me nowhere near the standard required to shift albums.

Eton Road – ‘From Me to You’

After last week’s barnstorming performance, this seemed more like a pastiche of a boy band than the real deal they have the chance to become. For me it was more like The Chucklebrothers than The Beatles.

With a genre that should have given them ample opportunity to show us what they can do I found the song choice bizarre and they’ve really missed a trick here.

Leona – ‘Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word'

Absolutely no need to apologise for something as good as this.

It’s not just that the vocals were superb; Leona totally sold the emotion in the song. There were a few vocal twiddly bits that weren’t to my personal taste but there were perfectly executed.

On this sort of form, it’s difficult to see how anyone can beat her.

Robert – ‘Always and Forever’

I really like the silkiness of Robert’s voice but he's obviously nervous and unfortunately that nervousness came across in the vocal, something the judges didn’t pick up on.

I still think he’s great and he grew into the song as it went on. He even managed to win over Simon, which is no mean feat.


The Verdict

I don’t think Nikitta could have too many complaints but I was a little surprised to see Ray down there. The MacDonalds seem to have charmed lives.

It was a tough choice for Simon to make but he made the right decision in my view. It’s just sad that we only have one woman left in the show.