‘The X Factor’ UK review: Chloe Jasmine, Jay James, Amy Connelly, more perform in premiere
Saturday night brought to us very good news: The start of “The X Factor.” We’ve always loved the British version of the show more than the American one, but to use Simon Cowell’s own vocabulary, we have to be honest: This was fairly ho-hum from an entertainment standpoint.
The biggest problem for us is that we’re bored with Simon Cowell as a personality in his own right. He’s been around for over a decade, and we’ve heard all of his phrases already. The only way we love Simon now is when we have David Walliams trolling him. Meanwhile, Cheryl Cole was delightful, and strangely Mel B and Louis Walsh were just kind of there.
We’re not going to dignify many of the bad singers in here with giving them any attention at all. Hey, isn’t that what they would want? Instead, here are some of the notable names who went forward.
Blonde Electric, “Do It Like a Dude” – Trust us, we have no idea why they are going through, either. They were incredibly irritating, and if this is an indication of the talent level on the show this season, we are definitely worried for what is coming up the rest of the way.
Reece Bibby, “Latch” – He doesn’t actually seem 15 years old. He has a quiet maturity to him, and this is the best-case scenario for a contestant his age in the competition. (We’re still worried about what the worst-case scenario will be.) He can play the guitar, and he is basically going to be exactly what Simon Cowell wants from this show. If he doesn’t make it as a solo artist, we almost expect him to be plugged into a boy band.
Charlie Jones, “Little Things” – This is close to a worst-case scenario. Kid is only 14, but already seems quite narcissistic and obsessed with the ladies loving him. An okay voice, but not as good as Reece.
Chloe O’Gorman, “Right to Be Wrong” – A talented 17-year old who was definitely passionate about her craft, and had a nice amount of soul in her voice.
Lauren Blatt – Not as good as Chloe, and what we’d really worry about is that she had a more-nervous demeanor that could get her into some further trouble in later rounds.
Amy Connelly – Typically, we don’t really care that much for the whole “returning contestant” stories, given that if they made it far once and were sent home, then what else is there to discuss. However, there seemed to be something so genuine about her, and this performance was simply beautiful.
Chloe Jasmine, “Black Coffee” – Extremely “posh,” as the judges put it. Also, extremely retro. She has a real talent here, but the more important thing with her is that there is nothing else like her in the competition. This, in the end, could help her go far.
Jay James, “Say Something” – Jay closed the show, and is a very interesting man. We can sense the vulnerability and the passion that is there, but we wonder if there are too nerves present and not enough vocal range. Still, he’s a guy worthy of a second chance. One editing note: Why edit the song around in such a weird way?
That’s all for now, folks, but we’ll have another episode review up tomorrow. Grade: B-.
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Photo: ITV