‘The X Factor’ UK review: Seann Miley Moore, Monica Michael, 4th Impact end first live show

The live shows are finally here on “The X Factor“! This is going to be an interesting year for the show. There are no obvious joke acts, we’ve got no clear-cut favorite, and it seems like the contestants this year all really want it.

We’re going to be reviewing the individual contestants this season live, so be sure to come back throughout this episode for more of our take on some of these performers!

Lauren Murray, “I’m Every Woman” – A really strong vocal to start the show. Lauren had a new look and a ton of confidence, and we always love that in starting a show. What we didn’t love so much was the song choice. It was extremely dated a choice, and that won’t help her with young voters.

Max Stone, “Someone Like You” – We’re with Cheryl in that the arrangement stripped the song a little of his emotional power, but the further it went on, the more and more we got on board with it. We still know almost nothing about who Max is as a person aside from the show, and maybe that’s why we want to see him stay.

Alien Uncovered, “Do It Like a Dude” – They’re edgy, they’re fun, and they’re super-creative. We don’t really think that their odds of surviving until the finale are that high since voters tend to pick non-edgy acts, but if they keep up performances like this they’ll have a chance to make it big in the music business.

Kiera Weathers, “Crying for No Reason” – Probably the first song of the night we didn’t really care for, and it felt like the energy in the crowd was really anywhere on the same level as the first three. It really felt like the confidence was just shaky, and she didn’t have the vocal power of any of the first three performers.

Anton Stephans, “Dance with My Father” – We expected to love this even though the Luther Vandross song is a little bit overdone on the singing-show stage, and as it turns out, we were right to feel that way! This was a stirring and rather fantastic performance from a man who does continue to bring it week in and week out … especially with the emotion.

Che Chesterman, mashup – Really cool arrangement that kept it from feeling like Che was just up there singing old-fashioned songs. Maybe Simon’s right that he can’t dance, but we were equally stunned that this was a pretty meek guy at the start of the season looking like he’d just got done with a day’s work, and he is now up there in a suit and tie.

Mason Noise, “Sorry” – Hey look, it’s Mason saying “sorry.” Get it? This was super-current, and for the most part pretty strong. The issue he’s going to have for the most part is that there are going to be plenty of people out there who just don’t want to root for him. He can’t escape that.

Reggie ‘n Bollie, “It Wasn’t Me” – We thought that they were performing a different song, and yea, they certainly had some backup with the vocals. Still, these guys are fun. We’d much prefer something like this than a song choice that is strictly rather boring.

Louisa Johnson, “God Only Knows” – This was a mixed bag. She had a great vocal, but the arrangement is just a little bit like a dirge. Why not just keep this close to the original version, which is youthful, upbeat, and energetic?

Bupsi, “You’re a Wonderful One” – This was just hokey. Pure cheese. We’re not sure why she was even chosen over Jennifer Phillips. This was probably the first time all season it felt mostly like we were watching a karaoke show.

4th Impact, “Problem” – This was fun, but at the same time was it too close to the original? Even the dance moves were roughly the same that we saw from Ariana Grande in the music video. That side, they’re easily the strongest group overall and they will go far.

Monica Michael, “Make It Rain” – Monica’s back! She nailed the vocals of this song for the most part, and more than that she had the emotion and the atmosphere down almost perfectly. She shouldn’t have ever been eliminated in the first place, so it’s fitting that she is back.

Seann Miley Moore, “Life on Mars” – We loved this. We’ve thought about the David Bowie song mostly as the song from “American Horror Story: Freak Show” lately, but Seann really turned it into something completely his own. He’s got a killer voice, but from the costumes to the setting, this was something special.

Be sure to head over here to see where we ranked the contestants going into the show! Also, you can sign up here to get some further TV news and exclusive teasers via our CarterMatt Newsletter. (Photo: ITV.)