‘The X Factor’ UK review: Did Caitlyn Vanbeck, Gifty Louise, Emily Middlemas make live shows?
Simon Cowell has the Girls category for the first time on “The X Factor” UK, and we’re certainly curious to see what he does with the team this year. He’s got some notable ladies on his team, whether it be from the standpoint of talent or giving it all for the sake of entertainment.
Much like we did with Louis Walsh and the Groups, we’re going to update this as the show goes on!
Soheila Clifford – We give her tons of credit for going out there and really hitting this performance hard, but at the same time she didn’t quite know the meaning of the word “restraint.” Confidence is one thing, but she threw everything into this to the point where it was a bit much and a little awkward.
Olivia Garcia – This was very nineties! That seems to be the theme this time around. At least “Sometimes” has a nice slice of nostalgia to is and Olivia hit some good notes and did a few things different with the song.
Kayleigh Marie Morgan – She’s very nice. She may be one of the nicest people in the entire competition! She’s also got a sweet voice and plenty of heart. We don’t quite know how you don’t root for her after watching this, even if she’s not the best singer.
Caitlyn Vanbeck – She’s a very good singer, and probably the best on Simon’s team. She’s someone who has routinely impressed every time, and to us we’d compare her right now to 5 AM on the Groups. If she doesn’t move on to the next round, we’d be stunned.
Emily Middlemas – Emily is the sort of singer-songwriter we’re partial to, and while we’d put her through with Caitlyn, we were cognizant at the same time that she’s not the sort of performer that “The X Factor” as a competition looks for all of the time.
Gifty Louise – We do love what Gifty’s capable of, and she probably pulled off in terms of fun what Soheila tried to during hers: Something that really emphasized her ability to work the stage without compromising her voice.
Samantha Lavery – Talk about a comeback! After being criticized for her appearance for all things, she came back and delivered what we considered to be a pretty stirring performance of “Make It Rain” — one that could have her serving as a contender all over again.
Results – This one was truly shocking to us: Simon took forward Gifty, Louise, and Emily and sent home Caitlyn, who he previously compared to Kelly Clarkson. Emily, Gifty, and Samantha were the three who advanced, and while we’re shocked over the result, at least we do feel here (unlike the Groups) like they’re all worthy performers.
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