Olly Murs – XFactor – VIDEO

You can hear a better bar band cover of Superstition in any Ramada Inn lounge across American. That’s pretty lame.

I’m glad you posted MJ. I really want to hear other people’s opinions since Ricky B sang it during the wildcard round this year (I thought pretty well at the time) and Bucky sang it back during his season and on tour (I thought pretty poorly at the time – and still do after re-watching it on YouTube).

I liked Olly well enough myself. It’ll be interesting to see if the judges can get him to hone in better on the soul vibe during boot camp.

Ollie was definitely the best tonight. It was another night of dross apart from him.

He reminded me a bit of Will Young, different from what we’ve heard so far from these auditions.

Simon’s gone soft since the Susan Boyle dramas.

meh

I thought his dancing was fine .I REALLY likes him! although I only understood half if what he said.LOL .I FLOVE British acccents.awesomest shit EVAH(the accent not the dude);)

hwc

You can hear a better bar band cover of Superstition in any Ramada Inn lounge across American. That’s pretty lame.

Hi Simon how are you?! ROFL! Just kidding. You are right tho. And this guy was just meh okay. Nothing to exciting.

REALLY cute but he could barely stay in tune.

it was alright. Wasn’t feeling the soul though and this song needs soul …lotta soul.

Olly did really, really good for a true amateur.

However, once you have heard Josh Logan do this song, nothing else compares.

Does the irony totally escape Simon that the same people who make the televised auditions with full band in these UK shows wouldn’t even make it past the a capella producers’ round in the US ? I guess when you have a limited population in which to keep beating the dead horse of talent out of you’ve gotta pull out all the stops. Just sayin’…

It is interesting how in all these videos coming out of X Factor this season, the contestants really feed off the audience. Those first moments of acceptance by 2000 people change the performances for the better. A much different audition environment than standing before just 4 judges, singing, and then waiting to hear the results. And 2000 people? Isn’t AI’s final 12 audiences only 500 people?

“I guess when you have a limited population in which to
keep beating the dead horse of talent out of you’ve gotta
pull out all the stops. Just sayin” ¦”

Yeah, especially since the reason they stopped Pop Idol was because they ran out of talent after 2 season. Makes you wonder how then both BGT and XF come along and not only survive but prosper. Smoke and mirrors and lots and lots of editing.

Makes you wonder how then both BGT and XF come along and not only survive but prosper. Smoke and mirrors and lots and lots of editing.

Exactly! I mean, the UK has the population equivalent of, what, Connecticut??? Imagine Connecticut Idol….

The show was rubbish again tonight …. I thought Olly was a nice enough guy and I’m pleased there was no sob story but he was “distinctly average” .. just like any average club singer/kareoke singer.

To me the best singer of the night was this girl (although the sob story of having to share a bedroom with her sisters totally puts me off, I mean loads of kids have to share a bedroom …lol).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6JRmFxlGQk

She wasn’t anything mindblowing but has a pleasant enough voice(a bit pitchy dawg but perhaps that’s nerves) .. although after Leona and Alex I’d prefer it if we got a decent male winner … my favourite so far is still “Sex on Fire” Jamie Afro.

do.not.diss.the.uk.or.there.accents.grrrr.

oh and just to show how naff the show was we even got about 10 mins of some woman with her supposedly singing dog doing a duet .. since when have dogs been able to audition for the X factor? (that’s more Britain’s Got Talent).

The woman is highly irritating, her dog is cute though and Simon’s commemts are funny

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IqYrxj5L8A

Ok I think Olly was charming and I like his name. LOL. I just love the confidence and the accent was lovely.

Simon never ceases to amaze me… He tells the one feller that he’s the best auditon ever… and this guy the easiest yes ever.. which I do like both of these guys, this guy more… but

He killed Adam several times when Adam was PERFECT! unreal, out of this world…

and R. Braddy crushes this guy. Braddy has mad talent.

To the post above… That Shanna was nice… like her last name ..know what I’m sayin’? Ha! She does have “potential”.

You know… the British have great grammer… man they talk cool.

His voice is good, but not fantastic. The dancing was poser-ish. And he isn’t very good looking. Yep, that about sums it up for me.

To the post above’ ¦ That Shanna was nice’ ¦ like her last name ..know what I’m sayin’? Ha! She does have ‘potential’ .

lol .. I had to go back and click on the video to check her surname … was’t that Britt Ekland’s character in one of the Bond films “Holly Goodhead” ….lol

Oh, Ricky.. still can not believe he was left out….

can we vote him into AI9 somehow? some sort of super wildcard?

Olly would never make it over here.

I agree that Ricky B should have gone farther in the AI competition. He was much better than several of those who are currently on tour. And I must say that I think several of the X Factor contestants I’ve seen so far are better than a few of the currently touring idols as well.

Although I’m not sure what they are going to do with the 82 year-old they put through…. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlIzkTbWFEQ . It was a sweet gesture I guess.

Still… I enjoy The X-Factor. It’s the first year I’ve watched it. It’s AI with awesome accents. It amazes me how thick some accents are when speaking and then go away when the singing starts.

Makes you wonder how then both BGT and XF come along and not only survive but prosper. Smoke and mirrors and lots and lots of editing.

I like the premise that the judges will take a more active mentoring role during the season – at least from what I’ve read here that sounds like what will happen. Maybe that’s why the show prospers? It really does take the “average Olly” and makes something more of him as the season goes on? IDK… Could you imagine Ellen mentoring contestants?! :lol:

He’s a cutie. But his voice seems kind of weak.

Hi Simon how are you?! ROFL! Just kidding. You are right tho. And this guy was just meh okay. Nothing to exciting.

I’m just trying to keep it real, dog. Every cover band that played one of the four dances a year at my high school or in any bar during college or for years thereafter did a version of Superstition. Hell, Taylor Hicks was still doing Superstition with his bar band 35 years later. And, I am quite certain that no Ramada Inn lounge has ever shut off the lights or a cruise ship ever returned to port without a rendition of Superstition. It’s almost as trite as singling Ain’t No Sunshine, for god’s sake. Pure karaoke and this version was barely below average. It’s one of those songs that makes you think the singer is OK just because the song has such a frickin’ hook. Bucky Covington was better than this and he couldn’t even manage to learn the (three) words in the chorus.

Oh, and, yeah… I saw Little Stevie Wonder do it live back when it had just hit the charts, in ’72, I think it was.

Have no F’in idea who this guy is but he looks a hell of alot alike that guy from The Hills with the FLESH COLORED BEARD.

That is all.

Here is how you do a cover of Superstition and not end up sounding like a slice of wonderbread:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCWwcC3Uk3g

Or, if you aren’t that great a singer, you can always wow the crowd by playing an instrument, in this case strumming a guitar a little bit:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFsuAyFe3mU

Why is Simon like a different person when when judging in his homeland?

I guess he expects more from American contestants.

For the youngsters who have only seen old Stevie Wonder, heres’ how LIttle Stevie Wonder performed the song in his prime. It’s a hard core funk song in the mold of James Brown and the JBs or Parliament Funkadelic. A take it to church song:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vyxfL_yoIw

And, here’s a bit of trivia. What did Stevie Wonder, Jerry Garcia, and Bootsy Collins have in common? They all got their classic sound using the Mu-Tron envelop filter effects box. Stevie got that classic Higher Ground and Superstition clavinet sound using the box. Jerry Garcia got a MuTron for his guitar and got all his crazy mid-70s sounds. Bootsy used his for funk bass after leaving James Brown’s band and joining Parliament Funkadelic.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kz3Q1W9l788

hwc, you’re comparing Fantasia, who went through AI boot camp back in 2003-2004, then had 3 more years of live performance experience to someone who has only sung in front of the mirror and family & friends. I don’t know why you’re bringing Stevie Ray Vaughan into a discussion about singing contestants.

The audition certainly doesn’t blow me away and the audience and judges’ reactions were over-the-top imo. However, this guy Olly has a good range, nice vocal control, the right looks that appeal to the target demographic, charisma – he’s the perfect candidate for an experienced mentor to groom and mold into a potential pop star.

I personally didn’t care for Fantasia’s version but then again, I don’t particularly like her voice. If Olly Murs’ audition proves one thing, it’s that Simon is full of crap. Ricky Braddy did a far better job singing Superstition, yet Simon described his performance as “clumsy”, “karaoke” and “lightweight”. Compare for yourselves: (audio only) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gR5taOhgxJk

Here’s another excellent Superstition audition from Australian Idol 5 (2007) runner-up Matt Corby: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdIIUY28Sok

Exactly! I mean, the UK has the population equivalent of, what, Connecticut??? Imagine Connecticut Idol’ ¦.

anthrogeek, don’t know if you’re just trying to make a joke but the U.K. has an estimated 2009 population of over 61 million. That’s one-fifth the size of the U.S. Connecticut has a population of about 3.5 million.

I agree with Simon. This guy is so likeable. A very good singer, a natural performer, charming personality. And I didn’t find anything wrong with is dancing. In fact, I enjoyed it a lot, along with his singing.

He is original, he is interesting. He’s the best I’ve seen of all the audition clips you’ve linked so far.

Who else am I going to compare these talent show singers to? They either have it or they don’t.

I thought I’d toss in a little Stevie Ray because lots of Idol fans like a singer who can play an instrument, too.

If Olly Murs’ audition proves one thing, it’s that Simon is full of crap. Ricky Braddy did a far better job singing Superstition, yet Simon described his performance as ‘clumsy’ , ‘karaoke’  and ‘lightweight’ . Compare for yourselves: (audio only) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gR5taOhgxJk

Here’s another excellent Superstition audition from Australian Idol 5 (2007) runner-up Matt Corby: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdIIUY28Sok

Ricky’s was the most faithful to the original and a very good performance, Matt… I can’t judge him fairly because he is freakin cute.

But of course Simon is nicer on his own show. It’s his own show. He’s invested in it succeeding and that depends on him credibly churning out a few good/popular singers each season.

That said, Simon’s critique was bs.

This guy Olly though… he reminds me of Nathaniel Marshall. Huh.

hwc
September 13, 2009 at 1:14 am
Here is how you do a cover of Superstition and not end up sounding like a slice of wonderbread:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCWwcC3Uk3g</blockquote

Now that's how you sing it. Fantastic Fantasia!

oh and just to show how naff the show was we even got about 10 mins of some woman with her supposedly singing dog doing a duet .. since when have dogs been able to audition for the X factor? (that’s more Britain’s Got Talent).

The woman is highly irritating, her dog is cute though and Simon’s commemts are funny

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IqYrxj5L8A

Please. Don’t.

This woman is barking mad. XF has been pretty ridiculous this year already, and it irritates me even more that we seem to be getting the BGT rejects auditioning for XF.

That woman should never have got past the producers and onto that stage. Completely takes the piss out of some people who probably got turned away in the first stages who could’ve actually been able to sing, but weren’t nutjobs or didn’t have a sob story so weren’t ‘amusing’ enough to be ridiculed on the stage.

Hate the new format, and I hate that we’ve probably not got to see a lot more better auditions because they’ve made way for these freak shows for laughs.
Thank God next week is the last of the auditions and then onto boot camp.

Olly was the best of the night’s poor turnouts, just hope there are some good ones in boot camp.

Olly is perfect for the show’s demographics. If he gets past the judges’ house portion, he’ll have an excellent chance to win. So much of X-Factor is total packaging; if he had a sad backstory, he’d be a lock for the finale.

To me the best singer of the night was this girl (although the sob story of having to share a bedroom with her sisters totally puts me off, I mean loads of kids have to share a bedroom ‘ ¦lol).

I agree, for me Shanna was the best. Didn’t like Olly at all.

I’m just trying to keep it real, dog.

ROFL! :)

Oh, and, yeah’ ¦ I saw Little Stevie Wonder do it live back when it had just hit the charts, in ’72, I think it was.

Little Stevie Wonder. Hehehehe awwww. :)

I’ve rewatched Olly on XF on TV – it get repeated about 4 times over the weekend! – and I really like the guy. He does remind me of Will Young a bit, I think he’ll do well, hope he makes it to the finals.

I thought he was good.

hwc, you’re comparing Fantasia, who went through AI boot camp back in 2003-2004, then had 3 more years of live performance experience to someone who has only sung in front of the mirror and family & friends.

Ewwww… I hated Fantasia’s version even with all the experience (I did like her during her season though). I didn’t even mention it in my original post because I thought it was that bad.

If any contestant (AI or XF) came in singing at the level that hwc seems to expect then one would have to wonder why that contestant was never signed before then. I guess I’m looking at it from a completely different perspective… does the contestant have potential with solid mentoring? I think Olly has potential. There were a few others from this episode, like Shanna, too.

That woman should never have got past the producers and onto that stage. Completely takes the piss out of some people who probably got turned away in the first stages who could’ve actually been able to sing, but weren’t nutjobs or didn’t have a sob story so weren’t ‘amusing’ enough to be ridiculed on the stage.

This isn’t unique to XF. It happens with AI too. We know good singers get passed up for the nutjobs every season. Are you saying this didn’t happen in previous seasons of XF or is it just that now the nutjobs are auditioning in front of 2500 people live getting laughed at? They don’t seem to mind getting laughed at by millions of tv viewers later on….

Although I’m not sure what they are going to do with the 82 year-old they put through’ ¦. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlIzkTbWFEQ . It was a sweet gesture I guess.

They put an elderly one through to bootcamp every year but the they get “booted” at that round.

Last year we had Cyril … a total charmer … I guess it makes good TV and makes them not seem “ageist” even though they have no hope of getting through to the finals or winning.

Here’s Cyril from last year (lovely guy)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdbkRk5dL9c

oh and it’s my excuse to say again how much I love Dermot O’Leary (the presenter) ….lol

oh and it’s my excuse to say again how much I love Dermot O’Leary (the presenter) ‘ ¦.lol

Dermot comes across as genuine to me whereas Ryan seems overly scripted and calculating. Although trying to hi-5 a blind guy was pretty hilarious.

Exactly! I mean, the UK has the population equivalent of, what, Connecticut??? Imagine Connecticut Idol’ ¦.

I’d rather not. Can Joe Lieberman sing?

What I dislike about the X-Factor — at least the snippets I’ve been able to see on the net — is the backing tracks. Having a live band makes all the difference in the world to the quality of the performance. It’s very hard to be funky with a backing track.

By the way, is there anyway to watch X-Factor episodes without jumping through a lot of internet hoops? I like to see these performances in context, not just the performance itself.

I like the premise that the judges will take a more active mentoring role during the season ‘“ at least from what I’ve read here that sounds like what will happen. Maybe that’s why the show prospers? It really does take the ‘average Olly’  and makes something more of him as the season goes on? IDK’ ¦ Could you imagine Ellen mentoring contestants?!

I hate that aspect because it becomes about the judges and the contestants have a lot less freedom to give us an idea of who they are and what product they hope to put out after the show. They don’t choose the songs or even the manner in which they sing them, the judges do.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCWwcC3Uk3g

She is and always will be fantastic. My favorite winner besides David.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gR5taOhgxJk

Much better than Olly’s. Makes you wonder what the judges would’ve said if Braddy had been on X-Factor.

ummm euuuw

Sounds a little like Kris Allen, doesn’t he?? Looks a little like him, too…

Mr. Cowel seems to have lower standards for those across the pond.

To me the best singer of the night was this girl (although the sob story of having to share a bedroom with her sisters totally puts me off, I mean loads of kids have to share a bedroom ‘ ¦lol).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6JRmFxlGQk

Leaving aside the “sob story,” I think she’s better than Olly.

He didn’t start a single phrase on the beat, singing was forced. Lame.

I’m hearing that Shanna doesn’t get past bootcamp and is eliminated

Next week we’ll see the audition of one of the pre show favouirtes. His name is Daniel Pearce and he was part of the “Pop Stars The Rivals” show which followed on from Pop Idol and was pre “X Factor” .. it’s where two bands were formed from individual auditions . one girl band and one boy band .. Daniel was part of the winning boy band “One True Voice” and as coincidence would have it, current X factor judge Cheryl Cole was (and still is) part of the winning girl band “Girls Aloud”. One True Voice didn’t stay together very long and were a bit of a flop.

Daniel is now 31 and back auditioning for the X Factor and rumour has it that he get’s past the bootcamp stage to the Judges Houses (which I think is happening round about now).

If he does get through he’s another one for the top heavy “over 25′s category where only 3 can be chosen for the live finals.

Here’s Daniel when he appeared on Pop Stars The Rivals .. I really liked him then so hopefully he’ll get through.

These are from 2002 when they got hardly any time to sing each song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGgGq8w8jdc&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzOE3CsxdTY&feature=related

and his Myspace http://www.myspace.com/danielpearcemusic

If he was fugly he wouldn’t have gotten the love that he did. But let’s face it…they are looking for X-factor. It’s not strictly a singing competition. The crowd reaction definitely plays a part. He’s adorable and actually a pretty good dancer. He shouted a bit, but perhaps would sound better next go around. Too bad he looks like Spencer Pratt to me.