Join me here tonight for the X-Factor blog. Rumor has it… we might be getting a wild card.
We get an opening group number. It’s a medley of several big Motown hits. Sweet Suspense has Restless Road’s numbers on the screen while they sing.
I’m hoping Simon decided James Kenney deserved to stay.
JOSH LEVI IS BACK.
Everyone is keeping the SAME VOTING NUMBERS FOR THE WHOLE SEASON
He’s opening the show.
1) Josh Levi- Who’s Loving You
Mario has a little bit where he surprises Josh in a diner and tells him he’s back in the competition. He starts off a little pitchy, but he works into it when he finds the correct key. Once he’s in it, it’s a good vocal. All of the songs tonight will sound old fashioned, so I can’t really give him marks for that. Kelly says he comes to life on stage. Simon says he went from zero to hero. Paulina says he’s the youngest in the competition.
My Grade: B+ (it took him a few seconds to get in key at the beginning)
To vote for Josh:
You can vote online at THEXFACTORUSA.COM until 10AM PT THURSDAY, and you can vote up to 50 TIMES.
You can also use the X-Factor USA app (voting is counted alongside the online voting)
You can text 6 to 21523
You can call 1-855-THE XF 06 (lines open only for two hours)
You can also apparently vote using Shazam.
2) Rachel Potter- This Old Heart Of Mine
Kelly says Rachel puts a lot of pressure on herself. She actually did a little bit with the song. They made it sound country. She’s a really good performer, and the vocal is pretty good. Rachel has definitely been rebounding coming out of the 4 chair challenge. I think the arrangement was maybe a little silly, but Rachel did the best she could with it. Demi is worried about her, because she thinks Rachel could threaten her people. Simon didn’t like the track. Kelly says Simon is just shaking in his boots. Paulina loved it.
My Grade: B (she did the best she could with that arrangement)
To vote for Rachel:
You can vote online at THEXFACTORUSA.COM until 10AM PT THURSDAY, and you can vote up to 50 TIMES.
You can also use the X-Factor USA app (voting is counted alongside the online voting)
You can text 9 to 21523
You can call 1-855-THE XF 09 (lines open only for two hours)
You can also apparently vote using Shazam.
3) Carlos Guevera- What’s Going On
Weak vocals in the beginning. I think America is about to see that Carlos is not a viable pop star. His mic is too low, and the overproduced track is drowning him out. He looks kinda ridiculous in that jacket too. I thought that was pretty terrible. His mom doesn’t even look happy. Kelly thinks he could have done better, maybe a different song. Simon says he lurks around on the stage and looks at the floor. That basically sums it up. Simon thought the arrangement was lazy, I agree. No one really boos Simon. They agree that Carlos wasn’t great. Paulina thinks he did great (or at least the guy who wrote her cue card believes so).
My Grade: C- (wrong song, no stage presence)
To vote for Carlos:
You can vote online at THEXFACTORUSA.COM until 10AM PT THURSDAY, and you can vote up to 50 TIMES.
You can also use the X-Factor USA app (voting is counted alongside the online voting)
You can text 3 to 21523
You can call 1-855-THE XF 03 (lines open only for two hours)
4) Restless Road- Easy Like Sunday Morning
Three country boys, trying to figure out how to make motown sound country. They’re worried about being predictable. It sounds a little country, but it really still sounds old fashioned. This was just an awful theme. I don’t think any of these boys are stellar solo singers, and the one with big ears has some pitchy moments during his solo toward the end. The whole thing just didn’t work for me. Demi makes age jokes at Simon, and thought it was a good song choice. Paulina thinks they are special. Paulina calls the lead guy out on his pitch problems. Kelly liked the harmonies this week, and agrees that the lead guy needs to be stronger. Simon thinks they have star power.
My Grade: C+ (it was kind of a safe choice, and the lead singer was a bit of a mess)
To vote for Restless Road:
You can vote online at THEXFACTORUSA.COM until 10AM PT THURSDAY, and you can vote up to 50 TIMES.
You can also use the X-Factor USA app (voting is counted alongside the online voting)
You can text 10 to 21523
You can call 1-855-THE XF 10 (lines open only for two hours)
5) Ellona Santiago- Baby Love
Demi finds Ellona crying, and they have a moment. Ellona attacks this song like a pitbull, but the truth is that this song is a lot more of a quiet sexiness than Ellona is willing to give. Putting her in a cheerleader outfit makes her more aggressive than she needs to be. I get that she wants to win, but she has to be able to interpret the song. She is definitely one of the strongest singers in the competition, but that wasn’t the right song. Simon thinks she nailed it. Demi thinks she turned it out.
My Grade: B- (good vocal, wrong song, poor interpretation)
To vote for Ellona Santiago:
You can vote online at THEXFACTORUSA.COM until 10AM PT THURSDAY, and you can vote up to 50 TIMES.
You can also use the X-Factor USA app (voting is counted alongside the online voting)
You can text 4 to 21523
You can call 1-855-THE XF 04 (lines open only for two hours)
6) Jeff Gutt- Say You Say Me
Jeff is from Detroit, so he feels extra pressure. He’s also intimidated because he’s a rock guy. I think this performance can best be summed up as “if you like Jeff Gutt, you’ll like this.” I have a recurring problem with Jeff, because he’s not really current. This song sounds like an 80’s power ballad when he covers it. His vocals are definitely on par, and he gets points for not being terribly boring doing it either. Paulina thinks it was unpredictable. Simon thought it was outstanding, and the best vocal of the night. Kelly says he gave it his all.
My Grade: B+ (Good vocal, maybe a little dated still)
To vote for Jeff Gutt:
You can vote online at THEXFACTORUSA.COM until 10AM PT THURSDAY, and you can vote up to 50 TIMES.
You can also use the X-Factor USA app (voting is counted alongside the online voting)
You can text 5 to 21523
You can call 1-855-THE XF 05 (lines open only for two hours)
7) Alex and Sierra- Heard It Through The Grapevine
They’re changing up the song. They’re worried that people will hate their arrangement. I don’t think this song is that radically different. They shouldn’t be worried. It just sounds like a cool cover of the song. I like that these two seem to be able to make any song fit into their style as an artist. They force the song to adapt to them, rather than feeling forced to adapt to the song. The audience loved it, and Demi has a hard time talking. Paulina says it felt organic. She wanted them to kiss at the end. Demi thinks it was sexy and hot. Simon is really proud.
My Grade: A- (sounded good, and made the song work for them)
To vote for Alex and Sierra:
You can vote online at THEXFACTORUSA.COM until 10AM PT THURSDAY, and you can vote up to 50 TIMES.
You can also use the X-Factor USA app (voting is counted alongside the online voting)
You can text 1 to 21523
You can call 1-855-THE XF 01 (lines open only for two hours)
8) Khaya Cohen- My Girl
Khaya has to keep up with school while doing the show. What a bizarre song choice. She’s not changing the lyric either. I swear they actually slowed this song down too. Some dude tries to breakdance in the song to make it interesting. Her vocals were good, if not over affected. Kelly thinks there was sass. Simon says she sounds like Amy Winehouse. He thought her vocals were fantastic. Demi thinks she’s got the best vocals in the competition.
My Grade: B (wrong song, but sung well)
To vote for Khaya:
You can vote online at THEXFACTORUSA.COM until 10AM PT THURSDAY, and you can vote up to 50 TIMES.
You can also use the X-Factor USA app (voting is counted alongside the online voting)
You can text 7 to 21523
You can call 1-855-THE XF 07 (lines open only for two hours)
9) Carlito Olivero- Stop In The Name Of Love
Carlito is worried about losing fans because he’s doing a ballad and not an uptempo. This song got a complete reworking. It actually really works as a ballad. I like it. The Spanish guitar in the background is really cool. Carlito’s vocals are also on par this week. Kelly loves that he pours himself into the song. Kelly thinks he was a little pitchy. Simon says it reminded him of a dream, and didn’t like it as good as last week. He thought it was girly and overtheatrical. Simon thinks he was better than that. Paulina agrees with Simon? WTF? I must be crazy, because I didn’t hate that.
My Grade: B+ (good vocal, neat arrangement)
To vote for Carlito:
You can vote online at THEXFACTORUSA.COM until 10AM PT THURSDAY, and you can vote up to 50 TIMES.
You can also use the X-Factor USA app (voting is counted alongside the online voting)
You can text 2 to 21523
You can call 1-855-THE XF 02 (lines open only for two hours)
10) Lillie McCloud- All’s Fair In Love And War
Lillie realizes it’s hard to not sound dated while doing Motown. I’m expecting this go be good. OK. Well, as expected, Lillie is slaying the vocal. We’ll get to see Lillie struggle with being current in later weeks, but for right now, she’s reminding us that she is actually the best vocalist in the competition. Not “one of the best”, or “maybe the best”, but actually “the best”. Even if you think she’s a little boring, and that the song was slow, she SANG it. Demi says her voice is incredible. Demi thinks it was outdated (well, duh). Kelly literally stands up like she’s going to rip out Simon’s weave. Simon says it was fantastic (I think he’s scared of Kelly). Simon says they’re lucky to have her on the show. Paulina calls her a goddess.
My Grade: A- (great vocal, maybe a little dated… but it is Motown week)
To vote for Lillie:
You can vote online at THEXFACTORUSA.COM until 10AM PT THURSDAY, and you can vote up to 50 TIMES.
You can also use the X-Factor USA app (voting is counted alongside the online voting)
You can text 8 to 21523
You can call 1-855-THE XF 08 (lines open only for two hours)
11) Sweet Suspense-You Just Keep Me Hanging On
Simon says Summer is holding the group together, and is the most experienced. They sing a lot in unison, and it bothers me. I remember when Fifth Harmony did that, and it was a problem. There’s more harmony thrown in this week than last week. Compared to last week, also, this is a much better performance. The track is super loud and overproduced, so it drowns out any vocal issues they might be having. Paulina loves them. Demi thinks they’re stars. Kelly doesn’t think there has been a girl group in the marketplace in a while. She thinks they are sensational. Simon says Fifth Harmony is top 10 in 20 countries, and they are opening for Demi on her tour.
My Grade: B (lot better than last week, but I still need less unison singing)
To vote for Sweet Suspense:
You can vote online at THEXFACTORUSA.COM until 10AM PT THURSDAY, and you can vote up to 50 TIMES.
You can also use the X-Factor USA app (voting is counted alongside the online voting)
You can text 12 to 21523
You can call 1-855-THE XF 12 (lines open only for two hours)
12) Rion Paige- Ain’t No Mountain
She’s in the 8th grade. Demi says you don’t have to be superwoman 24/7. Demi wants us to see the real Rion. Unlike Carlito’s slowed down version, I’m not digging this version that is slowed down for Rion. As the song progresses, Rion sounds more vocally tired. Kelly says she looks radiant. Kelly didn’t like the rendition. Simon thought it was a beautiful version, and thinks she was better this week than last week. Demi says they struggled to bring the wall down, and she thinks Rion brought the wall down.
My Grade: C+ (she sounded tired, and the version didn’t do her any favors)
To vote for Rion Paige:
You can vote online at THEXFACTORUSA.COM until 10AM PT THURSDAY, and you can vote up to 50 TIMES.
You can also use the X-Factor USA app (voting is counted alongside the online voting)
You can text 11 to 21523
You can call 1-855-THE XF 11 (lines open only for two hours)
13) Tim Olstad- I’ll Be There
Tim wants to show that he’s not a funeral director this week. I bet he’s still doing a ballad this week. Yup. A Ballad. So much for fun Tim. On the flip side, this is a good vocal. So there’s something. They didn’t rework the song, so I can’t really be mad at the arrangement. This is just a good singer, singing the song the way it was written. He’s still kinda boring, if I’m being honest. Demi says it was incredible karaoke. Demi thinks he can do AC radio, but not Top 40. Kelly says he’s an incredible singer, but expects more from him. Simon really liked it, and calls Tim Olstad the next Donnie Osmond. LOL. Simon says that Tim should go the Josh Groban week, and respects him for taking criticism like a man.
My Grade: B- (boring, a little karaoke, but good vocal)
To vote for Tim Olstad:
You can vote online at THEXFACTORUSA.COM until 10AM PT THURSDAY, and you can vote up to 50 TIMES.
You can also use the X-Factor USA app (voting is counted alongside the online voting)
You can text 13 to 21523
You can call 1-855-THE XF 13 (lines open only for two hours)
My Grade Totals (I’ve tried to not punish the acts for the horrific theme, so they’re all kinda graded on a curve):
Alex and Sierra: A-
Lillie McCloud: A-
Josh Levi: B+
Jeff Gutt: B+
Carlito Olivero: B+
Rachel Potter: B
Khaya Cohen: B
Sweet Suspense: B
Tim Olstad: B-
Ellona Santiago: B-
Restless Road: C+
Rion Paige: C+
Carlos Guevera: C-
I think Carlos has to be going home tomorrow. He was by far the worst of the night, and he’s not really right for this competition. I don’t think he’s a pop star. I think Restless Road will survive their boring song choice. I’m a little worried for Ellona, who might appear in the bottom. I think Rion and Tim could be in danger of being in the bottom. But, I think Carlos is the most at risk.
I will add, I don’t think there is a frontrunner right now. I think Rachel Potter has a decent fanbase online, and enough performing experience to last at least until the Top 5. I think it will take a while before one of the groups goes home. I think the boys are the weakest category this year, and their mentor isn’t helping their cause. Carlito and Josh will both put up a good fight, but I don’t think any of the boys will make the final three. The leaderboards tomorrow should be interesting.
Who is going home tomorrow? Who are you voting for? Sound off in the comments! Join me here tomorrow night for the results!
