Weird start to this week's first show where the audience get to vote for their favourites.
I am always a bit dubious about the sing-a-long at the start as so many people really look (and can sound) uncomfortable. This one has the three girls at the beginning and they looked very strange indeed. Rion, of course, has the hand problem but it's not that but more the way the makeover teams had dressed them that made Rion, in particular, look all out of proportion. Quite odd. There were noticeably huge cheers for Sweet Suspense and Rocky Road or whatever they're called. OK, Restless Road. Just compare the three girls in Sweet Suspense, dressed in silver 60s minis and looking cheerful to Rion, Khaya and Ellona looking a bit strange.
We learn that one act gets a Wild Card. Josh Levi, who didn't do badly at all and had been a strong contender before, gets a surprise from Mario in a diner. So that's the 13th that I'd been hearing about.
Josh gets to start the show and it's a cool start with the Smokey Robinson number Who's Loving You Now. He was spot on vocally. It might have been a little slow for the Josh we've known before but that was one good solo, with little in the background. Nice job. He ought to stay after that. Mario says that was old school Jackson Five. Is that right? Even sounded like Smokey.
Rachel also got a big cheer in the sing-a-long. She seems very popular. I'd expected Lillie to get all the Overs attention. Jeff looked even scarier than ever. He's a good singer but could struggle.
Rachel's song is This Ol' Heart Of Mine, a jolly ditty from the Isley Brothers in the late 60s. Rachel is worrying as you just can't be sure she will get things right. This time she started a little weakly but got into a commercial run and with that her confidence improved. It was a strange way to do that track but the Country style may help her through. Personally, I think she'll need to do a lot better to last in this competition. She does look beautiful, though, and that can't do her any harm. She is someone who might just surprise us by getting better as the show goes on.
Carlos is an interesting contestant. He does What's Going On pretty well. It did go on a bit though but then so did Marvyn Gaye's original. It suited his voice but sort of didn't do a great deal for anyone watching. This is a potentially great act but he has a lot to learn and someone needs to help him through. He is the first vulnerable act tonight but I think they'll be others that push him off the bottom.
Restless Road are three fabulous singers. Easy I hadn't thought was a Motown song, The Commodores were from the era but I didn't think they were a Motown label act. Must be wrong about that. Anyway, the boys looked great and sang, well, fairly well. It was a bit boring and they've done better but the audience loved it. Simon says they'll be in the final. That's that then.
Ellona is upset and struggling to cope with school tests as well as rehearsals. Baby Love was a bit desperate and felt as if she was trying too hard all the way through. She's an attractive girl and looked like a circus performer, with dancing that was less than impressive but then how anyone manages in heels as high as hers is a mystery to me. This was not a great performance and I wonder how much support she'll get from voters, Recalling Jessica on American Idol, she could be OK but will really have to pick a better number and dance next week. At the moment, whilst I can see any of the previous acts actually winning, I don't see it happening for Ellona. Not that she's not good. Just something isn't working yet.
Jeff is singing another Lionel Ritchie number, Say You Say Me. The guy comes from Detroit so this is quite a key one for him in a way. He is one of the strongest and most accurate singers in the competition this year - reminscent a bit of Adam Lambert, just not as good-looking. A very good performance of a tedious song. The make-over team need to get rid of that lower lip hair. He does seem a little stuck in the 80s genre. He does that so well but I don't know where he'd fit in 2014 charts. He doesn't deserve to go but I feel he's vulnerable and don't see him making it far.
Alex & Sierra make you smile. Well, grin a bit. Their track is I Heard It Through The Grapevine and I hope it's not as long as the Marvyn Gaye original. This is a difficult track to do on a programme like this. Once they get going in harmony it's quite pleasant but not something I am going to rush to find the video for. Massive audience response. I don't quite understand that. I guess the audience love the sweet couple stuff so they could be around rather longer than Jeff.
Khaya ought to do well this week as she has the Motown vibe in the way she comes across. Her strong voice should cope with the Temptations' My Girl. A gorgeous song and she does it brilliantly. Great. Best of the night so far. She's young and a little chunky but you can see her doing really well in future. She handles the attention well, too. For the first time I can see Khaya in a final. How about the voters in America? Not so sure they do.
Carlito sings Stop In The Name Of Love, the Supremes number. Good track and his interpretation of it was very smart. This was a ballad version. Unusual but excellent. This was good and should see him settled in the next week or two. He is a likeable fellow and will appeal a lot to the girl fans out there. The reviews were not so good from the judges but I think he can be happy with that performance when he sees it back.
Lillie has to be the one to watch tonight as she is the spitting image of Diana Ross. Her song is one I don't recognise. She looks immaculate in a white sparkly dress but where is the 'Motown' in this? It may well be a Motown song but it's not one the voters will be keen to watch again and I wonder whether they'll even bother to vote for that. She is an excellent singer and looks like a star but I didn't get that at all. Simon says it's a Stevie Wonder number that's one of his favourites. Lillie gets great comments from the judges but I'm still not sure it'll be enough. If she'd come on and done Chain Reaction or similar she would have blown everyone away.
Sweet Suspense
Love these three. Great. You Keep Me Hanging On. So well presented and pretty too. They really should have a future and, whether they win this thing or not, they'll be in the charts next year.
Ain't No Mountain High Enough sung slow and with feeling by Rion was a good choice. Just a little tedious in places, I suppose, and it wasn't her best performance by a long shot, but she'll be popular and should leap into next week. One very good voice. Quite how she'll get on is a bit of a mystery. She will either go quite soon or stay all the way to the final.
Tim
Winding up the Top 13, this is the least likely act to win as he says himself: "People haven't got me yet." He certainly has an excellent tone and lovely voice. His song is I'll Be There which is a great track and should appeal to lots of people. But what is the guy wearing? Browns and greys that look like they're second hand. Where's the makeover team been? Demi gets it right - he is very talented and has a lovely voice but he doesn't stand out as a star. It's a shame but I don't see him making it. Simon cheers him up immensely by saying that he liked it and says he's a Donny Osmond or Josh Grobin which ain't bad news. After Demi and Kelly put him down quite a bit, Simon's move was smart and needed. Quite who'll be voting, though, I'm not at all sure.
Listening to them back again, Carlos, Ellona, Lillie and Tim are the most likely to be at risk.
I am always a bit dubious about the sing-a-long at the start as so many people really look (and can sound) uncomfortable. This one has the three girls at the beginning and they looked very strange indeed. Rion, of course, has the hand problem but it's not that but more the way the makeover teams had dressed them that made Rion, in particular, look all out of proportion. Quite odd. There were noticeably huge cheers for Sweet Suspense and Rocky Road or whatever they're called. OK, Restless Road. Just compare the three girls in Sweet Suspense, dressed in silver 60s minis and looking cheerful to Rion, Khaya and Ellona looking a bit strange.
We learn that one act gets a Wild Card. Josh Levi, who didn't do badly at all and had been a strong contender before, gets a surprise from Mario in a diner. So that's the 13th that I'd been hearing about.
Josh gets to start the show and it's a cool start with the Smokey Robinson number Who's Loving You Now. He was spot on vocally. It might have been a little slow for the Josh we've known before but that was one good solo, with little in the background. Nice job. He ought to stay after that. Mario says that was old school Jackson Five. Is that right? Even sounded like Smokey.
Rachel also got a big cheer in the sing-a-long. She seems very popular. I'd expected Lillie to get all the Overs attention. Jeff looked even scarier than ever. He's a good singer but could struggle.
Rachel's song is This Ol' Heart Of Mine, a jolly ditty from the Isley Brothers in the late 60s. Rachel is worrying as you just can't be sure she will get things right. This time she started a little weakly but got into a commercial run and with that her confidence improved. It was a strange way to do that track but the Country style may help her through. Personally, I think she'll need to do a lot better to last in this competition. She does look beautiful, though, and that can't do her any harm. She is someone who might just surprise us by getting better as the show goes on.
Carlos is an interesting contestant. He does What's Going On pretty well. It did go on a bit though but then so did Marvyn Gaye's original. It suited his voice but sort of didn't do a great deal for anyone watching. This is a potentially great act but he has a lot to learn and someone needs to help him through. He is the first vulnerable act tonight but I think they'll be others that push him off the bottom.
Restless Road are three fabulous singers. Easy I hadn't thought was a Motown song, The Commodores were from the era but I didn't think they were a Motown label act. Must be wrong about that. Anyway, the boys looked great and sang, well, fairly well. It was a bit boring and they've done better but the audience loved it. Simon says they'll be in the final. That's that then.
Ellona is upset and struggling to cope with school tests as well as rehearsals. Baby Love was a bit desperate and felt as if she was trying too hard all the way through. She's an attractive girl and looked like a circus performer, with dancing that was less than impressive but then how anyone manages in heels as high as hers is a mystery to me. This was not a great performance and I wonder how much support she'll get from voters, Recalling Jessica on American Idol, she could be OK but will really have to pick a better number and dance next week. At the moment, whilst I can see any of the previous acts actually winning, I don't see it happening for Ellona. Not that she's not good. Just something isn't working yet.
Jeff is singing another Lionel Ritchie number, Say You Say Me. The guy comes from Detroit so this is quite a key one for him in a way. He is one of the strongest and most accurate singers in the competition this year - reminscent a bit of Adam Lambert, just not as good-looking. A very good performance of a tedious song. The make-over team need to get rid of that lower lip hair. He does seem a little stuck in the 80s genre. He does that so well but I don't know where he'd fit in 2014 charts. He doesn't deserve to go but I feel he's vulnerable and don't see him making it far.
Alex & Sierra make you smile. Well, grin a bit. Their track is I Heard It Through The Grapevine and I hope it's not as long as the Marvyn Gaye original. This is a difficult track to do on a programme like this. Once they get going in harmony it's quite pleasant but not something I am going to rush to find the video for. Massive audience response. I don't quite understand that. I guess the audience love the sweet couple stuff so they could be around rather longer than Jeff.
Khaya ought to do well this week as she has the Motown vibe in the way she comes across. Her strong voice should cope with the Temptations' My Girl. A gorgeous song and she does it brilliantly. Great. Best of the night so far. She's young and a little chunky but you can see her doing really well in future. She handles the attention well, too. For the first time I can see Khaya in a final. How about the voters in America? Not so sure they do.
Carlito sings Stop In The Name Of Love, the Supremes number. Good track and his interpretation of it was very smart. This was a ballad version. Unusual but excellent. This was good and should see him settled in the next week or two. He is a likeable fellow and will appeal a lot to the girl fans out there. The reviews were not so good from the judges but I think he can be happy with that performance when he sees it back.
Lillie has to be the one to watch tonight as she is the spitting image of Diana Ross. Her song is one I don't recognise. She looks immaculate in a white sparkly dress but where is the 'Motown' in this? It may well be a Motown song but it's not one the voters will be keen to watch again and I wonder whether they'll even bother to vote for that. She is an excellent singer and looks like a star but I didn't get that at all. Simon says it's a Stevie Wonder number that's one of his favourites. Lillie gets great comments from the judges but I'm still not sure it'll be enough. If she'd come on and done Chain Reaction or similar she would have blown everyone away.
Sweet Suspense
Love these three. Great. You Keep Me Hanging On. So well presented and pretty too. They really should have a future and, whether they win this thing or not, they'll be in the charts next year.
Ain't No Mountain High Enough sung slow and with feeling by Rion was a good choice. Just a little tedious in places, I suppose, and it wasn't her best performance by a long shot, but she'll be popular and should leap into next week. One very good voice. Quite how she'll get on is a bit of a mystery. She will either go quite soon or stay all the way to the final.
Tim
Winding up the Top 13, this is the least likely act to win as he says himself: "People haven't got me yet." He certainly has an excellent tone and lovely voice. His song is I'll Be There which is a great track and should appeal to lots of people. But what is the guy wearing? Browns and greys that look like they're second hand. Where's the makeover team been? Demi gets it right - he is very talented and has a lovely voice but he doesn't stand out as a star. It's a shame but I don't see him making it. Simon cheers him up immensely by saying that he liked it and says he's a Donny Osmond or Josh Grobin which ain't bad news. After Demi and Kelly put him down quite a bit, Simon's move was smart and needed. Quite who'll be voting, though, I'm not at all sure.
Listening to them back again, Carlos, Ellona, Lillie and Tim are the most likely to be at risk.
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