Live Show 3: Saturday Night at the Movies

[aradia22]

Sure. Why not? How bad could this be?

[aradia22]

Jake Quickenden: She's Like the Wind. Eh, this would probably be the song I'd choose for Jake as well. He's awful this week. I swear he used to be a little better. No power at all and barely on key. 

Only the Young: Boom Clap. They play this song on the radio way too much. Thankfully, I don't listen to a lot of radio. I did listen to Charli XCX's album because I like her as a featured artist on other songs. I didn't really have a reaction to it. It didn't feel like much of anything. Oh, right, Only the Young. Started off super flat. The blonde one was better. The brunette came back and still seemed off. She really seemed to be having an off week. Overall, meh.

Jay James: Skyfall. This can only end in tears. No tension at all. His voice does not fit this song. It's not a great song but Adele makes it work. Jay does not. I think this is OK for Jay. It could have been better at the beginning but again, he's getting more tolerable. Not good, but tolerable.

Paul Akister: Try A Little Tenderness. I swear I've heard this song 5 times this series. I think this was good for Paul. Still not as soulful as I would want it to be but it sounded less hollow. Trying to make the song a little more hip for the kids wasn't an awful idea but they need to do a better job coaching him on what to do with his face and his body when he's on stage. He's still coming across as a little awkward. Also, it looks like he borrowed some of Stevi's dancers. That didn't work at all. It might have been better if they'd been more clothed and not just doing the same Beyonce moves they choreograph for everyone.

Andrea Faustini: Listen. God, I hate Andrea. I'm sorry but I don't want to hear versions of songs I like with less soul while everyone else pretends they're better than the original.

Lola Saunders: When You Believe. I really like this song. I feel like she's just doing a lame version of the Adele/Amy Winehouse neo-soul thing. And I don't know if she's going flat or there are low notes that are outside of her range but they sound croaky. Then when she tried shouting it was not good. Bad week for Lola.

Lauren Platt: Let It Go. A little flat. I feel like I'm watching someone's recital. She doesn't have the high notes or the power. Which are the reasons you sing this song. It didn't soar. 

Fleur East: Her voice cracked twice. Some of the runs were a little sloppy. It felt a little low energy and like they dressed her way too old even though the vocals weren't bad. I still love her. She's not going to win but I love her.

Jack Walton: This is a version of Eye of the Tiger I did not need to hear. Flat and breathy. Slightly less annoying that usual. 

Stevi Ritchie: Why was he out of breath with the first note? Stevi is somehow getting worse over time and the staging with the girls every time does not help.

Stereo Kicks: Oh, they let my favorite one sing first. It was an interesting choice to have two soloists and let the others pair off. There are still too many of them but they're trying. They just need to kick out the ones who can't sing as well. 

Ben Haenow: A little irritating. He's got this nice growly, gritty thing but with the closed off vowels it can sound very thin and...whatever the male version of shrill is. Also, he sings like he's not thinking of anything. 

 

Rankings

1. Andrea Faustini

2. Fleur East

3. Paul Akister

4. Ben Haenow

5. Lauren Platt

6. Stereo Kicks

7. Jay James

8. Jack Walton

9. Only the Young

10. Stevi Ritchie

11. Lola Saunders

12. Jake Quickenden

 

I would be fine with it if anyone outside of my top six this week went home. Damn this was a pathetic showing. Even the people in my top six didn't do great.

[Rockwello]

Thanks for your recap, can't wait to watch it tomorrow on axstv....or am I kidding myself? Lol why on these shows do they always seem better at the beginning? Voice I feel is that way too maybe...

[aradia22]

 

Thanks for your recap, can't wait to watch it tomorrow on axstv....or am I kidding myself? Lol why on these shows do they always seem better at the beginning? Voice I feel is that way too maybe...

They make way too many episodes of The Voice for me to commit to it. I usually get kind of excited when we see talented people in auditions. Sometimes we get good things out of battles. But once we're into lives bad song choices and bad performances abound and most of the people I like have been kicked out or get kicked out. Very disheartening.

 

I can deal with X Factor because I don't have to watch that much of it and it's more of a laugh. I recommend the guardian's live blogs.

[Kaoteek]

This week was pretty bad, to be honest. Or at the very least, pretty bland. Which is why, even though he's clearly a joke contestant, out of his depth, and should have been eliminated earlier, I still enjoy Stevi more than 80% of the other acts. At least he brings some energy to the damn show.

 

I'm just mostly bored by most song choices, and the contestants that sing them.

 

Jake : boring song, weak vocals ;

Only The Young : a song choice that did nothing to help or hinder them, it was just there, pointless. And they didn't seem to be on point, vocally ;

Jay's Skyfall wasn't awful, but it wasn't great either ;

Andrea : great vocals, but awfully predictable song, right in his comfort zone ;

Lola : still there, still somewhat decent but unimpressive, still some debatable notes ;

I like Paul's voice, but that song was really repetitive, to the point that it detracted from the performance ;

Lauren : obvious song, and quite mediocre performance, imo ;

Jack : Meh. Just meh.

Fleur : Meh².

Stereo Kicks : There's one guy worth a damn in the band, and he's doing most of the work in every song they perform. Give him a contract, and drop the rest of them. The medley was decent, though.

Ben : I like Ben's voice, and this should have been a perfect song for him... but he was on auto-pilot, with a dead look on his face. Too bad.

 

Jake should probably worry about tomorrow night's elimination.

Edited October 26, 2014 by Kaoteek

[Nedsdag]

What a meh night.

 

You know it's a bland night when I thought Paul's performance was the best.

 

I truly, truly want to like Fleur, but her lack of a decent voice is keeping me at bay. 

 

As for Octoboyz (Stereo Kicks), nice comeback. I still think there are too many guys in the group, but they'll skate by this week.

 

I want to say Jake and Stevi are in the bottom, but I would not be surprised to see one or both of Cheryl's girls in the sing off.

[aradia22]

 

As for Octoboyz (Stereo Kicks), nice comeback. I still think there are too many guys in the group, but they'll skate by this week.

Stuart refers to them as Erect Kiosks (anagram of Stereo Kicks) in the liveblogs. It's really difficult to remember them as Stereo Kicks after that.

[Kromm]

Jake Quackenbush.  Quickenback. Whoever the hell he is: Godawful bad.  He gets worse each time.  He's coasting by on ladies screaming about his muscles.

Only The Young:  Meh,  They won't go, but that was pretty lame.  Both girls were REALLY off.  Only the harmony sections saved them somewhat.

Jay James: Not so good.  He tried for an old timey crooner vibe and failed totally.  I really don't know what that crowd was cheering at.  Still, there's been MUCH worse on this show.

Andrea Faustini: He's starting to wear on me.  Making every song pseudo-operatic doesn't make the performances automatically good. It just doesn't,

Lola Saunders: is there EVER going to be a good sing this week?  Where'd all the talent go?  It's like it all left the arena at once.  Even Lola's makeover was kind of lackluster.  Lola hasn't seemed like a bad singer up to this point, but this was a song you don't take on unless you are a MAJOR talent.  And she's not. She was just flat the whole time.

Paul Akister: Finally a good performance.  That said, not a truly outstanding one.  His voice has a lot of affect to it, but it means he's not really that versatile, even if it is a compelling tone overall.  So as good as it is, it's starting to come off as one dimensional.  And this one WAS a bit soulless (with a very soulful song).  He hits the notes well.  He has a great tone.  Just add some damn FEELING.  Real feeling I mean.

Lauren Platt: Let it Go, Lauren.  Let any idea that this worked... go. Then again, if it was based on the Demi Lovato version instead of the GOOD one with Idina, I suppose you set the bar low.  Still, we saw worse on this episode.  At least a little worse, if not a lot.

Jack Walton:  More naked chest emphasis?  Remind me what kind of show this is again?  Also: His singing sucks.  A lot. I don't care how many Cheerbots and Clapbots were in that audience.  And Mel certain sold him down the river, didn't she?

Fleur East: We've seen good Fleur and bad Fleur in previous weeks. Tonight we got middle of the road Fleur.  In comparison to many of these others that almost made her a highlight.  But not on any REAL scale of quality.  I mean she was out of tune a few times.  But at least she had a decent stage presence.  And her tuning problems WERE probably due to dancing.

Stevi Ritchie: Make him go away.  Make him go away.  Make him go away.  Make him go away... {breathe} Make him go away.
Stereo Kicks: I get my kicks on Route 66.  Not here. I agree they're trying to hard make that utterly impossible eight person arrangement work (it just can't).  But guys?  That's a horrible song choice for any kind of contemporary group.
Ben Haenow: Hey now!  I wish that worked better (since I've liked him a lot in the past).  But it didn't.

 

A horrible night for this show.  Just total crap.

 

Final thought: Let me reiterate.  Stevi(e) Ritchie.  Go away.  (but sadly he won't)  He's doing a long form audition to be the next (and even less talented) Rylan.  And the audience is eating it up.

 

 

 

[aradia22]

Results Night

Jake and Only the Young

were in the bottom two. Not surprised by the former. Slightly surprised by the latter, at least as far as last night's performances go. Though my rankings weren't far off.

Jake

went home. 

He

seemed relatively nice but last night's performance was terrible and 

he

was getting worse as the competition went on.

[Kromm]

That second act in the Bottom 2, while aspects of it WERE crap, was FAR from the second worst in that performance night.  I mean it wasn't great, but at least three or four acts were worse (not just one act).

 

Stevi Ritchie

is going to be impossible to get out of this show,

isn't he?  I do doubt he'll win, but clearly we're stuck with him until the top 4 or 5, maybe even 3.

 

The act that DID go was at least fairly deserving of the boot.  So there's that.  To me

Jake, Jack and Stevi were the rotten stinking refuse at the bottom of a very odoriferous-barrel shamefully filled with no talent in that episode, and Stevi unfortunately is bulletproof apparently, so either of the other two going would have been okay with me.

Edited October 26, 2014 by Kromm

[Kromm]

Sure. Why not? How bad could this be?

The answer was.... VERY bad. 

[aradia22]

By the way, I'm an ABBA fan. That performance hurt my heart a little but it still wasn't as bad as that Mamma Mia movie they made.

[Nedsdag]

Oh, well!

At least Jake will have time for gym, tanning, laundry, and his upcoming Chippendale's audition.

It's for the best.

[Occasional Hope]

They're all pretty bad at this point.