Judges Houses 2K15

[aradia22]

Bring it.

[aradia22]

So X Factor are being shady and blocking some videos in the US. I couldn't watch Reggie N Bollie, Alien, Max Stone

 

4th Impact: Name change? Why? Old contracts? It doesn't make me forget they're professionals. When they just sing normally like this you hear the weaknesses. Also, they just feel so fake to me. Sing with YOUR voice. SO over it.

Anton Stephans: Would rather hear Karen Carpenter. Found this very irritating. Piercing in the worst way.

Bupsi: Right now all I see is cannon fodder. Without a strong voice, she needs to make smarter choices. With the right song that smoky voice could be an asset.

 

After all the hype for

Ebru

she didn't go through? I cannot BELIEVE (well, I can, but I'm annoyed) that

Jennifer

didn't get through. The editors didn't allow me to get attached to

Kerrie-Anne

but I can easily believe that

she

was better than any of the three who got through.

 

Yeah, I don't think Cheryl is going to luck into a Little Mix this year though she's got two good fake soulless pop groups with

Alien

and

4th Impact

.

 

Barring unforeseen developments, (a Little Mix or Cher Lloyd potential not yet uncovered) it looks like Rita's to lose this year with the Girls.

[Kromm]

Groups:

 

These new group names stink SO much. I understand the need to change, because Syco doesn't do anything where they can't totally own all branding worldwide (or as close to that as possible), but I don't know how they can market names THIS bad, even if they're now unique.

 

4th Impact: Will someone be brave enough to tell these girls that, as unfair as it seems, the fact that they aren't native English speakers means they horribly over-enunciate when singing in English?  It's a shame, but it's true. Maybe they can be trained out of it if XF actually had a vocal coach who knows this SPECIFIC problem. But I doubt it. Two of the girls have the problem far worse than the other two though. Maybe that's a place to start. Also, these girls need to learn the art of subtlety. You don't always have to force everything out. Jess Glynn should know this, even if stupid Cheryl doesn't.

 

Alien Uncovered (they SHOULD have been something like "Alien Autopsy" or I saw another board where someone suggested the great name "Alienation"): They were actually better than what we saw of them before, but that's faint praise. Oddly enough their harmonies were better than their lead parts. Their leads STANK. Horribly Total shit. But the harmonies were okay AROUND that.

 

Melody Stone (these names keep getting worse and worse--this is like a porn star name): They shocked me with that first soloist being great (because they've been a horrible travesty to me every time we've heard them before). Actually to be fair, they clearly figured something out. The rest wasn't bad either. It had a few weird problems, but it was infinitely better than anything they did at any other stage.  It figures when they finally gave a good performance that the dimwitted Cheryl didn't like it.

 

Brooklyn or Beklyn or whatever the hell it was: Very telling that Cheryl's "you can hear that in Church" attitude suddenly didn't apply when it was guys singing, eh? They were okay. But it wasn't terribly well arranged or original, even if the singing was good.

 

Reggie n' Bollie (the "n" is SO juvenile sounding but it's apparently how they're spelling this): Background singers for an audition is cheating IMO. That said, they've kind of stank up till now, and this actually was interesting. But... their voices are very limited. Pitch was non-existent. That doesn't always matter for a "party band" though. 

 

New Kings Order: Yawn.  I know one guy was sick. But I think they would have been boring anyway even if not. 

 

Chezza's Choices: Man the X-F crew did a horrible job miking the contestants. But the rude, loud crowd didn't help either. And it stank that Cheryl seemed to want to listen to them. First choice, 4th Impact--they'd BETTER get some serious vocal coaching along the lines I suggested before. Second choice, Alien (Uncovered--which she didn't even say)--BAD choice. Improved harmonies but shit leads isn't enough. That said, you can see the branding with them at least. Really this is a dog of a category this year. Third choice... and the mob rule comes into play... and... Reggie N Bollie... again I see a choice (like the Aliens) based more on potential branding than pure singing talent. Maybe that's necessary, but... we aren't likely to get many great performances out of these three groups, even if they are all distinct.

 

===============================

 

Overs:
 

Jennifer: Great voice. They need to tweak her image though to make her even vaguely marketable. It's like this incredible voice coming out of a clown.
 

Ebru: She stank at the 6 chair. This was better. She needs to be taught how to properly hold a mike though.
 

Boopsie: She got worse. Now she's utterly forgettable. At least her singing. Maybe she's counting on a tight dress. It's puzzling Simon couldn't hear what WE could hear--her pitch was shit.
 

Max: Talk about forgettable. It was a travesty when the audience insisted he was brought back in 6 chair, and this performance was so generic.  Voice was okay, I suppose, but he's a charisma free zone (so really he's the opposite of Boopsie... and neither of them work because of that).
 

Kerrie Anne: A nice voice (far better than Boopsie, maybe a hair under Jennifer). I hadn't really noticed her until now. It WAS a little "Cruise Ship Singer" though.
 

Anton: So over the top. So overenunciated. Great lungs and volume projection, I have to admit, but is that enough?  Not so sure. BTW: why does some random crew member wandering outside = "a ghost"?
 

Simon's Choices: I knew who he'd pick. We knew who the crowd would back and Simon didn't challenge that playbook. He picked the worst singer (Boopsie), the most over the top (Anton) and the one the crowd pushed him into (the chemistry free Max).

Edited October 25, 2015 by Kromm

[Snarkette]

Looking at the X-factor video view numbers on YouTube, the horrible 4th-whatever girls seem to have a lock on this year.

[aradia22]

 

These new group names stink SO much. I understand the need to change, because Syco doesn't do anything where they can't totally own all branding worldwide (or as close to that as possible), but I don't know how they can market names THIS bad, even if they're now unique.

Ahaha. Seriously? They're called Alien Uncovered now? I didn't get One Direction or Little Mix at first but at least those were just nonsense names. Now they're getting into 'so bad it's actually offputting' names.

 

I agree with you on 4th Impact.

 

where someone suggested the great name "Alienation"

Love it.

 

Melody Stone

Wait, do you mean they renamed that gospel girl group? 

 

Reggie n' Bollie

Well, it makes them sound more British (Ant and Dec/Fry and Laurie) but not necessarily like a music group for anyone but very small children.

 

Really this is a dog of a category this year. [...] Maybe that's necessary, but... we aren't likely to get many great performances out of these three groups, even if they are all distinct.

I think they could have done more with a rejected group like Mon Amie or possibly Rumour Has It but my cynicism says that if the Groups are this bad it means they have a plan for someone in one of the other categories. 

I'm totally with you on your assessment of the Overs. I think Simon has the best chance with Anton but otherwise (unless he can magically make a heartthrob out of Max) he's not winning this year. 

 

Looking at the X-factor video view numbers on YouTube, the horrible 4th-whatever girls seem to have a lock on this year.

Ugh, I know. People are the worst.

[Snarkette]

Simon isn't trying to win the competition, he's trying to cast a show that he makes tons of money off of. Anton is the come-back kid. Bupsie is comic relief. Max is the "people's choice but no one will ever buy his records." 

 

What people want is to look at young Filipino girls in short skirts with highly choreographed routines and ridiculously scripted interviews.

 

Occasionally there are acts that *pop* with that true (*snort*) "X-Factor". Not seeing that this year.

[Kromm]

Looking at the X-factor video view numbers on YouTube, the horrible 4th-whatever girls seem to have a lock on this year.

Is it a UK (or even general European) thing that people mouthing English words in songs by rote (when it's not their native language) and so sounding fake/contrived DOESN'T sound as shit to those ears as it does to a US listener?  Either that, or a very widespread Asian girl fetish would have to explain those view counts.

 

As I said upthread, 50% of those 4th Impact girls have a real problem with this--when they sing in English it becomes this over-enunciated mess that might even have a decent tone but just sounds WEIRD and forced.  If the two were made just to support the harmony and the OTHER two only took the leads, the group would be a lot better for it.  But I doubt it's going to happen.

[CloudySky]

Louiza has the most potential right now and could be a superstar. I actually thought she and Simon for the boys would be final 2 after the six-chair-challenge but then Simon completely effed up his audition and didn't get picked.

 

Lauren's personality and attitude are so grating. I didn't get what the big deal with her was in previous auditions. Okay, she has a nice voice but so do a ton of other girls whose presence isn't awful.

[aradia22]

Other youtube videos not available in the US: Ebru, Melody Stone, Jennifer Phillips, Kerrie-Anne, BEKLYN, Seann Miley Moore, Ben Clark, Mason Noise, Ché Chesterman, Josh Daniel, Havva, Chloe Paige, Kiera Weathers

 

You can't trick me into liking 4th Impact by not showing me anyone else. Also, they better not pull this shit during the live shows.

 

Simon Lynch: Relatively pleasant with a few rough/flat spots. It was a little boring and the screaming got tiresome. He's kind of like if you mashed together Aiden Grimshaw and Craig Colton but less interesting. Still, I could definitely see him filling a "type" on the show.

New Kings Order: Sounded good, not great. They just feel unnecessary, down to the dramatic sitting down.

Monica Michael: Not the best singer but not terrible. And she knows how to perform. But if it's an original song why did she keep dropping down to low notes she can't comfortably hit? This was totally the wrong song to perform for Meghan Trainor.

Louisa Johnson: This was somewhere on the continuum between Christina Aguilera and Joss Stone. Would I prefer to hear someone who sings this way with their real voice? Yes. But at this point she's one of the last good singers we have left. They've knocked out almost everyone who could show her up.

Lauren Murray: It was pretty boring until she started screaming ("Could you take care?"). I'm amazed she made it this far.

 

I would have taken Simon or boring Josh over Mason Noise but otherwise I think Nick made good choices for the Boys. With all the dead weight cut (and stupid decisions from the other judges), they've suddenly become a stronger category. How far will Seann Miley Moore go? He's like a Rylan who can sing. Also, I watched Nick announce his finalists. #1 it was hilarious to hear Caroline tell the crowd "no booing" for Mason. Oh, that'll work. #2 Nick clearly knew who he wanted and was just waiting for their cue. Simon and Cheryl were much better at dragging it out.

 

I never liked Havva and Monica has never had the strongest voice so I can't really argue with Rita's choices for the Girls.

[AussieBabe]

Vocally, Jennifer is strong. I'm peeved that she didn't get through. I would've taken her over Bupsi any day. When you have a voice like that, you don't need gimmicks and crawling on tables. As a result, my mum has stopped watching before they even reach the live shows.

I knew the whole Mason crap was just that and a publicity stunt. Idk what they're doing, but 4th whoever isn't where it's at. Alien Uncovered is trying far too hard to be unique. They're no Little Mix.

[teapot100]

 

4th Impact: Name change? Why? Old contracts? It doesn't make me forget they're professionals. When they just sing normally like this you hear the weaknesses. Also, they just feel so fake to me. Sing with YOUR voice. SO over it.

Filipino singers are great at mimicry - look at how big karaoke is in that country! That said, the group is pretty entertaining to watch. I don't want to listen to them talk because it's awkward for everyone.  I bet a lot of their video viewcounts are a whole lot of Filipinos - they're loud and they're proud! :D  RE: their choice of dress - if you look at what they're wearing, they're a lot more modest than what you typically see out there.  They're shorts aren't even that short.  I wonder how popular they'd be if they weren't singing covers...They're definitely malleable so they could go far in the world of Simon Cowell.  All of the other groups were boring to listen to and watch so 4th Impact/Power stood out for me.

 

Anton - he's painful to watch too, but such a sweet personality. Will he be able to withstand the pressure and the stress? He seems awfully fragile to me.

Bupsi - love her personality and she's got a slammin' body and a gorgeous/smoky voice, but I hope she does more than that nasty shtick because she's already becoming a caricature of herself.

Louisa - she reminds me a lot of Joss Stone. Pretty, she has the x-factor and I think she'd do well with original songs.

Che - still no presence, but wow, nice voice.

Seann - is the world ready for Seann???  I don't know!

Keira - gorgeous, but on the boring side so far.

Mason - great entertainment value, but very Justin Bieberish in terms of ego and entitlement. Seems to be doing some damage control, but don't know if it's enough...

Alien Uncovered - lame name change; 2nd in the groups in terms of interestingness, but they're like the Spice Girls on energy drinks.  I think they are a bit of a mess, though their voices have more personality than the girls in 4th Impact.

Edited October 26, 2015 by teapot100

[phoenix780]

So at Judges' house, the Alien whatever group...their vocals were processed, yes?  Something seemed off about the sound, especially compared to the ones before and after them.  Like the audio was from an entirely different place.

 

I remember US X-Factor playing fast and loose with that sort of thing, and I know UK had a scandal back in the day, but I thought that was all past.

[yamashinaryu]

I thought Louisa, Seann and 4th Impact are likely to succeed. Louisa needs to be careful with her song choices though. Seann is a star - not sure if the world is ready for him. 4th Impact may be a professional contestant but I don't think they ever record an album. Reggie and Bollie is the one who has album / single in Ghana.