It could’ve proved interesting to monitor how the contestants performed alongside the gusto of a real-life thirty piece band, but it has to be said that this time around the theme felt a bit tired.
The current series has been dominated by mostly teenage contestants – which definitely hampered this year’s big band concept. Most acts performed competently but none seemed to really connect with the material.
But this was a real advantage for sole Over 25s representative Sam Bailey, who belted out Kander & Ebb’s Theme from New York New York with an air of experience, identity and purpose. Sure enough, the judges loved her version of the epic tune that has also been performed by Frank Sinatra and millions of karaoke singers the world over.
Nicholas McDonald’s rendition of Dream a Little Dream of Me, a song written in 1931, had Gary Barlow pointing out that the Scottish teenager had now successfully taken on the eighties, seventies and now this most vintage of eras.
The current series has been dominated by mostly teenage contestants – which definitely hampered this year’s big band concept. Most acts performed competently but none seemed to really connect with the material.
But this was a real advantage for sole Over 25s representative Sam Bailey, who belted out Kander & Ebb’s Theme from New York New York with an air of experience, identity and purpose. Sure enough, the judges loved her version of the epic tune that has also been performed by Frank Sinatra and millions of karaoke singers the world over.
Nicholas McDonald’s rendition of Dream a Little Dream of Me, a song written in 1931, had Gary Barlow pointing out that the Scottish teenager had now successfully taken on the eighties, seventies and now this most vintage of eras.
Meanwhile, Rough Copy were on fine form with the Ray Charles classic Hit the Road Jack which saw the trio injecting some much needed energy into the proceedings.
And Tamera Foster fought back with Cry Me a River after placing in the bottom two last week. Louis Walsh stated that she oozed star quality while Gary declared her potential as ‘stratospheric’.
Luke Friend’s run of good feedback was halted with his take on Van Morrison’s Moondance being described by Barlow as uncomfortable to listen to.
Meanwhile, Sam Callahan got a disinterested response from the panel after a dodgy version of Ain’t That a Kick in the Head? Nicole Scherzinger and Gary hardly bothered to critique him, possibly concerned that last week’s mauling incited a wave of public sympathy that kept him in the competition.
As it turned out, the voting still went Callahan’s way and it was Hannah Barrett and Abi Alton who landed in the danger zone instead, even though Hannah had delivered a mature and powerful version of James Brown’s It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World.
Interestingly, the sing-off was excellent and in fact surpassed the previous night’s entire show perhaps demonstrating that the big band theme just hadn’t seemed relevant to most of this year’s young crop.
Abi’s emotional rendition of Ed Sheeran’s Lego House was easily her best performance yet, re-inforcing suspicions that she would have been much better suited to the BBC’s The Voice. However, with Hannah’s version of Miley Cyrus’s Wrecking Ball just pipping her to the post with the judges, it was a visibly devastated Abi who exited the show.
And Tamera Foster fought back with Cry Me a River after placing in the bottom two last week. Louis Walsh stated that she oozed star quality while Gary declared her potential as ‘stratospheric’.
Luke Friend’s run of good feedback was halted with his take on Van Morrison’s Moondance being described by Barlow as uncomfortable to listen to.
Meanwhile, Sam Callahan got a disinterested response from the panel after a dodgy version of Ain’t That a Kick in the Head? Nicole Scherzinger and Gary hardly bothered to critique him, possibly concerned that last week’s mauling incited a wave of public sympathy that kept him in the competition.
As it turned out, the voting still went Callahan’s way and it was Hannah Barrett and Abi Alton who landed in the danger zone instead, even though Hannah had delivered a mature and powerful version of James Brown’s It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World.
Interestingly, the sing-off was excellent and in fact surpassed the previous night’s entire show perhaps demonstrating that the big band theme just hadn’t seemed relevant to most of this year’s young crop.
Abi’s emotional rendition of Ed Sheeran’s Lego House was easily her best performance yet, re-inforcing suspicions that she would have been much better suited to the BBC’s The Voice. However, with Hannah’s version of Miley Cyrus’s Wrecking Ball just pipping her to the post with the judges, it was a visibly devastated Abi who exited the show.
