November 17th, 2011
10:00 AM ET
'X Factor's' Top 10 rock it out"X Factor" is starting to separate the boys from the men, and the girls from the women! This week is rock music week, and so the judges chose some of the greatest songs from that genre for their artists. As usual, there were highs and lows - let's take a stroll down memory lane:
The Highs Rachel Crow Rachel went with "I Can't Get No Satisfaction," and as usual the spunky teen brought her "A" game. Nicole told her, "This is my favorite performance out of all the performances." Crow might just take it all the way! [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QLZmBvycDc&w=560&h=315] Chris Rene Rene decided to take a trip down reggae lane by singing the Bob Marley hit "No Woman, No Cry" featuring The Wailers. This guy would have probably made Marley proud. He really owned it, and maximized his use of the stage. But Scherzinger told him it wasn't her favorite performance from him, and I agreed with Simon that his song choice was off. Great song, but not sure it fit the requirements of rock week. [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pQuePRfjM4&w=560&h=315] Melanie Amaro I never thought R.E.M.'s "Everybody Hurts" could sound the way it did coming out of Amaro's mouth. She definitely put a twist in this classic rock song by making it sound like something you'd hear from a gospel choir. Because her song sounded so "church," Paula told her she wants to see her "let go and let loose." Simon put her on the top of the list, comparing her to Alicia Keys and Adele, and then argument number three started between Simon and LA Reid....These two are basically the new Simon and Paula a la "American Idol." [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHClMGKVh24&w=560&h=315] Josh Krajcik Mr. Krajcik took on Foo Fighter's "Pretender" song, and this guy actually got a standing ovation from ALL four judges, bringing them to their feet. Reid told him, "You are the only person that has really rocked this house tonight." The winner of the night is clearly JOSH! Let's see if the viewers feel that way too. [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U67MDkGZ2Rg&w=560&h=315] Astro (a.k.a. Brian Bradley) You might think being the only rapper in the bunch to have to belt out a song for rock week might be hard for Astro, but think again. He went with "I'll Be Missing You" by Diddy and Faith Evans. What are the odds that we'll have two of the youngest, Rachel Crow and Brian Bradley, going head to head on the finale? [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0YdsiBdCJg&w=560&h=315] Drew Ryniewicz U2's "With or Without You" is a tall order for any artist to attempt to cover, but if anyone can do it, it's certainly Drew. She took the stage and did what she does best: Sing alone with the spotlight on her. No dancers, nothing fancy, nothing extra, and it worked. But Nicole said she was left "waiting for more." The criticism ticked off Simon, and he told Drew, "Take no notice from the three witches on my right hand side...You're gonna be in this competition till the end." [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIlgbEdtSAI&w=560&h=315] Marcus Canty When you think of R&B contestant Marcus Canty, you don't think of Janis Joplin. But viewers did last night when he brought his own twist to her hit "Piece of My Heart." He added flavor and soul to this classic rock hit, and Nicole said, "You lit that stage on fire." I'm pretty sure the viewers will love his performance too. [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRI5L5IYsRo&w=560&h=315] The Lows LeRoy Bell He was up first, and tried to tackle the song "We Got Tonight," but it felt lackluster. It was as though Bell was going through the motions, and Reid pointed that out, saying, "We're no longer strictly trying to get through to the next round. We are now looking for stardom. We are looking for the ability to sell records and sell tickets...I need more." It was ugly, and I wouldn't be surprised if Bell simply dropped out of the competition. Who could keep getting up after being swatted down that many times? [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PyXntiS9T3s&w=560&h=315] Stacy Francis Stacy's rendition of "It's All Coming Back To Me Now" really left her and the audience and the judges breathless...or so I thought. Paula said it was her "least favorite song you have ever performed....the pitch was lovely but I just didn't feel it." And then Simon hit her with another one, saying, "Stacy let me start with the good news. Your hair looks better this week. Now the not so good news...I thought the song was a horrible choice...You are going backwards right now." Francis looked like she was about to cry up there on stage. Her face was sullen and she didn't smile once. That's one thing about Francis - whatever she feels she shows it on her face. [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5_s3AnxQ1U&w=560&h=315] Lakoda Rayne This all female quartet, mentored by Paula, sang Fleetwood Mac's "Go Your Own Way." Nicole told them they'd found their lane with "country rock," but Simon stepped in telling them he thought they had potential, but that their performance was a mess. Paula, meanwhile, compared them to the Dixie Chicks, to which I'll just say, "hmmm..." Quite an interesting comparison, there, Paula. [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIWPLILobms&w=560&h=315] Tonight, one act will go home and Rihanna takes the stage. Let's hope viewers choose the right one. Who do you think is next to go?
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The show is crap until Astro gets sent home. He is arrogant and needs a reality check. Please Please Please fire the host. He is horrible!
I agree with the overproduction. The way the producers get the crowd cheering constantly prevents anyone from really having a moment and makes it difficult for those of us at home to hear what is being said also. It's very annoying.
Hopefully, this will be forwarded to the producers to tweak this show a little and make it even better.
I have to agree with the over-production remarks. It's totally distracting. I want the old Simon and Paula back. They made AI.
Really don't care for all the bickering between the judges. It doesn't come as cross as authentic, just a tiresome, irritating distraction. L.A.'s comments regarding Drew always sounding the same may be true to an extent, but at least she does sing, unlike his charge, Astro, who by the way, showed his immature, obnoxious, narcissistic side last night. I didn't care for Stacy's performance, but she should have stayed and Astro should have been sent to his room. The judges choosing Astro, even with his disrespect, shows him he will still be rewarded despite bad behavior. Don't really agree with the judges being able to choose between the bottom two. It's either America's choice, or not.
I wholeheartedly agree about the 'performance' of the judges. It is so contrived and misses the mark if they're trying to stimulate viewer interest with their personal conflicts. They would do better using banter and humor to highlight their opposition.
As far as the talent evaluation, it is logical for the judges to look for the biggest potential money makers and their choices have been consistent in this regard. It is surprising that so many of the performances have been underwhelming despite the exceptional talent of the contestants. I wonder if the over production is distracting the contestants and undermining their ability to sincerely connect to the audience.
I hope Astro rebounds. He probably has recognized that the majority of the viewing audience is white and that they not only listen to Hip Hop, but probably don't want their kids listening to it. He made it this far, because the judges were making the decisions based on talent rather than preference of music or styles. If don't believe me, look at various polls and the white performers were ranked in double digits while the black performers ranked in the lower single digits. Perhaps that is why Astro said why should I perform for people who don't want to see me perform. Because of his youth, he probably didn't realize that he disrespected the person he probably respects most in life – LA Reid.
I'm finding the big production numbers tedious. Too many dancers and lights getting in the way of the singing. I couldn't even look at Josh because of the strobing lights behind him. For the entire series, I thought my TV set's audio was off. I can hardly make out the words of any song. Then I compared notes with a friend in a city 2,000 miles away and she's having the same problem.
As far as the results show, Astro should have been sent home. He is an arrogant, obnoxious child-rapper whose ego has been fed by the judges, and they have created a monster. He's too young and immature to be on this show. And unless he straightens out, he will be a horror for anybody working with him. I predict that he will be kicked off of next week's show. Clearly, the audience at home is tired of his rap, which is always the same thing over and over again. He can't sing.
It's also possible that the little monster will quit the show before next week and Stacey will be asked back. Her fault is that she chose the wrong song last night. She is pegged as a gospel singer and the judges do not want to give a $5 million dollar record contract to anything but contemporary music. She is capable of so much more than what she has done. She has a great voice and tremendous passion.
Overall, I think the judges have given the performers cr***y advice. And the performances have become predictable and boring, although Josh is the frontrunner and he is a joy to watch. I also love Melanie, but this week her song choice and performance were dull and boring.
Totally agree with everything you said. Hopefully, the powers that be will read and learn!
After tonights result show, I was very disappointed with Simon. He should have sent Astro home. This kid is bad news this must be about the show making money, all I can say is good luck to the acts that can really sing if they make it through. I see now the judges are not that bright as far as talent, there looking for the best act that can make them money.
I'm starting to think Simon doesnt know what ROCK music is. He chose poor songs for Drew and Melanie.
The only 2 who rocked it were Josh and Marcus. The others sang well enough but were lame in the Rock category.
Stacy sucked the most and should be the one to go home this week.
I quite like Drew. She's sounds somewhere between the Cranberries, Sara McLachlan and Amy Lee. Very cool, ethereal sound. Josh kicked ass. Stacy needs to go. Can't get on the Chris Rene bandwagon. LeRoy is singing way below his potential, but where does he fit in the big picture. Lakoda Rayne has an awesome sound...if they stick to country. Overall, I think everybody is in their own niche genre. It's not really fair to measure them outside of where they excel. That said, Astro will probably win since rock is on it's way out (Josh), country is still growing in popularity (Lakoda Rayne) but not as big as rap, R&B doesn't have a big enough base for this medium (Marcus, Melody, Stacy), Drew is a bit too unique and Rachel is too young, though she is all upside. After Stacy, Chris is the next to go and then LeRoy. Marcus is quite a performer, but I can't quite connect there.
If it's all about selling records and tickets, I think it comes down to Astro. Rap and hip-hop have a strong following and a history of youthful success, whereas you can't find that in any other genre.
For me, I prefer Drew or Josh.
I like Drew best too. She has an amazing voice and she's only 14 years old ! I wish Simon had chosen ZOMBIE by the Cranberries for her to sing last night.
Like American Idol, the demographics of the viewers has more to do with the voting than the quality of the performances.
Well, the judges rag everyone else for being humdrum, singing the same ole same ole, but this astro ( brain bradley ) never steps out of his conform zone. The secret to being a rock star is versatility, I have yet to see that with brian bradley. In fact, the only singer to bring true rock to the stage last night was Josh.
i honestly didn't like the majority of the performances.... astro, rachel and josh were the best of the night. drew has an amazing voice, but like the judges i kept waiting for the tempo to pick up and her to really rock it out. overall i was expecting more "rock" song choices. but has anyone else noticed how annoying it is when the audience cheers while the judges speak? i think its very rude and sometimes its hard for me to concentrate on the critiques. at one point, nicole was criticizing and the audience was still cheering, instead of the usualy boos, making it seem sorta fake, like the production tells the audience to cheer/boo throughout the entire show.. really annoying!
Astro and Rachel stole the show. I started at on the fence about Astro but I am now a fan. Marcus was also great. Leroy, Lakoda Rayne and Drew are flat out boring.