The X Factor — Recap & Review — Judges’ Homes, Part I

photo: fox

The X Factor
Judges’ Homes, Part I

Original Air Date: Oct 13, 2011

Patricia Morris Buckley — Sr. Staff Writer
pmb@thetwocentscorp.com

Blast the American League Championships! If not for them, we would have heard by now which 16 of the 32 finalists would be going on in The X Factor. When the championships went over time by two hours, Wednesday night’s episode became a repeat. Which meant that the two-part Judges’ Homes began Thursday and continues on Sunday. Urrrggg….

One of the things I like about The X Factor is how quickly it moves. Not this episode. Part of the problem, a big part, was that after every commercial break the whole episode had to be explained one more time. (The contestants have been divided into four groups, invited to the judges’ homes where they will give The Most Important Performance of Their Lives!) It got downright annoying. Plus, it made the episode draaaaaag out, even with some of the performances cut in length. That’s why we only got halfway through all the performances.

Each judge engaged the services of a “friend,” someone big in the industry, help them make the decision who to keep and who to cut. Nicole, judging the groups, had the assistance of Enrique Iglesias, Simon was supposed to have Moriah Carey (her plane was grounded by Hurricane Irene, giving us a good timeline as to when the show was shot), LA co-judged with Rihanna and Paula joined forces with Pharrell. I felt that the conversations the judges had after the performance were boring and rarely insightful (there were a few exceptions).

The episode was hyped as these contestants being mentored by the individual judges. The only mentoring I saw was that some judges selected the contestants’ songs. Is the mentoring happening in the next stage?

So let’s go group by group:

GIRLS

Simon Battle: Upfront, know that I am not a fan since she forgot the words of a classic song in Boot Camp. This time she wore what looked like a black netting skirt and a one-piece swimming suit. But her version of “Help” slowed down was nice.

Tora Wiloshin: Singing “Satisfaction,” Tora sounded a little over her head. She added no nuances that mark a real artist. She also needs a stylist because her outfit was a total mess.

Caitlin Koch: Nice voice, but she seemed wobbly on some notes. I’m not a huge fan, but she will get points because she’s very pretty and blonde.

Drew Ryniewicz: Now this 14-year-old surprises me every time. Her rendition of “It Must Have Been Love” was beautifully nuanced and showed off her voice well. She needs to work on her upper register, but she has the time to do it.

BOYS

Brian Bradley: He’s good, but I think LA was right when he said that 14-year-old Brian (“Astro”) is just too young. A little more seasoning, time for his voice to change, and he might really be something. He has the ability, but no artistry.

Skyelor Anderson: This 17-year-old wants to be a country star but I think LA was right to question if that’s the right genre for him. He showed a nice voice on “Nobody Knows,” but it’s not necessarily a country voice.

Phillip Lomax: He may be the only man who can show us what the Rihanna song “Please Don’t Stop the Music” would sound like as a Frank Sinatra tune. I didn’t think he was original enough to make the Top 32, so I certainly can’t see him moving on.

Nick Voss: I have NEVER been a fan of this striped wannabe singer. Worse, he took one of my favorite songs, “Everybody Wants to Rule the World,” and made it generic. Get this guy off the show!

OVER 30s

Dexter Haygood: This former homeless man has had a good run, but he continued to mimic Mick Jagger on “Crazy in Love,” which the judges had told him not to. Am I the only one getting sick of his crying?

Elaine Gibbs: She showed the kind of control that comes from a true professional (wedding singer). She wobbled on a few high notes, but I was impressed.

Stacy Francis: I’m also sick of her constant tears, but she did a beautiful job on “Purple Rain” and should have no trouble getting to the next round.

James Kenney: I didn’t really see anything special in him at Boot Camp, but he took “Russian Roulette” and turned in a solid performance.

GROUPS

Anser: They did a good job and had excellent harmonies, but there’s nothing that screams “special” about them. And that’s what the show is about.

Lakoda Rayne: The idea of making groups out of rejected solo artists sounded great, but they have a major disadvantage in having little or no history together —which is what makes a group special. They performed “Born This Way” well, but it felt like a group number on American Idol. I don’t see them going through.

The Brewer Boys: If I had my way, we’d just crown these two teenage brothers right now. Their “Only Girl in the World” was flawless and had super tight harmonies. They are cute and personable. In other words, they definitely have the X factor.

4Shore: They sounded great as well. Tight harmonies, nice choreography and great dynamics. I see them easily moving on.
So we’ll see the other 16 acts on Sunday and find out who will stay and who will go.

Do you have a favorite in each group? Which guest judge was the most interesting? Are you getting into the show? Give us your TwoCents…