Millions upon trillions of screaming girls, and women, will appreciate tonight’s episode of The X Factor. Last night, audiences watched as Demi invited Nick Jonas and Simon recruited Marc Anthony to assist with choosing which of their group members makes it to the next round. Tonight belongs to the teens for two very different reasons.
Britney Spears who mentors the Teens group has asked Will.I.Am to help her as she sends six lucky youngsters to the next level of competition. I’m sure teen girls will be voting for their favorites in this category. Secondly, the one and only single teenager who makes all the girls, and some women (and some men), scream uncontrollably, Justin Bieber, will be helping his mentor LA pick from the Over 25s.
Beverly Hills, CA – Over 25s
LA Reid, Justin Bieber and Justin Bieber’s manager Scooter await the six contestants over the age of 25 who are looking to secure a spot in the live shows. I still don’t understand why Justin, being far younger than 25, was selected to do this.
LA’s Home
Jason Brock, “Big Girls Don’t Cry” by Fergie
How does this guy sing songs better than the original female singers? At times, it felt as though Jason was straining his voice, but at the same time it was strong.
“I think that he gave it everything and it showed,” says Justin.
David Correy, “Domino” by Jessie J
David takes the pop tune and slows it down, showcasing the range and power behind his voice. It’s raw and it’s full of heart and passion. There’s a great improvement from his battle performance at boot camp.
“I saw pure passion,” Scooter says. I have to agree with Scooter on this one guys. It’s good that Justin’s legal guardian showed up to point out the significance in each performer.
Daryl Black, “She’s Gone” by Hall & Oates
It’s a good performance from a nice voice, yet Daryl is going to have to rely on a wish or a prayer because it’s forgettable.
“I feel like it was strong,” comments Justin. Such a profound young man, isn’t he? Daryl does, in fact, have a strong voice, but he needs to work on a few things. Will this performance take him to the live shows? We’ll see.
Tate Stevens, “Back At One” by Brian McKnight
Sure, he sort of underhandedly messed up Willie Jones’ boot camp performance, but Tate has a great voice and stage presence. I’m wondering why he isn’t already on the radio, honestly.
“Good song choice,” says LA. Scooter adds that Tate has charisma, making you want to root for him.
Vino Alan, “Sober” by Pink
There’s not much I can say. Vino’s performances always give me chills.
What can be better than hearing your mentor allude to your winning the $5million cash prize and title of The X Factor? That’s exactly what LA tells Vino and my goosebumps agree.
Tara Simon, “The Reason” by Hoobastank
Here’s the thing. Tara does not have a bad voice. She simply over sings songs. Less is more, so much more in this case.
“She’s got a big voice but she should make sure to have more sweet moments with her voice,” Justin says. What? Can someone define what “sweet moments” are?
“I’m having a change of heart,” says LA. Now that he’s heard everyone sing, for the third time each, he finds that his group holds a good amount of talent. I find this to be very unfortunate. What happens if he does end up mentoring the winning artist? And to make matters worse, between three heads, LA, Justin and Scooter, they cannot come up with two contestants to send home. So what do they do? When in doubt, rock-paper-scissors it out! I feel very sorry for the artists in this particular group, with LA as their “sometimes on, sometimes off” mentor, they stand NO chance.
Malibu, CA – Teens
The next 30 minutes are dedicated to Britney Spears and Will.I.Am as they sit back and judge the performances of the teenagers while enjoying the backdrop of the gorgeous Malibu setting. There is still a reason I would kill to be in her shoes.
Britney’s Home
Diamond White, “I’m With You” by Avril Lavigne
Diamond is only 13 years old, but she sings with such passion. It lends the belief that she’s lived and learned and knows what she’s singing about. I really admire her choice to slow the song down even more and take it to a soulful route.
“I think she cares about her moves too much,” says Will.I.Am. Very true. She was tossing in theatrics where they may not have been necessary.
Reed Deming, “Hey There, Delilah” by The White T’s
This performance is surprising. It sounds as if Reed has improved some even since the auditions. Yeah, his voice quivers from nerves at times, but the talent is definitely there.
“I think he could have done a little better than what he did,” says Britney. See! To all of those who may have been leery about having Britney Spears as a judge, she knows what to look for in these kids.
James Tanner, “Party Like A Rock Star” by Shop Boyz
Even better than the performance is Will’s facial expression while watching James. I think this is the end of the road. Good try, though!
“I thought it was very entertaining,” Britney says. “I just don’t know if it was strong enough.” Yeah, it definitely wasn’t enough.
Arin Ray, “Starships” by Nicki Minaj
Funny how Arin was on the show last season and tanked as a part of that mega group. This season, I believe he’ll be around for a long time. He voice gets better and better witch each performance.
“He definitely has a potential x factor in him,” says Will. Arin continues to grow and I believe Britney can coach him into the finals, easily.
Beatrice Miller, “Titanium” by David Guetta feat. Sia
Close your eyes, well not really because you’re reading this, and you hear the vocals of a woman who has been performing for years. Beatrice has some serious chops.
“That was fresh,” Will says. Britney agrees, yet adds that Beatrice needs to learn how to control the volume of her voice.
Carly Rose Sonenclar, “Brokenhearted” by Karmin
Carly creates moments with her voice as though she were reading a story to her audience. There’s very little wrong that I can comment about this performance.
“She’s a caterpillar,” says Will. “And when you think she’s gonna turn into a butterfly, DRAGON, burning up the place!” Humor aside, Carly has a voice that needs to be heard. Britney has a point, though. Can she handle the pressure of the business?
Again, just like last night we have seen some very memorable performances. There is some great talent on the show this year. Favorites from each group would have to be Vino Alan of the Over 25s and Carly Rose Sonenclar of the Teens. Who were your favorites?
Next week, 24 will become 16 as Demi, Simon, LA and Britney speak with their groups and deliver the news. Tears will be shed and upsets will be made. Tune in to The X Factor Wednesday night on Fox to see who makes it to the live rounds.
(Image courtesy of FOX)
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Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
