X Factor UK 14: Live Show 4 (Overs & Girls)

What a big difference from the clusterf*ck on the previous episode! This was a good night for the Overs and the Girls as they delivered some pretty solid performances throughout the night. The song choices were still questionable for the most part, but at least everyone tried to deliver, at the very least, a decent number.

On with the show!

07. Tracyleanne Jefford
Ain't Your Mama
[OVERS]
I think she's a fine woman, so I will not comment further. Thank you very much. 3

06. Holly Tandy
Despacito
[GIRLS]
I love myself some Holly Tandy, but she really did struggle with Despacito. The opening verse sounded fantastic, but as soon as she shifted to Spanish, things just fell apart. No, she still sounded good especially the belted notes towards the end, but everything looked too rigid and it seemed as if she was trying to remember all the words, which is understandable because it's a different language to begin with. She also came off a little stiff and that made for a pretty uncomfortable performance. Hope she bounces back next week. 5

05. Grace Davies
Ciao Adios
[GIRLS]
Other than the problematic first verse and a couple of wonky notes here and there, Grace's take on Anne-Marie's Ciao Adios was a breath of fresh air. I was so used to watching her deliver gorgeous ballad that I didn't think she'd be able to do something upbeat, but she pulled it off quite nicely. It wasn't perfect, but she had enough musicality and power to sell the song and she looked like she was having fun. Very nice. 6.5

04. Alisah Bonaobra
Let's Get Loud
[GIRLS]
This was a lot better than I expected and Alisah actually did a good job proving that she had some actual stage presence to back up her vocal chops. However, she kept going overboard here in order to make some sort of grand impression that the whole performance actually came off a tad calculated and too polished that it was almost wooden. Don't get me wrong, her vocals were outstanding and her pitch was consistent considering how she was running all around the stage, and that made her edge out Grace this week, but I agree with Simon, this was old-school cabaret. 6.5

03. Rai-Elle Williams
Bailando
[GIRLS]
Let's face it. Rai-Elle is probably one of the few people who could really fit in today's music landscape with her lush and distinct tone, exuberance, and her sense of rhythm. She actually looked like a legitimate popstar with this performance and it just made me happy. It didn't feel force, there was an ease to it that's quite comforting, and her vocals, though not perfect, had enough dynamics. Get this girl a record deal! 7

02. Matt Linnen
Livin' La Vida Loca
[OVERS]
I gasped when I learned about this song choice because I didn't think Matt's the Ricky Martin type of guy, but the arrangement worked wonders for him. I thought he sounded terrific, the staging was clever, and there was a good amount of intensity in his delivery that lifted the performance to something else. If only he worked on his enunciation as I genuinely didn't understand some of his words, he could've given Kevin a run for his money this week. 7.5

01. Kevin Davy White
Smooth
[OVERS]
Whoa! I never really cared for Kevin, but this was pretty stellar. His version of Santana's Smooth had the right amount of urgency, personality, and passion. Plus, he sounded absolutely divine. The way his vocals soared towards the end gave me chills. He could potentially pull an upset to some of the early frontrunners. 8.5

ELIMINATED

Tracyleanne Jefford