X Factor UK 14: Live Show 8 (Overs & Girls)

A. LOT. BETTER.

I've been losing hope this season with all the mediocre and subpar performances, but again, a couple of people saved it from being a complete garbage. Can they just get everyone in this group and then Rak-Su and eliminate the others already? Ugh.

On with the show!

05. Rai-Elle Williams
Mr. Big Stuff
[GIRLS]
This was a fun and impressively energetic performance from Rai-Elle. I thought the staging was fantastic, the little dance break was a nice touch, and her vocals, for the most part, sounded good. However, with two acts going home in this episode, I'm not sure if this was the right song for her to sing. It's a bit too safe and too playful for people get behind with. I don't know. 7

04. Holly Tandy
Love Me Harder
[GIRLS]
Though Love Me Harder was a deceptively hard song to sing, this seemed like a throwaway performance just like Rai-Elle. Yes, there was an effort to make the song her own and I thought her vocals sounded impeccable, but it just wasn't a complete standout given how strong some of the performances were. 7

03. Grace Davies
Hesistate
[GIRLS]
If only Grace had the vocal consistency of Holly, she would've been a clear frontrunner this season. Sadly, she's a weak vocalist with fantastic songwriting skills. Hesistate was probably one of her best original songs performed on the show, but she hit a couple of wonky notes that made me question if I should rate her on the basis of her song and performance or her ability as a singer. I don't know. Right now, I smacked her right in the middle. Haha. 7.5

02. Kevin Davy White
I Will Always Love You
[OVERS]
It takes balls for someone to dismantle something as iconic as I Will Always Love You and create something intimate and nuanced. His vocals were good, the belting was a tad strained but I didn't mind that much, and there's something magnetic about his delivery. The build up felt too slow though that it almost dragged the first half of the song, but other than that, a solid performance. 8

01. Matt Linnen
Fallin'
[OVERS]
Not going to lie, I'm so over this song a long time ago on reality singing shows, but Matt brilliantly made it sound new to my ears. The arrangement was clever, his textured tone added great dimension to the performance, and his stage presence even made this a riveting watch. His vocals was slightly off at the beginning, but when he bounced back from it, the performance was golden. 9

ELIMINATED

Rai-Elle Williams

Holly Tandy