X Factor UK 14: Live Show 5 (Groups & Overs)

What just happened? I was just trashing these people last week after churning out godawful performances, and now, things completely turned upside down as almost everyone delivered some great numbers. I couldn't be happier that they proved me - and everyone - wrong! Thank God for George Michael!

On with the show!

06. Rak-Su
Faith (Remix)
[GROUPS]
Yikes. Why was I bored with this performance? The arrangement of the song was brilliant and interesting, the vocals were uneven but decent, and they worked the stage like real professionals, and yet, I couldn't make myself to care about all of it. The entire number, of course, was different, but it almost sounded the same with their previous performances. I don't know. It's just me, I guess. 6

05. The Cutkelvins
Killer / Papa Was A Rolling Stone
[GROUPS]
This was a bit of a mixed bag for me. The first half was almost annoying mostly because of the girl's grating tone and her inconsistent pitch, but as soon as the brothers came in and started to sing with their sister, things sounded pretty awesome. How I wish it stayed the way from beginning to end because the girl, though can sing, wasn't any better than the rest of the group. 6.5

04. Joel & Joel
The Edge of Heaven
[GROUPS]
This was, hands down, their best live performance EVER! I thought they sounded surprisingly solid - especially the solo vocals - the harmonies, for the most part, was spot on, and it somehow brought back the magic that they had when they auditioned for the show. It was, however, too little too late for them to really push themselves out of the "joke" territory and be taken seriously. Such a shame because this was pretty terrific! 7

03. Sean & Conor Price
Freedom! '90
[GROUPS]
Wow. I was thisclose on giving up to this duo after a string of lackluster performances, but they completely redeemed themselves with a strong rendition of Freedom! '90. Conor's voice, in particular, sounded mighty fine throughout the number and the break gave Sean a nice little moment of his own. There was also an impassioned delivery to the song that I've never seen from them before. Good job! 7.5

02. Matt Linnen
Careless Whisper
[OVERS]
Other than the mumbled words, this was another solid showing from Matt. The song choice was a perfect match for his textured tone, his delivery had good amount of grit and passion, and there was something about his stage presence that made me watch him all throughout. To me, he's one of the strongest contestants this year, but I have this feeling that he'd be eliminated very soon. I hope I'm wrong. 8

01. Kevin Davy White
Fastlove
[OVERS]
Not going to lie that at first listen, I didn't get it. I didn't understand the words he was singing and I didn't feel like it was the right song for him. However, I listened to it again and completely changed my mind. This was actually quite stellar. The arrangement gave him enough time to really delve into the melody and music, which gave his vocals room to navigate the song. There's also mastery to his delivery and it was quite riveting to watch. 8.5

ELIMINATED

Jack & Joel