I'm a couple of days late and it pains me that my season-long dedication to The X Factor could not conclude in its typical narrative fashion. And by now the much deserving winner has been announced and is probably still pinching herself in disbelief.
I finally got a chance to sit down on this Friday night pre-Christmas Eve to watch the performance and results shows back to back. I was quite blown away even though the selection of Avril Lavigne as a guest duet performer still boggles my mind.
Wednesday's show started off with Josh Krajcik singing Alanis Morissette's "Uninvited" to a spooky goth backdrop. I really liked the two of them together but found the artist choice a bit random. When Chris Rene next sang "Complicated" with Avril Lavigne, I was even more flabbergasted. But hey, there was some Canadian pride going on! And Chris did a good job of adding his own spin on a (now) very lacklustre and adolescent song. The duets portion ended with Melanie Amaro and R. Kelly for "I Believe I Can Fly", which sounded truly heartfelt and appropriate. It struck me how much she has grown as a performer, and her vocals were near flawless.
Each contestant then sang their audition song, which I thought was very fitting to show both how they started and how far they've gone. Josh Krajcik had a lit stairwell and empty stage to himself and his guitar as he did an acoustic and soulful performance of Etta James' "At Last". Chris Rene performed his original song "Young Homie", backed by supporting vocals and dancers (which I probably would have preferred without). He looked so much happier and healthier than when he auditioned, and it marked his eighth month sober. Melanie Amaro sang "Listen" from the Dreamgirls soundtrack and blew me away again with the control of her voice, warm tone, and general vocal prowess. Even though I already knew who had won, I felt that I would have been happy if any of these three had gotten the most votes, which I guess is a testament to how talented they all were.
The results show was also thoroughly entertaining if you don't count the first performance by the top 12--Lady Gaga's "The Edge of Glory". The whole time I was thinking, "Wait, but wasn't it a top 13?!" and then I realized that Dexter wasn't there. I was also reminded of how much I didn't like InTENsity, The Stereo Hogzz, LeRoy Bell, and some of Lakoda Rayne. Some feelings of disdain just never die, I guess.
Each of the contestants had a palanca-esque tribute video from their hometown, friends, and family, bringing on the tears and creating the emotional high that framed the night.
Next, the top three each performed a Christmas song, and then there was a Justin Bieber and Stevie Wonder two-song Christmas duet which ended with Drew's wish to be on stage with the Biebs fulfilled. For both of his songs, I was unimpressed with his additions of "Yeah yeah yeah" at the end of each line and the fact that he was singing about Santa and trying to make it cool. For me they are very different things.
Other guest performances with surprise X Factor contestants included 50 Cent and Astro (with some members of the L.A. Lakers? WTML?!) and Pitbull and Ne-Yo with Marcus Canty. Leona Lewis, the original X Factor UK winner, sang her cover of Snow Patrol's "Run" to a backdrop of a montage of the whole season.
Chris Rene came in third place but acted and spoke with utter gratitude, knowing that he had already won so much. Josh and Melanie sang a duet of Elton John's "Heroes" before the final results were revealed, and when Melanie's name was called out, she immediately went to shock, awe, and tears of joy. Steve Jones (the host who is rumoured to not be asked to return) could not get any words from her until after she sang "Listen" again. Josh handled his defeat very calmly and respectfully and I hope to see him record an album soon. As for Melanie, this was a very deserved win as hers was a story of a beautiful voice belonging to a girl who had had her confidence shattered, only to be restored twofold. She found her identity through this competition and in turn, the "x factor" that this show was meant to find. I can't wait to hear what she does next!
Thanks everyone for reading my X Factor thoughts and recaps! Now back to normal unmusical life!
No comments:
Post a Comment