'X Factor' Recap - Top 12 ('80s Week)

Last week’s graphics snafu ended up resulting in a pretty kick-butt show with some of the best singing I’ve heard all season. That should translate into this show being a winner, too, but I have my doubts. First of all, we’re back to a theme week and, folks, it’s another doozy. The Top 12 is roped into singing songs from the 1980s, a decade not known for staller music or tunes that feel contemporary in any way. Why they keep insisting on picking dated genres and then criticizing the singers for sounding “dated” is beyond me. For almost all of the contestants, they are set up to fail. I also must admit that, unlike most other weeks, I don’t know many songs for the ‘80s, partly due to the fact I missed the whole decade by 6 months or so.

Before we get to the singing, Carlos Guevara is sent home. I rooted for Carlos in the beginning, but his last couple performances have been amateurish and weak. You know it’s bad when Paulina’s brief goodbye consisted of calling him an “inspiration” and completely ignoring his vocal skills. Yes, I give him props for overcoming a disability and handling it with grace, but struggles does not an X Factor star make.

Lille McCloud: * * * ½
In Lillie’s package, she finally revealed more info about her former career including her professional alias Nicole despite the fact that the internet has already known this for a month or so. For ‘80s night, Kelly gave her “Ain’t Nobody” by Chaka Kahn. It was nice to see Lillie have fun with a song but the whole background dancers and acid-washed jeans act seemed a bit desperate and put-on. Like it or not, Lillie isn’t current. She’s in her 50s and has the voice of a soul diva. While her singing was on-point (as always), Lillie should come across as an elder stateswoman of soul and not a one-hit ‘80s wonder. Simon said she “made an attempt to be current,” but I’m pretty sure her dated number was as close to current as Paulina’s pronunciation of “multifaceted” was to actual English.

Carlito Olivero:* * *
Miami Sound Machine’s “Rhythm Is Gonna Get You” is exactly the kind of music I’d expect Carlito to make if he ever gets a record deal. This Latin-flavored, pop jam was catchy and even allowed some nicely choreographed set pieces. His vocals? Ehh. They were terribly average and strained at times. I totally agree when Demi said she “paid more attention to the dancers than to [him].” JLo, Marc Anthony and Pitbull aren’t amazing vocalists to be sure, but they put on a damn good show. With a bit more charisma and stage-presence, he could rise up and be a good, contemporary Latino pop singer, but right now he’s dangerously close to the chopping block.

Rion Page: * * ½
Demi said she “felt so old” in the package after Rion thought the Spice Girls were from the ‘80s (Rion was born in the year 2000!), which makes me feel even older since Demi is two years younger than yours truly (and, incidentally, was never alive in the ‘80s either). But anywho…Yes, like everyone else, I appreciate Rion’s spirit. But each week (since the Four Chair Challenge), Rion’s age and vocal inexperience is becoming more apparent. It’s not that she’s untalented, but 13-year-old Rion just seems in over her head and the victim of bad song choices. Her take on Pat Benatar’s “We Belong” was terribly pitchy and mumble-y and unsure. Was it the worst vocal of the night? Probably not. But was it nothing better than OK karaoke? Probably not, either.

Sweet Suspense: * *
I’m sorry Toni Basil, but “Mickey” is a terrible song. I didn’t get the song choice. I didn’t get why Simon would like a song with very, very little actual singing. I didn’t get the motorcycle and hideous ‘80s kitsch outfits. I didn’t get the blasé, underwhelming performance. I didn’t even get the random spurts of fire. Unless…wait, is this actually a representation of Hades?

Tim Olstad: * * ½
The good news is that Tim had his best vocal performance in weeks singing Phil Collins’ “Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now).” On paper, Tim is a talented singer, but onstage he’s such a non-presence you almost forget here’s on stage. If he stays, singing “Mr. Cellophane” may be a good route for him. I enjoyed watching the pantless dancer jump and writhe around the smoky stage, but I think this is a competition to find a singer with some kind of X factor and Tim just doesn’t have it.

Khaya Cohen: * * * *
I agree with Demi that Khaya’s the best singer in the whole competition. Her take on “Borderline” didn’t reinvent the wheel and it wasn’t her best performance on the X Factor stage. But, by far, it was the best of the night. Once again, Khaya has an amazing voice and proves that, if you are a super talented performer, you can make all kinds of genres and songs work.

Restless Road: * * *
Restless Road’s performance of “Footloose” reminded me a fairly good high school production of that title musical, if the director chose to reuse the set from last semester’s “Tommy.” Except for a few sour harmonies they sounded OK and the song choice was fairly spot-on, but as I’ve kvetched about many times before, I just don’t get RR’s appeal.

Rachel Potter: * * * *
“Alone” is always one of those karaoke classics that is too overplayed and under sung on countless reality singing shows. Rachel handles it pretty well, although she gets a bit lost among the smoke and back-up singers at times. Perhaps it’s the actress in her, but with a bit of a character to slide into, Rachel can put on a killer show.

Ellona Santiago: * * * ½
I quite liked The X Factor’s arrangement of “I Want To Dance With Somebody”…well everything but the keytar solo. But let’s state the obvious: singing a Whitney song is near reality show suicide. Ellona actually sang it surprisingly well but, once again, I was left underwhelmed. She has a powerful voice, so I’m not quite sure why she always comes across as cold.

Josh Levi: * * * *
Josh reminded me of a young Usher while singing a reorchestrated version of Paula Abdul’s “Straight Up.” The white outfit, lasers and smooth, Michael-inspired dance moves were straight out of early-2000s-era Usher. While I’m not gushing as much as the judges (Josh’s vocals were way too sloppy at times), I can see the star in him. He’s a diamond in the rough and getting smoother and more diamond-y each week.

Jeff Gutt: * * * ½
Simon put into words something that’s been bugging me about Jeff for weeks. He feels like a guy who wants to be a rock star rather than a singer with a great rock voice. It all feels like a bit of an act. The song, Cutting Crew’s “(I Just) Died In Your Arms Tonight,” felt dated and forgettable and Jeff’s performance seemed just a touch above a mediocre ‘80s cover band.

Alex & Sierra: * * * * ½
First of all, Sierra has some sweet Irish step dancing skills. Alex & Sierra is one of my favorite X Factor acts and this performance of “Addicted To Love” further cements in my mind how talented and versatile they can be. I don’t think they need the set and all that other stuff, in fact I’d rather see them sitting on stools and just singing to each other, but you can’t deny their talent. Each week I can’t wait to see what A&S will do and I can’t say that about 80 percent of the others that performed tonight.

Two folks are going home tomorrow. If I ran the zoo, I’d send Rion and Tim packing. But I don’t think America is quite done with Rion. So perhaps Tim and Carlito are in trouble. What do you think? Leave a comment below!