Quality of the music fails to impress on X Factor 2010

Quite aside from the various hyped-scandals and tear-jerker insider stories, X Factor 2010 will probably be remembered as the least msuical of the talent shows. Meanwhile Danni Minogue and Cheryl Cole, one or both dressed as exotic flowers most weeks, prove again and again they know little about music.

First, the mentors. There are often comments along the lines of "the wrong song" and this year has been horrid on many occasions. And most of the time the song choice is made by the mentor or else approved by the mentor. Mary and Rebecca have been very poorly served, while One Direction can't really sing so it doesn't matter.

Both Matt and Cher can sing and both can handle a few styles. But Matt has been the best vocalist and musician on just about every minute of X Factor 2010 while the other contestants fade in to the background for various reasons.

So to the finalists and their semi-final performances. Here, surely, the mentors and other advisors should have made sure the song choices and capabilities were well matched. Well, in a word, no. Here's our rating for the top 5 of X Factor 2010:

Matt Cardle
Distinctive quality to his voice, and the best at holding a tune of all the finalists. Also the best by far at making a song his own. The only one we can imagine whose recordings we would ever buy.
5 stars

 

Cher Lloyd
Terrible copycat of the whole Lily Allen and N-Dubz style. Can’t really sing in the sense of holding a delicate melody but covers up with attitude. A marginal appeal but could be successful in the genre.
4 stars


Rebecca Ferguson
Good vocal control most of the time but frequently slips into screeching rather than singing. Often slides around notes rather than hitting them clean.
3 stars

 


Mary Byrne
An excellent karaoke style voice, very smooth, good range, yet lacks any special character or power.
2 stars


One Direction
Reasonable ensemble singing but no individual has a good voice. Pretty boys and not much else. For example Bonnie Tyler, on her own, outsang these five in their struggle to sing Total Eclipse of the Heart.
1 star