X Factor UK 13: Top 5 Report Card

Disclaimer: The thoughts expressed in this post are subjective and clearly biased. I am not affiliated with ITV, X Factor or Syco! Recap of the Top 7 after the jump!

What even is a Louis Love?

LOUIS LOVES:

MATT TERRY (BOYS)
"Secret Love Song, Pt. II"

On paper, this should have been a home run for Matt -- and for a while it was. The beginning was absolutely stunning. I've said this before, but his diction is absolutely perfect and it's one of my favorite parts about him. His voice is crystal clear, and it was highlighted magnificently in the first half of the song. Unfortunately, something felt off about the second half after the bridge and it wasn't him and a piano anymore. The pitch was a bit all over the place and it was a bit too much, for my liking. Still, I think miles better than where he was a few weeks ago, I think he's beginning to grow! B

SAARA AALTO (OVERS)

"The Winner Takes It All"

Unbelievable! Is it possible she gets better every week? I wasn't that big a fan of hers coming into the live shows, but she's turned everything around. Saara's the definition of an underdog. This performance was every bit as captivating as last week. I could listen to her voice all day. Her singing was pitch perfect, as always, and the look on her face was that of absolute pain, but triumph? There were just a lot of emotions inside of me, haha. The strings in the band also added that extra dramatic touch that I loved. I think we could all get used to this stripped back, raw version of Saara. I sure can. A

HONEY G (OVERS)
"Can't Touch This/Super Freak"

Sharon's reaction while the dude got up on stage, while Simon and Nicole showed genuine concern, was one of the funniest things I've seen on television all year. D-

5 AFTER MIDNIGHT (GROUPS)
"Uptown Funk"

I have a love/eh relationship with this performance It kind of felt like a generic 5 After Midnight performance, if that makes sense. The performance was still very strong but I thought the first half was a bit corny. The dance break was most definitely the highlight and the performance only went up from there (that flip, man?). Overall, Nicole said it best. They funked that stage up! Haha. B+

EMILY MIDDLEMAS (GIRLS)
"Toxic"

I'm going to compliment Emily for this not being the sack of tears I thought it was going to be. Seriously, this song being turned into a dreary ballad have taken over performances of this song on singing competition. I thought her vocal was a bit stronger than it's usually been, and it was nice to see her looking like she's having a little bit more fun (and with a stringed instrument in her hand!). Also, the first half where we got to hear a little bit of her lower register were lovely. It was sort of a bland Emily performance, but with more than just a piano and a sour face on her. B-

CONTESTANTS CHOICES:

MATT TERRY (BOYS)

"Alive"

Once again, on paper this sounded like it might have been a strong performance from Matt. "I'm still breathing" was an ironic line coming out of Matt because it felt like the song had absolutely no room to breath. The beginning was alright, but the minute he hit that chorus something was wrong. He went flat a couple of times, that growl was a bit awkward, and that bit in the bridge sounded like Matt had just run a marathon. Of course he rounded it off with a pretty falsetto run. The whole thing just felt a bit rushed and didn't go anywhere. C+ 

5 AFTER MIDNIGHT (GROUPS)
"Sorry/One Dance"

Once again, another pretty good performance from them. They sounded just fine. I thought the transition into 'Once Dance' from 'Sorry' was pretty smart, and Jordan's solo actually sounded quite lovely. The dance was fine as well. My problem with these guys is that I'm beginning to hold them to a different standard than the other contestants. Yes, this performance (and the one that preceded) was very good, but it was predictably good from them. B

HONEY G (OVERS)

"Push It/Blake Beatles"

She should not be here. That's obvious. But you have to admit, seeing the entire arena doing The Mannequin Challenge was a pretty cool visual. D+ 

EMILY MIDDLEMAS (GIRLS)
"Rag 'n' Bone"

Hey, at least she's not sitting on the ground looking like she's about to bust into tears. I thought it was a bold song choice that could have worked, and there were parts that did. The chorus was pretty strong, it was nice seeing Emily turn into a rock star! Other parts of the song swallowed her soft voice up, and her falsetto/head voice was a tad out of breath. Over all, it was a nice escape from what she's been doing lately! This is probably as close to an up tempo we're getting from her, but it was nice to see her take a risk. B

SAARA AALTO (OVERS)
"Diamonds are Forever/Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend"

A perfect example of how versatile and powerful of a performer Saara is. This was just the type of spunky fun and battiness we've come to expect from Saara. Seeing the box almost hit Simon in the head was brilliant. The mash up worked fantastic, the production was larger than life (just like her). Sure, it was cheesy, but it was just the right amount not to give me gas in the morning. B+

PERFORMANCE RANKINGS:

10. Honey G (Can't Touch This/Super Freak) D-
09. Honey G (Push It/Black Beatles D+
08. Matt Terry (Alive) C+ 
07. Emily Middlemas (Toxic) B- 
06. Emily Middlemas (Rag 'n' Bone) B
05. Matt Terry (Secret Love Song, Pt. II)  B
04. 5 After Midnight (Sorry/One Dance) B 
03. Saara Aalto (Diamonds Are Forever/Diamonds Are a Girls Best Friend) B+
02. 5 After Midnight (Uptown Funk) B+
01. Saara Aalto (The Winner Takes it All) A

 CONTESTANT RANKINGS:
05. Honey G D (Last week's position: #6 // +1)
04. Matt Terry B- (Last week's position: #2 // -2)
03. Emily Middlemas B- (Last week's position: #3 // +0)
02. 5 After Midnight B+ (Last week's position: #4 // +2)
01. Saara Aalto A- (Last week's position: #1 // +0)