REVIEW:
Pure talent show gold, that’s what X Factor New Zealand contestant Renee Maurice delivered last night.
While a question remains as to whether the judges, lovely as they are, deliver quite the star power the competitors really delivered during the second show, with the big talking point Upper Hutt’s Maurice.
Judge Stan Walker’s reaction when she began singing Celine Dion It’s All Coming Back To Me Now said it all. She pulled it off. Big time.
It was a bit of a Susan-Boyle moment: when you don’t expect much by the way people present themselves, and then you’re blown away by their voice; television gold.
Walker and his fellow judges, Daniel Bedingfield, Ruby Frost and Mel Blatt kicked off the show by outlining what they’re looking for – slogans that are as much part of these shows as revolvers and lassoes in a Western.
First off was 18-year-old drag queen Ashley Tonga from south Auckland. She has a big personality and a voice that easily goes through three registers.
Then it’s time to meet the groups. They are guided through rather quickly, maybe because it is a bit harder to show their profiles in those 90-second segments.
We meet girl duo L O V E, whose name is not creative, but they’re the first ones who dare to bring an original song to the table and judge Frost soon tells them: “You guys totally have a message.”
Girl group Gap 5 bring confidence and character, once again paired with talent.
And when we almost get bored by all these success stories, we meet Mukesh who comes from “home”, whose passion is great, but his voice not so much and Walker gently but firmly tells him: “This is not for you.”
After a quick run through a siren from Christchurch, some bad karaoke, pressed faces and forced voices, we get back to some real talent.
