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Originally posted by Ruth
By the way, although I do think that Shayne's looks definitely helped him in this competition, I didn't mean to imply in my previous post that he had no talent. I do think he has talent, although no more talent than either Andy or Journey South. Admittedly he will definitely appeal to a wider audience than Andy would have done, but that's a whole different issue to talent. As for Journey South, I honestly think that out of all three finalists, they are the act with the best chance of longevity. Latest news I heard is that they have been given a record deal (which was inevitable), so maybe we'll be able to come back and compare notes in a year or so!
To be honest, I did think that Andy performed That's My Goal better than Shayne on Saturday night, although I did only have half of each song to compare, because halfway through each rendition, I got so bored of the song that I fast forwarded through to the end. I ended up feeling relieved on behalf of Journey South that they don't have to release that drivel as their first single.
Apparently Shayne has said that he is happy to release whatever Simon wants him to, and if Simon wants him to release an album of cover versions he will be happy to do so. Well of course he would be - he's a 20(?) year old lad who believes that he has just been given the ticket to a better life. I honestly wish him well. However, I do hope that Simon doesn't send him down the route of syrupy ballads and un-necessary cover versions, because if he does, I think in a year's time, we will all be saying, "Shayne who?" But with the right song choices, he has a chance of success.
I did want Journey South to win, because I thought that they were the most talented act in the competition. However, previous competitions of this ilk have shown that it isn't always the winner who does best out of it. Lemar, Girls Aloud and Liberty X all came second (third in Lemar's case) and all have subssequently done better than the acts who beat them (don't ask me to explain how Girls Aloud manage to have continued success - I think they are one of the least talented acts I have ever had the misfortune to hear).
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Talent alone doesn't tend to do you many favours in the music business, though. Charisma is as much, if not more of a factor, and in that department, Andy's a loser and Journey South would be found severely lacking. I'd be surprised if any major labels took a chance on Journey South, unless they've been sitting on some pretty remarkable self-penned tunes all this time without anyone noticing. They may get signed and release an album consisting mostly or entirely of covers, but it would be a daring move indeed to release an album of original material from them, and not one that any of the majors seem likely to gamble on.
I've said all along that Andy has a fantastic voice, but his biggest stumbling block has always been that he has the 'so what?' factor rather than the X Factor. The arrangement, as well as the vocal styling, of course differed for each of them. When you listen to the structure of the song itself, it screams musical theatre. That's perhaps why some seem to like it, and some don't - not many seem to be saying 'it's a good song, but not really my scene'. When Shayne sang it last Saturday, as it built to its dramatic conclusion, it crossed my mind what an achievement it was on his part not to blush at the sheer tackiness of the song, and I wanted it to end for his sake. When Andy sang it, I wanted it to end for my own sake. I'd sooner massage my ears with nettles than endure that ever again.
Simon said on Saturday that they'd been getting calls from respected (his interpretation, not mine) songwriters, offering to write for Shayne. Normally, they'd have been approached and asked if they'd be interested. So that sounds promising at least, even though it in no way guarantees quality material will be the outcome. But at least it dismisses the possibility of an album of covers being released. I suppose that they'll put a few of the most popular songs he performed during the series on the album, but he only sang 9 anyway and 3 of them are already on the single. I'm sure if he's successful, by the time it comes to planning his second album he'll have a lot more bargaining power.
I think Girls Aloud's appeal is pretty obvious. Young girls want to be them (or to have the clothes, glamour and styling that comes with the package) and boys/men want them - full stop. I do think that that they have talent as well, even though they don't appeal to me personally. They could easily get away with being a trio, but the whole idea was to appeal to as many demographics as possible, as it was with the Spice Girls before them. We're always hearing claims that they mime and/or can't cut it live. I can't really comment on that, as I hardly follow their career closely. But I've seen the likes of Kelly Clarkson & Christina Aguilera perform live (on tv) and deliver appalling performances - yet nobody ever doubts their ability. And we know that they can indeed all sing, because we saw them doing so every week on Popstars: The Rivals. The songs that they're given to record are extremely well-crafted pop - you don't have to declare yourself a fan or buy their material to appreciate that.