Same Difference was definitely my favourite act from series four of The X Factor, so of course I was going to review one of their videos for my X Factor Special. Same Difference is a band consisting of siblings: Sarah Smith and Sean Smith. They came third overall, and Simon Cowell put them on his label, but since they didn't chart very high they were soon dropped, and then picked up by PopLife Records. As of now... I'm not sure where they stand, I think they may have been dropped, but I could be wrong. The fourth series of The X Factor gave us a few artists, the following people managed to get a record deal: Leon Jackson (winner), Rhydian Roberts (second), Same Difference (third), Niki Evens (fourth) and Daniel DeBourg (eleventh).
"Shine On Forever (Photo Frame)" was Same Difference's second single, their first on PopLife Records. And I have to admit it is a good first single, but there were clearly better songs on their album "The Rest Is History", which may have charted better. It was written by Sean Smith, Sarah Smith and John Myers. The fact that they have helped write the song has clearly shown how much it means to them. The song charted at an extremely low number 100. The reason was because Same Difference offered the single cheaper if people texted in, in doing so they received a code to then go on to 7digital to get the track. The main problem, however was that people forgot to get the track from 7digital, so therefore people had paid for something they didn't collect, and so it didn't chart very high. But apparently sales suggested it would've charted pretty high if people had downloaded the single.
This music video shows Same Difference all grown up, they decided to change their sound and their appearance as their fans had all grown up as well. This shows them sexy and very different from the childish songs they sung on the album they released under Syco (Simon Cowell's label). It's got a big choreography sequence and also sees them clubbing, suggesting what their new sound is like.
However, Same Difference are great dancers, but no one can make that choreography sequence good, it's quite cringe-worthy and quite worrying, didn't anyone tell the director that dancing in a smart jacket is one of the worst things people do? Sean just looks out of place, the jacket makes it difficult to move in. But this is the only complaint I have about it.
Overall a catchy song that I could listen to over and over again, it's accompanying music video is missing a few things, but as a whole it works well, and shows that they are growing as artists and managing to centre their audience and keep with them. I hope this isn't the last we will see of these guys, as they have yet to find the popularity they clearly deserve.
Continuing with my X Factor Special, we have finally turned to a winner! Leona Lewis became the first X Factor female winner, not only that she went on to release chart topping hits, not just in the UK, but in the US as well as worldwide, not bad for someone who was a receptionist before auditioning. She was a clear winner as soon as we saw her audition, and I don't think anyone stood a chance, Simon Cowell will never get rid of her, she's bound to his label now forever, and she is never going to stop doing well. The third series of the X Factor gave us a few stars, these include: Leona Lewis (winner), Ray Quinn (second), Ben Mills (third), The MacDonald Brothers (fourth), Eton Road (fifth), Kerry McGregor (ninth) and The Unconventionals (twelfth). Leona Lewis teamed up with Avicii (one of my favourite house artists), his real name is Tim Bergling, for this track. There was actually a court order for Avicii to be a part of the song, as apparently Simon Cowell used Avicii's song "Penguin" without permission, it looked like it was going to be a major battle, but Leona and Avicii put a stop to it and came to an agreement.
"Collide" was written by Arash Pournouri, Autumn Rowe, Sandy Wilheim, Simon Jeffes and Avicii. The song also samples Avicii's song "Penguin". This is Leona Lewis' most recent single release, showing us a glimpse of her new album "Glassheart" which is bound to surprise us all since this is a totally new direction for her. Is it going to work? Who knows, but I believe it may take us a while to get used to it. She has a phenomenal voice, no one can refuse that, and I can't wait to see what the future will bring.
The music video is a typical Leona Lewis music video, yes she actually has a style! Personally there's something missing, every time I watch her videos I know exactly what to expect, and that is exactly what I get. I like how it's consistent, but that is all I can say about them!
There's not a lot going on, I love how the waves "crash" into people when she sings that bit of the song, which shows she has a brilliant editing team, but I'm missing a narrative, it's exactly what she sings about and we managed to see it in "Bleeding Love" but there's no sign of it here.
Overall a catchy song the more times you hear it. But it's music video is the same old same old from Leona. Personally I want some sort of risk video that shows she can do something different. She's changing her musical style now, so why not give it a go and change up the videos too!
Well this is a bit embarrassing right? Please bare in mind that I was only 12, and so I decided to cheer on Chico, now as I'm older and I look back on it, I realise it was done on purpose to attract the younger audience watching. Chico, real name Yousseph "Chico" Slimani, has had a bit of success, I think quite a lot of people are aware of who he is. He got a number one single with his first song "It's Chico Time", but since then he has gone on to release a couple more singles which got a bit of popularity, and an album which failed to chart. From then on he has been popping up on a variety of reality shows, from "CelebAir" to "Dancing on Ice". Will he return to music? It's doubtful since he keeps popping up on TV Shows and it looks like he is setting out on a film career, but I wouldn't put it past him to try again in the future.
It's Chico Time was written by Mark Hudson, with the help of Chico. It was first sung live on The X Factor during the live shows. The second series of the X Factor gave us a few more stars than the 1st series, these include: Shayne Ward (Winner), Andy Abraham (second), Journey South (third), Brenda Edwards (fourth), Chico (fifth), Maria Lawson (eighth), and a few more as well. This song got to number one, and most recently Chico re-released it under a new name called "It's England's Time" with all proceeds going to charity, however it failed to chart.
The music video is definitely low-budget, clearly it didn't matter since it got to the top spot. It's a pure performance piece, with still a catchy tune, believe it or not. There is a lot of children in the video that must hate seeing the video right now, it is on the embarrassing side!
There's not a lot going on, there's a big choreography scene which makes the song more appealing, especially for children as it isn't too difficult to follow the dance steps, and I have to commemorate the video for being able to teach the kids how to copy the dance moves, although I doubt many will realise. I also like the reference of the clock at the end!
Overall, I believe the song is still catchy, it's definitely stuck in my head, but the video is lacking, I know that it's low budget, but some low budget music videos still look amazing. This is clearly missing a lot and not many people will go out of their way to watch it, especially the kids who performed in the video!
Okay, G4 was a band I didn't like much during The X Factor series 1. I was rooting for Tabby Callaghan and Cassie Compton, but Cassie has not released any material thus far, and as for Tabby, even though he has released a number of songs, none of which happen to have a music video. So after looking at all 9 finalists it was down to the final 2, and I have to admit I do prefer G4 over Steve Brookstein. Since this was the first series not many of the artists got recording contracts, a lot of them are still trying today. As for G4, I wanted them to win, but I'm glad they didn't as they soon broke-up. The band consisted of Jonathan Ansell, Mike Christie, Matthew Stiff and Ben Thapa. Jonathan Ansell is the only one who still appears on TV and even though he shares the same name as me, I really don't like him, he comes off extremely arrogant and annoying. The others have appeared now again, one is well-known in the operatic world, and the other two are doing various projects. Will they ever reform? Don't make me laugh, my bet is that Jonathan Ansell was the reason they split up.
"Bohemian Rhapsody" is a cover version of the extremely well-known Queen version. Queen's version is a rock style, whereas G4 has gone more into an operatic version, which is a clever twist, and a different take on the song, but yet again, Jonathan Ansell is centre of attention, and although he is the lead singer he takes it too far. He very much reminds me of Andrew Stone. There has been many cover versions of this song, along with different versions of the original video. This is definitely not one of my favourites. Not even close.
This video is attempting to do the same as Queen, however it fails badly, mainly because it looks low budget. There are various scenes, but it was probably done in one complete day. G4 really aren't doing much, maybe they were instructed to pose in certain ways or was told to just stand/sit there.
I bet when they look back at this video now, they regret some of the things they did, especially Jonathan Ansell who acted very weird when the flirtatious girls came on screen, there's exactly one second during one of the scenes and he kind of jumps up and down.
Overall a great song that wasn't initially G4's song. But it's a great cover version idea, on paper, but I don't think it quite works in real life. As for the video... Well there's no link, it's purely a performance piece, but they don't even perform it very well. And even though I keep saying Jonathan Ansell wants all the attention, that's exactly what I've done with this review, as there clearly is nothing else to comment on, Jonathan Ansell is what made G4, I'm afraid to say. And even now, if any of the other members popped up on TV, none of us would realise they were too a member of G4.
Starting off my X Factor Special, is LITTLE MIX. They were the winners from the 8th series of The X Factor UK. They are the first and could quite possibly be the only band to win The X Factor. They all auditioned separately, and the judges, during boot camp didn't think they were strong enough to go through individually, so the judges put them together, and made an unstoppable band, who was mentored by Tulisa. They consist of Perrie Edwards, Jesy Nelson, Leigh-Anne Pinnock and Jade Thirlwall. I can see Simon promoting these here, there and everywhere, and that is exactly what he has been doing. But could these girls be the next Spice Girls? Who knows but they are definitely spreading their own little message and I can see them being unstoppable and liked all over the world. The 8th series of The X Factor UK has actually spawned quite a lot of artists so far, all the following has managed to get a recording contract, and I bet there will be more to come. So far we have: Little Mix (winners), Marcus Collins (second), Amelia Lily (third), Misha B (fourth), Janet Devlin (fifth), Craig Colton (sixth), Kitty Brucknell (seventh) and 2 Shoes (joint thirteenth). It will be interesting who will do well and who will not...
"Wings" was written by Little Mix, Iain James, TMS, Erika Nuri, Michelle Lewis, Heidi Rojas and Mischke. The song is all about beating bullies and not letting anyone hurt you with words. It reminds me of the Sticks and Stones Nursery Rhyme, but not only that the song pattern seems similar; furthermore there is many references to other songs and sayings, and when I first heard this song I could name a few, there's the saying "Water off a duck's back" but the song changes it to "Water off my wings". And I always think "Mama told me..." reminds me of "The Clapping Song".
The music video isn't amazing, but it's not dull either. It's a pure performance piece, edited well and intricately. There is choreography that does remind me of the Spice Girls. I also like how close of a group they are, you can really tell how much they have connected, and how much this song clearly means to them.
I like how this song is telling the world not to let anyone bring us down, it's a perfect message, that I hope they manage to spread throughout the world. I like the British flag they put in and the editing shots used, however it does leave me with little to comment on, personally I wouldn't go out of my way to watch this video alone, however the music totally makes up for the video and I can't stop singing the song. I also like how the video appeals to children because it's colourful and eye-catching, meaning their message can be spread much quicker.
Overall, an amazing song that will surely soar to the top of the charts... Will it stay at number one? Who knows, we'll just have to wait and see. As for the video their is not much going on, but I like how it's edited and has been made, obviously a lot of thought went into it, especially since the video may not have had a big budget. And what would have been the point in an amazing music video, if the song is perfect anyway? If I was reviewing the song, it would've got 5 stars, but since I'm reviewing the video I have to be honest and give it this rating.
