The X FactorĀ has been a bit of a wash-out this year we think itās fair to say. From bickering judges and declining ratings through to Christopher Maloney making the final and Ella Henderson leaving way too early, the show looks like itās in quite a lot of trouble. Despite all the headlines and the āsecond chance saloonā feel of the contestants, viewers still cared enough to vote for a worthy winner in the shape of James Arthur.
Truth be told we feel pretty sorry for James. Heās actually very talented and possesses a voice that is well beyond his years. Sadly that almost got lost in the faff that was this yearās show when he ended up in the bottom two a few weeks back. Thankfully the public saw sense and picked him over the off-key warblings of Jahmene.
The inevitable winnerās single is now upon us and James has been givenĀ Impossible, a song that was originally a hit for Shontelle in 2010. When we first heard that was his song we were a little bit worried as it hardly seemed like an ideal fit. Having listened to him perform it twice onĀ The X FactorĀ final last night, and now having heard the studio version, itās clear it was actually a pretty good choice for him. Lyrically the song is a classic tale of heartbreak but with the weighty vocal from James itās transformed into a story full of pain and determination summing up his story perfectly.
Thanks to his guttural vocals in the songās final minute, James manages to make the song his own and hit you with some emotion. Definitely a better song choice than Little MixāsĀ CannonballĀ and maybe, just maybe, James wonāt be too embarrassed to put it on his debut album.
Weāre sure the song isnāt anything like what James would like to be recording but as winnerās singles go it could have been so much worse. Poor Jahmene would have released The BeatlesāĀ Let It Be.Ā Interestingly the usual annual group song has been skipped this year meaning that part of the proceeds ofĀ ImpossibleĀ will be going to charity Together For Short Lives.