As we all know The X Factor has been going for 10 years this year and itās close to finding the winner of its current series. Itās looking likely to be Sam Bailey who will be the first person to win from the Overs category since Steve Brookstein in the first series. To mark the 10th anniversary the marketing folk at Sony have decided to release The X Factor album which is a compilation of tracks from the stars of the series.
The 2-disc 34 track compilation features a mixture of the showās winners and the acts that have gone on to enjoy successful careers in the music industry. The acts youād expect are here including Leona Lewis, One Direction, JLS, Alexandra Burke, Rebecca Ferguson, Little Mix, Cher Lloyd and Olly Murs. The best tracks are Leona Lewisā Bleeding Love which opens the collection, Little Mixās infectious Wings and One Directionās ballady moment Little Things.
Weāre pleased to see that oft-ignored winners Matt Cardle, Joe McElderry and Shayne Ward are included on this compilation too each getting two tracks. Last yearās winner James Arthur features too with his winnerās single Impossible and recent single Youāre Nobody āTil Somebody Loves You.
As if to prove that winning isnāt always the quick road to success, the compilation has snubbed original winner Steve Brookstein and 2007 winner Leon Jackson. We already know that Brookstein is very bitter about his time on the show but surely one track from each could have been included? After all there are tracks here from Marcus Collins and Aiden Grimshaw, both of which have faded into obscurity pretty soon after their initial releases.
There are some other choice inclusions too with Amelia Lilyās You Bring Me Joy, two of Misha Bās āhitsā and Union Jās under-performing Carry You.
The X Factor album doesnāt really set out to prove what itās trying to. Weāre sure the intention here is to strengthen the showās position as a great platform for talent but half of the artists included on this compilation have had less than stellar careers after The X Factor. Amelia Lily hasnāt actually released her long-delayed debut album, Union J are struggling with theirs and Diana Vickers has taken a nosedive to the lower end of the charts. The X Factor has proven, if nothing else, that being on the show and even winning is no guarantee of a career and this patchy collection highlights that all too well.