X Factor USA

I have to say I really enjoyed the 1st season of X Factor USA. There are, in my opinion, some improvements that need to be made. First, it was nice to have Simon back in the judge's seat. However, he should have kept Cheryl Cole and dumped either Paula Abdul or Nicole Scherzinger. Now both of them will be gone for season 2. He was going to get Whitney Houston, but sadly, she passed away. It would be great to have Dannii Minogue in that spot as she is one of the better judges they've had. I really believe judge selection is going to play a crucial role in the success of this series, so I hope Simon chooses wisely.

 The other thing that really rubbed me the wrong way was their promotion of rap "artists". I believe it's comparing apples to oranges when a rapper competes with a singer. In my humble opinion, it takes a lot more talent to sing well than to rap well. Any singer can say rhymes to a beat, but can any rapper hit and sustain an F#? Probably not. If a singer wants to put some rap in their song, fine by me, but let's make the singing the priority.

 As what happens on every singing competition show, my favorite never wins. However, it is nice to see & hear what talent is out there and give them national exposure. Melanie Amaro won Season 1 and, although she was really good, I believe Josh Krajcik was the real winner. Melanie's voice was really good, but to me, she sounds like every other diva. Josh's voice was unique, authentic, & soulful, and I believe in the long run, he'll sell more albums. Here's a link to one of Josh's best perfomances (Wild Horses):



All in all, I have to say I like X Factor USA much better than American Idol or The Voice. Can't wait for Season 2.