The Campaign For Real Music
Intelligent Music for Grown-Ups

Did anyone catch the fantastic concert on BBC Four recently featuring Judy, Frank and Dean? This was entertainment at its very best.  Three of the finest singers, each at his or her peak, with sublime arrangements and spine-tingling performances.

The producers of the X Factor’s “swing” show, its contestants and those who think this genre of music suits their style, could all learn much from studying the Judy-and-pals show. Ms Garland’s performance of “The Man That Got Away” is a master class in voice control and how to use power in a ballad. Sinatra’s “I See Your Face Before Me” represents the best singing the best.

Cowell and co. take note: this genre possesses a few more than the same eight so-called “Swing” songs you reel out each year. Eight or so which, in most cases, have been covered by one of or other of Louis Walsh’s boy bands.

It’s easy to predict now the songs which will appear on next year’s big band show: “Ain’t That A Kick In The Head”, one of Deano’s weaker songs, but which appears on X Factor because it was covered by Robbie Williams and is dead easy to sing; “Smile”, presumably because it is a Westlife cover-song; “Mack The Knife”, because for some reason this has to appear on every show which has a big band; and of course “Feeling Good”, which features on The X Factor or American Idol every year (and has been covered recently by just about everyone) and which, given it is not the most tuneful of songs, invariably leads to departure from the show for the performer who chose it. And finally “That’s Life”, a (covered) Sinatra song reeled out year upon year, but unfortunately one which Old Blue Eyes produced long after the Big Band era was over.

Why select from the same boring bucket of dreary songs every year? The series usually leads to a recording contract for a few of the losers, releasing an album which comprises material they sang on the show. So why not dig up some decent new songs for them to sing? This may even create some classic cover versions of their own. “Working My Way Back To You”, as performed by JLS this year, will inevitably be released on their forthcoming album, and was a welcome change from the same-old-same-old.

Which is a reminder that the same can be said of the X Factor’s “disco night”. Let’s guess that next year’s show, like every other, will feature at least two Donna Summer tracks, will include “Relight My Fire” or “Could It Be Magic” for one of the groups, and may even provide an entertaining attempt at an Abba Song (is anyone going to be brave enough next year to cover “Dancing Queen”, ironically one of the hardest songs ever made to dance to?).

This year’s song selections in the show entitled ”disco week” were a marked improvement on previous years, including hits by Sister Sledge and Rose Royce. But the show did also classify Blondie’s pop song “Call Me” as disco (?), and the Rose Royce song which was chosen was in fact a smoochy love ballad. Although the selection of Jocelyn Brown’s “Somebody Else’s Guy” - 80s soul at its best - was a creative and welcome change from the norm.

The X Factor has a privileged opportunity to introduce the classic songs of yesteryear to a whole new generation. The show has uncovered some decent talent, and this year’s winner has the ability and desire to become one of the contemporary greats. But please give her some decent songs to sing. Since it seems inevitable that she will be required to record the requisite selection of cover versions (as already demonstrated by her first release) how about uncovering some songs that will make the most of her talent? Alexandra Burke’s producer: why not have a try at Keith Washington’s “Kissing You”, an amazing but overlooked power ballad, for the first Alexandra album?

Or perhaps there is simply a shortage of decent songwriters these days? Who are today’s Ashford & Simpsons? Today’s Fagen & Beckers? Today’s Rogers & Hammersteins?

In case the producers of the show are running short of ideas, we have suggested below some songs for inclusion in The X-Factor 2009’s Swing and Disco Shows. Do let us know if you have any suggestions of your own.

Big Band Show (artist’s version):

- Luck Be A Lady Tonight (Frank Sinatra)
- What Kind of Fool Am I (Sammy Davis)
- On the Street Where You Live (Vic Damone)
- Autumn In New York (Frank Sinatra)
- April in Paris (Ella Fitzgerald)
- A Night In Tunisia (Chaka Khan)
- Beyond the Sea (George Benson)
- Laura (Frank Sinatra/Vic Damone or any of dozens of others)

Disco Show (artist’s version)

- Bourgie Bourgie (Gladys Knight)
- Put Our Heads Together (O’Jays)
- Gone Gone Gone (Johnny Mathis)
- Boogie Oogie Oogie (Taste of Honey)
- Everybody Dance (Chic)
- Car Wash (Rose Royce)
- Can’t Let Go (Earth Wind & Fire)
- Jump To It (Aretha Franklin)

Radiocafe
December 2008

(2 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

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