Rhydian

Rhydian Roberts was the runner-up, and indeed most memorable contestant, from X Factor 2007. He was pipped to the post by the more fresh-faced Leon Jackson in the series finale, but thanks to some unique stylings and bold song interpretations the determined, classically-trained singer from Wales with a chiselled visage and striking white hair left a deep and potentially lasting impression. For his eponymous debut album though, a year in the making, it's a hard not to be disappointed that his bookish yet bombastic versions of tracks like Pink's Get the Party Started and the Pet Shop Boys' Go West--staples of his success, surely--have been left behind in favour of aligning his operatic tones with more traditionally suitable song vehicles. There are still some reminders of his scene-stealing slots on Saturday night TV--a sterling, sombre re-telling of Simon & Garfunkel's Bridge Over Troubled Water and pristine showcase for his voice, Somewhere from West Side Story. Add to this old musical standard The Impossible Dream (a popular choice, also recorded by fellow X-factor x-pat, crooner Andy Abraham) and straight covers of 'popera' veterans Meatloaf and Queen (with Not a Dry Eye in the House and Who Wants to Live Forever respectively) and though his voice is given a fine workout and chance to evidence those years of training, his personality doesn't quite break through with it as expected. Let's hope Rhydian can be rationalised as the contractual obligation and that this is just the start of his story. --James Berry