Firstly, let me say that, until this year, I paid very little attention to the X Factor, but this year I’ve been a lot more interested in following it.

I wasn’t a huge fan of the concept, but I’m quite happy to say that the finalists, particularly those in the final show and a few others, have very credible talent.

Alexandra Burke is a worthy winner of the X Factor. Not only does she have an obvious talent (regardless of whether it’s your particular style or “flavour”) but she comes across as an extremely genuine person as well.

I know that the Leonard Cohen and Jeff Buckley versions of “Hallelujah” are arguably better than this cover, though I actually like all of them and think there’s room for all three to co-exist. However, those who are blaming Alexandra for covering it need to get their heads tested and think for a minute about how the show works. It will be Simon Cowell and various management that chose which song would be covered by the winning contestant, sorting out all the legal issues and so on. You have to consider, therefore, that the original artists (or at least their record labels) were happy for the cover to be recorded, otherwise it wouldn’t have gone ahead.

What really makes me laugh is that some people went to iTunes and spent 79p on the single just so that they could leave a negative comment. Why do that? Now, I’m not saying that iTunes reviews should only be good, of course, but the fact is that nearly everyone buying this would have either seen and heard it on TV, or decided that they hated the genre and format and avoided it. SO WHY BUY IT?

Personally, I think Alexandra sings the song very well. Bear in mind that, though she will have had some say in the style, it wasn’t her that made the ultimate decision. Personally, I think the duet she performed with Beyonce showed off more of her vocal range and talent. I think this is just a springboard for an album in 2009, hopefully with at least some original material.

Everyone is entitled to their opinions, but simply leaving iTunes “reviews” like “why do people buy this rubbish?” is counterproductive. If you like Alexandra, buy the single. If you don’t, don’t.

Simple.

Prefer to get the CD single? It’s £3.99 from Amazon. Hallelujah (Single)