Lucie Jones Sings My Funny Valentine on The X Factor

Lucie Jones gave one of her best performances so far on last night's X Factor with a sultry, smoking rendition of Rogers & Hart's classic jazz standard "My Funny Valentine".

On a night where the standard of most of the contestants was high, Lucie's performance was definitely up there with the best of them.

Wearing a long red dress and looking incredible (like a 50's femme fatale), Lucie sang the song with a maturity way beyond her eighteen years.

Which is why it was incredible to hear Simon Cowell's negative comments about Lucie's rendition of the classic.

"You sang it like an actress", he said disdainfully. Well, first of all, what's wrong with singing like an actress? Some actresses have been fantastic singers, and for a show tune like this one, surely you need to be both actress and singer?

I usually agree with Cowell's comments, but in dismissing Lucie like this, he was way off the mark. Watching the video again now I still get a shiver, particularly when Lucie hits and holds the high note towards the end of the song.

Louis Walsh for once hit the nail on the head when he said that there were no tricks, there was no dancing, it was just Lucie's voice and a great arrangement. And in Cheryl's words, it was "stunning".

Despite Cowell's misanthropy, this performance should definitely see Lucie Jones through to the next round. Still a strong contender to win the X Factor in my book.