I saw him live once and he is actually very good. He sings well and is a very good dancer and performer. I think he writes much of his own music as well and I don't think I've ever heard him release a cover version.? As for his music,he has his own version of blue eyed soul and he is definitely influenced by early seventies funk and jazz fusion, especially artists such as Curtis Mayfield, Brothers Johnson and Funkadelic.I doubt if Simon Cowell or Louis Walsh have even heard of any of them, let alone listened to their music.?All in all I think that puts him way above the X factor sh1te.