Gennaro Castaldo Watch: Cardle'll go far

The Belfast Telegraph wants answers:

So what does the future hold for the Essex painter [That Cardle bloke who won the X Factor]? Will he be hung out to dry like McElderry, Brookstein and 2007 winner Leon Jackson, or will it be a smooth finish like Leona Lewis and Alexandra Burke?

They could refer to this handy venn diagram to find out the answer to that question:

Instead, they turned to HMV's head of steadying the sinking ship, Gennaro Castaldo:

HMV’s Gennaro Castaldo doesn’t believe Cardle, who previously sang with indie rock band Seven Summers, will go the same way as Ward.

“With his distinctive voice and down-to-earth blokeiness, the key to his success is that he appeals to fans of all ages and backgrounds,” Gennaro said.

“Most importantly, he’s not seen as some kind of saccharine, manufactured pop star, but a credible performer who’s likely to go down just as well on a festival stage as he is on a television variety show.

“With good guidance and the right material, recording a Biffy Clyro track for the Christmas number one is an inspired choice, for example, Matt has every chance of becoming a really huge and established star, particularly as there’s a gap in the market for a successful male solo artist.”

The most interesting aspect is the way that Castaldo suggests that Cadle has recorded "the Christmas number one", but there's much else to muse on here. Isn't part of the reason there's a "gap" for a "successful male solo artist" because Brookstein, Elderberry and Jackson flopped like drunks wearing sandals running through a polished hallway of banana skins?

And the idea that the "unmanufactured" Cardle just needs "good guidance" is just bemusing - his strength lays in his not being part of the pop machine, so he just needs the machine to point him in the right direction?

Look, I know at the moment Castaldo's employers are so desperate to flog something - anything - they'd try and talk up the chances of a Su Pollard best-of, but clearly Cardle has the same X Factor as all the other solo male artists who have won the singing contest. That's X, where X = rapidly diminishing charm and a fast journey back to the late shift at Frisco Burger.