Louis Walsh has spoken out against his fellow X Factor judges saying that they are focusing too much on the voice.

In an interview with the Mirror, he says that Gary Barlow and Kelly Rowland are good at what they do but they need to look for likeability with their contestants:

"[Gary Barlow] has some way to go before he is the perfect judge...He has to realise it is a TV show, it is about the personality, the attitude and the thing I call likeability, as well as the voice...Kelly is too R&B, she knows that music inside out. But this is The X Factor, not Soul Train. She needs to be more mainstream. This is a Saturday night show for all the family...Some of the best singers in the world are backing singers, they are pitch-perfect but they don't have the likeability or the star quality to sell things".

However, he has nothing but praise for Tulisa Contostavlos:

"I love Tulisa. She is the most honest judge I have ever worked with. Nothing is contrived".

Walsh also added that there is a great "energy" to the show now and Simon Cowell doesn't need to come back:

"He should stay in America to make The X Factor USA big. It is better without him. Everyone is easier to work with, it is more relaxed. I enjoyed being like Laurel and Hardy but that's all in the past now".

Watch the elimination from The X Factor tonight on ITV1 at 8pm.

Check out these interviews with Louis Walsh as he discusses Botox, X Factor and his girlband, Wonderland: