The Sing-off

I'm a former Glee-club member and I do love a good choir/ensemble when I hear one.  You can probably guess that I am a fan of the show "Glee" but I have to say, I am really diggin' this season of "The Sing-Off".  I will admit that it wasn't the premise of this show that interested me at first, but one of it's celebrity stars. No...not Nick Lachey.  Ben Folds!  He is one of my favorite singers/songwriters and I have been following him since his Ben Folds Five days after seeing them at the North by Northeast Music Festival. (I won't include the year I discovered them here as I really don't want to date myself.)  I have a bit of experience with acappella music so I truly appreciate how difficult this competition really is.  I decided to blog along with the show tonight and record my thoughts from my armchair judges position while sipping my vanilla rooibos tea.  Enjoy!

                                                          Photo credit : NBC


Round 1 : Musical Medleys

On The Rocks: This awesome group of college boys is best known for their You Tube video that went viral of them doing Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance"
Elton John Medley - Actually showcased their musicality while still sticking to their goofy college boy roots with little touches like the star sunglasses.  They did seem to rush their tempo a bit but their vocals blended very nicely.

Committed:  This smooth group of Church boys have great sound and even better looks.
Usher Medley - This is probably the first time I've enjoyed their version of modern songs.  To me they just have never been able to break out of their own Gospel roots.  But tonight they seemed to loosen up and have fun.  With that being said, it still wasn't my favorite as I found their gospel music runs ill placed.  They do have an amazing bassist and he was beat on tonight.  I loved Ben Folds reference to "Birth control music".

Street Corner Symphony:  This awesome group of down home Nashville boys are as smooth at silk and fun to watch.
Beatles Medley - Man these guys are incredible!  It was nice to see a few more of the guys showcase their voices with solos.  Their percussionist was amazing and sounded like he was actually rocking a set of drums at points.  I enjoyed the simplicity of their arrangement and think they did the Beatles justice.  They were a little off tempo to start but reigned it in and did a splendid job.

The Backbeats: A recently formed group of great acappella singers with some great members, but occasionally you can tell that they haven't been together for long.
Lady Gaga Medley - Brave choice since OTR is known for doing Gaga.  But these guys are great singers and took that challenge.  They started off like they were on their way to a fire.  Holy fast!  And then slowed down a little to much and then had some pacing problems.  But vocally they seemed fairly clean and I did enjoy how they turned the medley into a mash up.  Courtney, the only female beatboxer in the competition, was amazing as usual.  This chick is awesome! Not their greatest performance but good.

Jerry Lawson and Talk of the Town:  This group just isn't fair.  How can you compete with the godfather of acappella music!  It is great to see Jerry Lawson making a comeback though.
Otis Redding Medley - These guys are just too good for words.  Great vocals and an awesome arrangement. Their transitions from song to song were genius and it was great to see a few more guys do some solos. I always love their classic choreography too.  While their pitch was off in a few small spots they are so good it's hard to nit-pick.

After round 1 On The Rocks is eliminated.  While I don't agree with them leaving at this point, I do agree that they don't deserve to be in the final.  Their choice of swan song ("The Final Countdown") as well as their exit speech made me remember why I love these guys!

Round 2 - Judge's Choice

Committed:
Lets Stay Together - Buttery and sweet and almost a little sugary.  I am warming up to these boys.  Great harmonies and good choice of just staying still and keeping it simple.  Still a little unsure if these guys are ready to win, but kudos and doing so well thus far.

Street Corner Symphony:
Down on the Corner - Great song choice for these guys!  I got so into this one I almost forget to write anything.  That was awesome and I would pay to hear that again! Great vocal and awesome arrangement and I loved the last cord.  These guys deserve a shot to win this.

The Backbeats:
Landslide- Wow this girl can sing and the group was very strong at backing her up.  If these guys don't continue on someone needs to sign Joanna to a contract.  That was an emotional and powerful performance. This is truly the style in which this group excels and I'm glad the judges chose to let them shine with this song. I don't envy the judges trying to figure out who should go to the final!

Jerry Lawson and Talk of the Town:
House of the Rising Sun - How do you even judge these guys!  They are too good for words and turned this song into something new and exciting.  Wonderful!  It wouldn't surprise me if these guys take to whole thing and even if they don't...Jerry's back baby!


At the end of Round 2... a shocker!  The judges made the right call and let everyone go through to the final! No one is eliminated.  How could you eliminate anyone when they were all so amazing.  Now it's in America's hands...which means I'm out of a vote as I'm Canadian.  Good luck to everyone.  You are all amazing groups and have done wonders for acappella music.

A special thanks to the Judges for actually picking songs in the Judge's Choice round that actually showcased each groups talents and gave them a fair shot at the finals! (Unlike other reality singing contests that shall remain nameless...)  I can't wait for Monday to see who wins this one.