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The biggest musical challenge ever to hit the stage features 10 teams, great music... and no instruments. Recaps by Chico Alexander & Gordon Pepper, GSNN
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Round
of 10: The Signature Round Last year... Eight groups came together in a competition unlike no other. Using nothing more than the power of their voices, they would have to convince a panel of three industry heavy hitters that they were worth $100,000, a Sony Music recording contract, and the title of "Sing-Off" championship. Puerto Rico-based Nota locked down the public vote and became the first ever champions of the show... and a cappella geeks all over the world rejoiced. Get ready, because it's about to happen all over again. The judges are back, and ten groups (up from last year's eight) will compete to stay in the game, and at the end of the rainbow, a pot of gold, $100,000 and a recording contract from Sony Music. We have the stage. Do you have the chops? It's time to SING-OFF! As we start the competition with a group sing of "I Got the Music in Me", we meet the teams... - Eleventh Hour - Fairmont HS, Kettering,
OH Tonight, I, Chico Alexander, alum of the UNC Achordants, will supply the play-by-play, with Gordon Pepper, who's known a music chorale or two in his life as well (and he's a good singer to boot), handling the color commentary. Drawing #1 tonight is ELEVENTH HOUR, a high-school based group from Kettering, OH. They call themselves "The Breakfast Club" of music, and they're the youngest group on the show. Will they parlay that into energy and harmony performing? They sing "Baby" by Justin Bieber. What they say: Ben says that the bass and the drums were together. Nicole compares the group to "the real-life Glee". Shawn called their look fresh and says that they are focused for such a young group. What G says: It was a good song selection - getting something current to sing. However, the arrangement itself didn't work; it was too slow and staggering. What really didn't work is that the base was completely off-pitch with the rest of the group, creating a dissonance which was off-setting throughout the song. And apparently, the judges are on their Glee pills, since we're not going to get anything productive from them if they don't many any criticisms on the group. Next, we head to Eugene, Oregon and try not to duck from the University boys of ON THE ROCKS. They've been described as "a rolling ball of contagious energy" and "a singing fraternity". They became YouTube sensations when they performed "Bad Romance" by Lady Gaga on campus and someone recorded it. Can they turn that into a title? What they say: Shawn was scared at first, but they pulled it off, making it interesting and fun. Ben thought it was entertaining, but they were a little pitchy starting with the basses. Nicole says Gaga would be pleased to know that she's influencing frat boys to ... do... THAT... on stage. What G says: As good of a first choice that Eleventh Hour had, this was a rotten song selection: The song is played out, the choreography was creepy, and the hand motions made them look like a group of drag queens scorned, possibly rejected from RuPaul's Drag Race. The singing was alright, but everything else about the performance detracted it for me. Next, we're heading to Seattle for a family affair that is GROOVE FOR THOUGHT. They've perfected a jazzier-style of vocalism. Several of them are music teachers. One, Kelly, even drafted his own daughter, Amanda to be a new singer. Will this magnificent seven do justice to "I Wish" by Stevie Wonder? What they say: Ben thought that lead vocalist Peter and bass Jeff were great and the arrangement was also on point. BUT it needed a little more edge. Nicole says that they should stick with that they're doing, because she's a fan. Shawn called it solid and reminiscent of Take 6. What G says: One word: Smooth. This is a group that lets their musical talent speak for themselves. They don't need no flashy choreography or silly movements, and the interlude was sweet. They remind me of a young Manhattan Transfer or as the judges say, Take 6. I want to hear more of that and I can't wait to see what happens when they go contemporary. Next, we go to Boston and get a lesson from PITCH SLAPPED from Berklee College of Music. They hail from the #1 contemporary arts school in the nation, so expectations are high. They can play other instruments as well, so they have a competitive edge. But will they make history... or will they BE history? They'll rock it out with Cobra Starship's "Good Girls Go Bad". What they say: Nicole... says nothing of value, other than that she loves how they weren't serious with it. Now she also wanted to hear the accompaniment. Shawn saw that there was a top and a bottom, but there was nothing in the middle. Ben expands, saying that it's all about dynamic. Not their strong point. What G says: They have the girls vs. guys dichotomy which sounded nice. The female's voice was off-kilter and didn't mesh with the group. The song itself was okay, but there was no volume variety for the song; no emotion, no energy, no 'pop'. The first song is supposed to define who you are, and I didn't get that. I think that could be trouble. Now we go to Oakland and catch up with R&B legends JERRY LAWSON & TALK OF THE TOWN. Jerry himself was in The Persuasions, having recorded 24 albums. He walked away from it, but then he ran into Talk of the Town, who has been singing the music of The Persuasions for 30 years. It's almost like Stan Lee meeting his creations. They'll sing the Drifters' "Save the Last Dance for Me". What they say: Shawn calls Jerry an inspiration in this room, being a living testimony that second chances do exist. The group presents a style and class that only experience can groom and teach. Ben cites that the unfair advantage is that they own the genre. Nicole is at a loss for words. (C-Note: RINGERS! That is all...) What G says: This is a traditional barbershop-style song, and as you would expect from a group that's been together for a very long time. This was clean, smooth, and put together. They seemed to lose their rhythm near the end, but they got it back together before the end of the song. You knew what you were going to get from them from the get go, and they delivered. Like Ben Folds Five (and like Groove for Thought), I want to see what they can do in the current genre. Now it's time for the judges to make their first cut. Four of these groups will make it to the next round... One won't. It's time to vote off... THE WEAKEST LINK... Wait, wrong show. On the safe-list... Jerry Lawson & Talk of the Town... Eleventh Hour... On the Rocks... and Groove for Thought. Pitch Slapped just got... well, you know. In Sing-Off tradition, each group has prepared a swan song to sing themselves off the stage. Pitch Slapped pick up their mics one more time with "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye" by Steam. What G says: Ranking the groups... Next up, we're going to Yale and the first ever college a cappella group. With over 100 years behind them, they are THE WHIFFENPOOFS. The onus is on them to uphold the quality of the group. That includes performing in white tie and tails. And gloves. How delightfully square. They have a particular style of them, and they'll display it by singing "Grace Kelly" by Mika. What they say: Ben says that it's refreshing to hear the things that they're not doing (vocal percussion, mostly). Nicole called it brilliant. Shawn says the dynamics are... well, dynamic. What G says: I really, really liked the background vocals and the choreography, which was seamless. I did not like Brandon the main vocalist, who couldn't handle the lead vocal and who's voice and tone cracked under the weight of the high notes. They should make it through the next round, but perhaps a change in lead vocalist may be in order. Next, we're going to Cherry Hill, NJ and meet the MEN OF NOTE, who have nothing to do but serenade ladies. They're also lacrosse players... and swimmers... and all around athletes. They're very competitive. They're "real singers", but they have to prove it against real singers with Billy Joel's "For The Longest Time"... now I did this as #05 in the A's, so I'm expecting greatness... What they say: Nicole says that they could be a little tighter and not as thin. Shawn thought it was a little stiff. Ben says that they're tenor-heavy, calling it an arrangement issue. What Chico says:... dude, where's my greatness? What G says: The problem with going after a group with tight choreography is that anything else after that looks commonplace. I liked what they did to the Billy Joel song, but I would have liked them to have taken even more liberties with the song, really jazz it up and bring it out of it's element and put a stamp on who they are and what they can do. it was good, but I don't know if good is going to get it done now when they could - and should - have made it great. Music City USA produces the eclectic sound of STREET CORNER SYMPHONY. They draw heavily on Southern traditions of bluegrass, rock, and gospel. They like to "un-practice", which is to not sing and drink beer. One member was in a band for a while, but their label wasn't releasing anything he wrote. Will redemption be his with "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" by Tears for Fears? What they say: Ben thought it was interesting... except for phantom cymbals. Shawn appreciates the group's honesty. Nicole says that lead singer Jeremy has a beautiful voice. What G says: Flat, flat, flat. This felt generic and by the numbers. No pop, no vibration, no nothing. They couldn't keep either the rhythm or the pitch going for the entire song. The end slowdown was nice, but for me, it didn't bail them out of the first 95% of the song. Worst performance of the night so far. Going to the west coast with college all-stars THE BACKBEATS. Kenton was from USC. He saw season 1 of the show, and called his friends from all over LA to get a group together. Courtney & Kelly were ON season 1... Now they're back and ready to try it again for the judges with Beyonce's "If I Were A Boy". What they say: Nicole says that they set the bar with their power. Ben called it "moving". Shawn thought it was "off the chain". What G says: This was way too slow, sort of like trying to get caramel out of your teeth after eating a candy. It felt that slow and mushy. It's a great song choice, which makes this even more painful for me. While I liked the harmonies converging in the accompaniment, I thought Joanne couldn't handle the vocals. Like Brandon, who couldn't handle the high notes, Joanna made the low section sound like murky water. I agree that it was emotionally powerful, and I think they will get through this round, but you can only get through on emotion over pitch and technicality for only so long. What Chico says: I hate to say this, but this is a group composed of people who underwhelm. The only thing you're going to get is... mass mediocrity. Last up, it's COMMITTED from Huntsville, AL. They're committed to G-d, to music, and to each other. They're rooted in gospel and think that it gives them the advantage. Their pastor can't wait to see how it turns out. It's going to be the first time they've sung contemporary pop music in a while. This oughta be fun. They'll close the show with "This Love" from Maroon 5. What they say: Shawn's at a loss. Ben and Nicole join him in their appreciation. What Chico says: I'll have an adequate sandwich with extra cacophony in the middle. That's a reasonable explanation of what we heard from them. It started out well... It ended well... The rest of it was meh. What G says: Ouch. That opening was ugly. This is sort of the reverse problems that the other groups in this section has - the lead vocals may be good enough to bail out an uneven chorus that gave out more klunks that Geoff Edwards on Treasure Hunt. I liked what they did to 'This Love', and I liked the pitch shifting at the end. Too bad we couldn't have it earlier on in the song - like from the beginning onwards. Ranking the Groups: Next comes another cut. Five enter the ring of fire... only four will return Wednesday. Those four are... The Backbeats... Committed... The Whiffenpoofs... and Street Corner Symphony. The Men of Note head back to the malls with their swan song, "Take a Bow" by Rihanna. Now for a little insight, Mr. Pepper... What G says overall... Groove for Thought To see this episode in its entirety, visit www.nbc.com/singoff. |
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