The Sing-Off Season 3, Episode 2
Sonos leads us off on My Chemical Romance’s “Sing.” Pentatonix follows. Sick backing sound from both groups—thick, but suitably poppy. Soul’d Out is here—all fresh-faced, cookie cutter, and looking like their fresh out of i> Glee and North Shore is here… straight from their amateur bowling league? Just kidding guys—I dig the threads. North Shore has a bit less developed sound than I expected here, but I think this just isn’t their song (relatively speaking). Fine perc solo from a Pentatonix dude. The Deltones’ ladies lead the yellow and black crew out onto the stage. Nice solo there. The Messiah’s bring a blatantly ethnic sound that oddly fits in quite well. The Dartmouth Aires take the stage with a purpose and some serious attitude. Looks (and sounds) like they’re here to make a statement. The Collective walks with a similar purpose, led by a female soloist. Nice three-way perc breakdown. This is one of the best group numbers I’ve heard from this show. It’s tougher to pick a clear “winner” of the opening number this week, but I’d venture the boys from Dartmouth just might have stolen it.
The Dartmouth Aires lead us off tonight, starting with a classical, choral sound, moving on to an array of genres and vibes, including some Steppenwolf. They talk about the tradition of the longstanding group and review the many things they do together off-stage. Before culminating on one guy’s family struggles, and investment to singing on their behalf.
The guys take on “Higher Ground” by Stevie Wonder. Sick bass and they’re working the stage well, spreading out and synching up. Nice retention of sound even as they move quite quickly. Ton of energy on that stage—one guy leaps in the air while circling around in one of those moments that doesn’t look planned (in a good way). Very intense solo. The sound is getting a little redundant for me, but you almost don’t notice for the intensity on stage. Nice little crescendo to carry us across the bridge. The choreography may be a little excessive, by I admire the balls-to-the-wallness of their approach to this performance. That soloist is positively losing himself in the music, the moment, he owns it (he’d better never let it go). This was a little one-note for me, but for a debut performance, the guys asserted themselves quite nicely, and did plenty to keep themselves safe into another episode.
Shawn admires the energy and the solo in particular. He even loves the clothes. Really, Shawn? Sara credits the way in which they were physical but maintained their breath control. Ben says they came out of the gate kicking ass and, impressively, stayed there. He says he would have liked to hear the background dynamic go down a little on the second verse to give the soloist a hand, but he ultimately lauds the swelling sound on the bridge.
Pentatonix features a trio of best friends. We see them a cappellifying their order at a coffee shop. We see them finding the two others through connections and YouTube, including a beatboxing cello player.
“ET” by Katy Perry is the song of choice. Choral opening. The groups falls out to give the soloist a moment alone. The perc is back, and somebody get this dude a thermometer because his perc is sick. This group is suffering from the misfortune of performing after The Aires, because they sound thinner and look smaller through no fault of their own. The sound isn’t quite as developed as I would hope. Nice transition to a second male solo, then a female solo. This is good, but just comes a cross a little thin save for the perc, which they smartly spotlight a number of times throughout the song. Good performance, but I’m not exactly leaping out of my seat.
Sara praises the ambition of the group, and the choice for each group member to have a moment to shine. Ben calls the song a great ride, and says they grooved well, and the harmonies worked very well with the melodies. He praises the low end. He suggests the group take the song slower. Shawn gives props to the soloist, and the bass for operating so well while physically in motion.
Messiah’s Men are up next. We see them sitting in Minneapolis, sitting by the water, singing, well, “Wade in the Water.” We get a refresher on the conditions in Liberia. They liken singing to “setting the caged bird free.”
The guys sing Curtis Mayfield’s “People Get Ready.” the guys bob on the stage and, oddly sound a bit more contemporary-pop than I expected. Nice range of sound and blend. They go choral to start the second verse for a nice, big sound. The Sing-Off may have culminated the richest collection of basses in the world because, once again, it’s pretty great here. The solo is rich and warm. Nice transition into what I can only assume is Liberian. Great harmonies. My only real knock on this performance is that it was a bit mellow for the context, and the closest thing we really get to a moment is the final words, which pop from the soloist.
Ben praises the unconventional groove of the percussion and the full sound. He does point out that the key center slipped away from them at times. Shawn compliments the diversity of their sound and the way that music functions as a spiritual elixir for a group from this sort of background. He calls them special. Sara says music gives voice to something we sometimes don’t know how to articulate with words. She dug the sound and the closing moments of the song, but suggests perhaps they should have stood still to maximize the effect and the music on the finish.
Straight out of LA, here comes Sonos. They talk about putting a different spin on sounds and their use of electronic sound. They’re not using their effects pedals for the show, which is making them reinvent themselves a bit. Random observation, but no sob story for Sonos—one of the few groups you can say that for. Oh wait, here’s a touch of it with the note that they need to take off if the band will continue to thrive.
Chris Isaac’s “Wicked Game” is the song of choice. Ridiculous rain-falling vocal effect. Nice high harmonies leading into the first verse. Great perc and bass. Solo more than holds her own. Cool backing harmonies. The group stands in place for the most part. I’m not sure how that’s playing to the broader audience, but I like the simpler presentation, and appreciate how it builds to a bigger moment when they do move from their mic stands into a line. This solo is positively sultry. The group still sounds a little weak relative to groups that simply have more people on stage, but the diversity of sounds they’re presenting makes them really interesting to listen to.
Shawn lauds the ambition of the arrangement and gives a speechless moment for the perc. Shawn wanted a little more playfulness in the visuals and says there was a little too much spacing in the harmonies. He ultimately labels the performance “pretty good.” This does not bode well. Sara points out she sang with one of the group members back in college. She says she loves the arrangement and calls their sound sexy. She wanted to hear a tiny bit more dynamic range. Ben calls the beatboxing “the future” and loved the arrangement. He talks about the sparseness being a choice that leaves the women a bit exposed. When it works it kills, but he wanted a little more confidence.
Elimination time. The Dartmouth Aires and Pentatonix are safe. Who would have thought Sonos would be on the chopping block in the first round of eliminations? Sonos survives! Still, by far, the toughest elimination bracket so far. The (“Swing Low,) Sweet Chariot” is carrying them home. Nice mix of traditional sound, leading up to a sped up little riff on the song as they walk off stage. Man, I really am digging these guys. It stinks to see them heading home so soon.
Committed is here! Good to see the guys back. They sing a small smapling of Stevie Wonder’s “As.” Nice.
The Collective opens the second half. We hear them graving on some Ray LaMontagne and some Bonnie Raitt. They’re a bunch of Nashville musicians. They talk about their history as solo artists and how they don’t want to have the same voice. We’ll see how this transitions to their blend…
The group sings Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep.” Jazzy little intro. Nice solo, but I question the choice to pick this song in this context because it’s going to be darn near impossible for this soloist to really touch the original vocal, and this is the sort of song that will invite comparisons. The perc sounds less polished here than acts from the first half. Nice little bit of theatrics as the group lurches behind the soloist out of a corner into center stage. The harmonies are a little messy on the chorus, and the sound just isn’t as big as I would hope. Weird groove on the second verse. This is supposed to be your power-bass moment, as told by most of the collegiate groups that covered this song over the past year, and I don’t love this off-beat take on it. Nice little moment for the soloist to riff on toward the close. Not a bad performance, but not exactly sublime either.
Ben calls the sound solid. He says the soloist owned the lead. He didn’t feel lifted by the chorus. Shawn enjoyed the performance, and says the group will learn to sing together over time. He praises the depth of the solo. Sara points out the power of the vocals, and says the blend was good for how little experience they have. She lauds the solo, too. Ultimately, she says the song was missing something for her, which may come out of the arrangement.
Wilsonville, Oregon’s Soul’d Out is next. They’re covering “Party in the USA.” Before any collegiate groups watching this get any ideas, only high school groups and younger can get away with that. The kids talk about missing home as they embark on the journey to perform on The Sing-Off.
The group sings “Aquarius/Let the Sun Shine In”from Hair. Far slicker bass sound and richer perc than I would expect from artists this age—props, guys! The high harmonies are a little all over the place at first. The choreography is a little forced. Were this the ICHSAs I’d be eating this up with a spoon, but in the context of national TV, competing with pro and top-notch collegiate groups, this isn’t exactly cutting it for me. The sound gets rougher as it goes. The solos really go for it and are a real hit-and-miss on their power notes.
Shawn questions high school groups performing at this level, but credits them for making it work. Sara loves small town success stories, but says the chords got a little muddled. Ben does some quick math regarding the money that got the group to the stage, and the age of the performers and their parents. He liked the opening half of the song, but called the second half rough and says it blew up a little there.
North Shore is here. They’ve been singing together since the ‘70s and are here to show doo-wop is alive and well. The guys seem right at home with one another—genuinely chummy and kind. They make mention that the economy has hit the group hard, and one guy notes he may need to quit the group and get a job if they don’t succeed on the show.
The guys take on “Runaround Sue” by Dion. Slick little harmonies on the soft opening. Here comes the bass. Correction: here comes the awesome bass. Such a fun, old school sound. The guys get the crowd clapping on sheer charisma. Great crescendo going into the bridge. The soloist is showing fantastic personality. Lovely harmonies. These guys are like a several-times-more-likable Cat’s Pajamas in a sense. I’m not sure how long their old school, relatively simple approach to a cappella will keep them in America’s good graces, but this was still a ton of fun.
Sara gives props to the old school sound, and loves the personality of the soloist. She pleads with them not to stop singing. Ben praises how relaxed they were and that they had energy without flying off the handle. He loves the bass. Shawn says that doo-wop done right sounds crisp, clear, and timeless. He celebrates the presence of these veteran musicians on the show.
The Deltones take us home tonight. They talk about being friends first, musicians second. The founders were rejected from other groups, and found acceptance in each other—the group has helped students find a home at Delaware ever since. We hear them singing one of my all-time guilty pleasure favorites, Chantal Kreviazuk’s “Feels Like Home”—oh Dawson’s Creek, I see you. *tear*
The group sings “Feels Like Home.” I guess it was originally a Randy Newman song. Huh, that’s a little embarrassing. What the heck, I’ll still post it. Full disclosure, faithful readers. Nice, emotionally rich solo. This song choice—a sentimental ballad—really sets the group apart from anyone else to compete on the show. Nice little build to the chorus as the group sound swells and they get off their chairs to join the soloist. Real warmth between them. I would have loved to have seen one-to-four of the ladies join her for some standout, soft backing harmonies; not as much of a moment without something like that there. Holy key change, soloist girl. Not so sure about that. Nice ending as the group falls out and the soloist is all alone. Very pretty.
Sara likens the experience of finding home in an a cappella group to her own background. She calls the arrangement beautiful. Ben says the group was appropriately vulnerable and liked blend, though he points out the harmonies threatened to swallow the solo toward the end, forcing her into her head voice. Shawn says the song just felt good, but he looks forward to hearing what more the group has to show us.
Elimination time. North Shore and The Collective are safe. Off screen, The Deltones say, “STFU, we just made you all cry!” But it’s OK, because they survive. Soul’d Out, you’re a top notch high school group, but it is the right call for you to go home tonight. Hope to see some of you again in ICCA shows to come, if not future years of The Sing-Off They exit on Ozzy Osborne’s “Mama, I’m coming Home.” Nice sound once again, particularly the perc and the solo. Standing O from the judges.
It’s top 40 and 60s night next week. Interesting.
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