The Sing-Off Season 3, Episode 3

Event Reviews

The show opens with Keane’s “Somewhere Only We Know” (I see you Stereotypes 2010!). The groups cycle through the solo spot. Vocal Point has green blazers and ties for a spruced up look. The Yellow Jackets have fancy new bomber jackets. The Kinfolk 9 front man is sounding a little flat throughout this. Uneven showing from The Yellow Jackets tenor—this song is more or less made for this, and he’s nailing spots, but isn’t hitting all of it.. The outfit changes are making it challenging to keep track of the female contributors aside from the front women of Delilah. Not bad, but certainly the weakest group number we’ve had this season thus far.

Nick Lachey reintroduces the judges and talks about the theme of the episode, starting with current top 40 material, then songs of the sixties.

Vocal Point is up first this week, and they talk about missing one of their group members due to the loss of his father. The group talks about wanting to stick around long enough for him to rejoin us, and we see the guys praying for him.

The BYU boys sing “Never Say Never” by Justin Beiber. Nice stereo effects on the open. Solid solo and the choreography is slick, if a little excessive and not particularly innovative. Good perc. Nice build at the end of the chorus and some more cool sound effect work heading into the second verse, at which point they switch soloists for a few measures. Nice choral effect as they take a V-formation on stage. Great decision to spread out into a wall of sound and just free style dance for a second—they look and sound their best at this moment and as much as it’s a nice moment, I kind of wish we had more of it, and trusted the music a little more.

Ben says he smiled the whole time, thought it was fun and the guys sang the hell out of the song. Sara comments on how much fun the group was to watch and says they’re like “wholesome ThunderCats” and says it sounded stilted at part, but overall she thought it was awesome. Shawn continues the trend of commenting on the comedic value of the song selection. He says it was good and credits the soloist. Praise for the most part all around, but nothing particularly glowing, which is interesting to note.

Delilah is up next. It turns out last week’s showing was their first live performance. Neat. We see the girls practicing and struggling to figure out their arrangement and the execution thereof. They talk amongst themselves about the need to take risks and keep getting better.

Delilah takes on“What Do You Want From Me” by Adam Lambert. This is an example of a dude song falling quite comfortably in a female soloist’s range, so I’m excited to hear what they’ll do with it. Really interesting opening—just one member on stage, then one-by-one more members make their entrances and harmonize quite nicely. The downfall of this strategy is it’s tricky to balance things out and hit a blend until they’re all onstage, but it is an ice dramatic effect. Last week’s soloist gets some power notes as everyone settles into a groove. The girls are sublime when they get big, and, like last time, they’re working the dynamics quite well. I worry this is a little complex to really connect with a general audience. Nice finish, dwindling the sound back down until we’re down to just one of the ladies again. Very interesting presentation.

Shawn talks about how this performance gave a demonstration on how harmonies are built and how each part is so interdependent. He says they captured the feeling of the song and it was a great job. Ben says he understood the song better hearing it from Delilah than the original. He talks about the depth coming off the bench for this group, and lauds the innovation of the group. Sara talks about her excitement at everyone getting to see how stunning a group of women can be. She lauds the opening solo and the bass.

Urban Method takes the stage next. We see them struggling to work out their arrangement and who will sing lead versus rap. The group calls this week of the show “survival of the fittest.”

Urban Methods tackles “Just Can’t Get Enough” by The Black-Eyed Peas. Female lead on the intro, with one of the guys playing off her. The guy takes the solo on the first verse. A lot of theatrics again, particularly mixing between those male and female leads and—I’m sorry, I just don’t like it. It’s like the least positive aspects of The SoCals, as interpreted by less polished stage performers. I don’t want to see people try to be sultry—I want them to naturally yield that effect. Very good percussion. The rap is good again, but I can’t help thinking that, despite this being what makes the group most unique, it’s also one of my biggest problems with this crew—the cover sounds too much like an imitation, rather than a reinvention of the original. Abrupt freeze stop, which is a pretty cool finish.

Sara really liked the way the song allowed each singer a moment to shine. She praises the female lead and the bass sound. Shawn says the group has a unique niche, different from anything else on the show. He praises the bass and the perc. Ben dug it as well and comments on the punk rock attitude of the rapper and theatrical presentation. He talks about how they sound like music out of a studio on account of the ambitious sounds they pull out.

Here comes Afro-Blue. Similar to other groups, they talk about feeling the pressure this week after seeing eliminations happen last time. Another dimension—they don’t do pop. This is a new frontier for them.

Estelle’s “American Boy” is the song of choice. Interesting little jazzy riff, littered with scat on the opening and a complemented by a very smooth bass. The sound is just so jazz –it’s a personal preference deal, but I have trouble getting on board with that. Solid solo. The choreography is pretty striking and all the more impressive because it’s reasonably fresh and new new looking. The record scratch is gold. They break loose into a funky little groove which comes across quite nicely on the finish.

Shawn has trouble removing his face from the desk because he’s so excited. He talks about the group taking him back to a jazz era. He says there was “nothing wrong with that performance.” Sara calls it amazing and talks about their ability to move through different dimensions. She praises the movement and calls the performance on the whole “so damn cute.” Ben says he was blown away. He found the blend amazing, the arrangement stellar, and said the jazz helped drive the point home.

The Yellow Jackets are here. We see the guys prepping for “Dynamite” stressing out over their solo, and refusing to settle for anything mediocre. They talk about wanting to be the first collegiate group to win this show, and doing it for the alumni and the people back in Kenya. Milk that cow dry, gents.

The guys sing “Dynamite” by Taio Cruz. Nice robotic sound on the solo, though he breaks character and goes with a classical sound when he gets big. I don’t love it. The chorus solo is pretty middling. The choreography is pretty tight—nice, if cheesy dynamite explosion visual effect in which the guys peel out from the center of a cluster. The original solo gives up on the robotics all around in favor of theatrical intonation for the rest of the song. The tenor is still cookie cutter clean. Very nice “put your hands in the air” hand reaching moment and nice break down out of it. The theatrics from the leads are just so college humor—and I mean that in a not so good way. That’s the kind of material you show in front of a home crowd to stir up some laughs, but that I’d advise a group against bringing to the ICCAs—much less The Sing-Off.

Ben praises the guys for selling everything. He says the solo voice was really interesting. He says he wanted more stomp in the second verse. Shawn comments on the transition from monotone to soaring classical sound on the solo—only he likes it. OK. He wanted a little more form the bass, but did like the fun of the performance all around. Sara says that they’re all heart and she found the front men cute together. She thought the groove was uneven, but liked the track sound all around.

Kinfolk 9 wraps up our first half. They talk about being the underdogs and expecting to go home last week (ironically, after last time’s intro talked about needing to win it all). They talk about needing to make up for years of not being a group together before, and we see them rehearsing in small sections then putting the pieces together.

We get “Price Tag” by Jessie J. We open on the group sitting around the stage with a fun little spoken intro. The solo opens a little weak and breathy. The group is definitely far more together this time than they were last week. Nice groove and bass sound. Solo loses itself a little at the end of the chorus. Transition to a different, more powerful solo for the second verse. She’s rocking this. Nice little rap interlude. That first solo is back from some harmonies that—just don’t harmonize. I like that the group looked like they were having more fun this time around and made more effort to blend. Still this was far more average than sublime.

Sara praises the top moments of this song, but says the group didn’t grab her from the get-go, and asks that the first soloist be less careful and let herself go more. Agreed, Sara. Ben cites the group’s improvement from last week, and touts the bass and beatbox. Shawn wanted more dynamics, but says it was good.

Here comes the 1960s, and the bulk of those interviewed talk about really not knowing what the sixties are all about. Should be interesting. North Shore called and said “why not wait for next week?”

Delilah is back in pastel dresses to sing “Heat Wave” by Martha and the Vandellas. They pull of this sound with surprising authenticity—these don’t seem like the same ladies who belted Adam Lambert in the previous hour. Very girly choreography—which, mind you, fits perfectly here. The bass sound really sticks out in a positive way, giving the women a fuller sound than all-female groups can usually hope for. Fine shifting solo work and movement for an all around stellar showing. Less innovative than anything else we’ve heard the group do up to this point, but completely serviceable given they had to cover sa ong from the sixties.

Ben talks about this song representing the heart of Delilah’s challenge because they innovated so much on other songs, but this one was relatively static. Despite being fun, they were stuck with the original material, and not having the chance to meet what they achieved in previous efforts. Sara liked it a lot, but says the song wasn’t as impactful as other selections from the group. Shawn liked it, too, and particularly liked the bass, but says the preponderance of sopranos made it really tough for them to the give the song the warmth he wanted to hear.

Urban Method sings “Dance to the Music” by Sly and the Family Stone. Weird squeaky sounds on the start. Urban Method just doesn’t look right in hippy gear. Great perc and bass sound as always, and they make way for an ice little moment for one of the guys to do some scratch effects. Interesting choice to switch off on the solos which are mostly well done, but some—particularly the bass and guitar guy—sound far more like comical parodies than, well, anything good. Good little groove toward the close, but they just never arrive at the sort of moment I felt they were building toward.

Shawn praises the performance, particularly citing the bassist’s transition from boy to man throughout the song. He dug the way the song moved. Ben liked that the group showed its singer side here, and says it was the group’s best performance yet. Sara liked it, too, and said it drove home the versatility of the group.

Vocal Point takes a swing at “The Way You Look Tonight” by Frank Sinatra. Classy look with black suits and fedoras. I’ll give jazz a pass for a Sinatra tune. Nice, slick solo, great horn sounds. The tempo seems to get a little too fast at a few moments, but I have a feeling the guys are trying to squeeze their best spots into the time constraints of the show. Here comes the kick line. Great theatrical moment as the soloist loses his fedora to rip loose on his money notes.

Sara swoons for the guys, calling the performance theatrical without being a caricature. Shawn says it was really good—swank, masculine, and playful. Ben comments on the guys’ ability to move through different sounds of the sixties from samba to slow sing, and ultimately calls the performance “quite sick.”

Afro-Blue is bringing sexy back with “I Heard it Through the Grapevine” by Marvin Gaye. Very slick little backing track on this one. The soloist is quite good, but I want him to let a little bit looser on this—maybe it’s coming. The perc is phenomenal over the course of the chorus. Interesting little choral effects at the end. This was smooth and enjoyable all around, but I just sort of wanted them to attack the music a little more.

Ben says the arrangement was really ambitious and that they nailed it at points, while going over the audience’s head at others. He says it was soulful and executed well, but the group over-thought it a little. Shawn dug the solo, saying it was cool and smooth but very masculine, and praises the key changes. Sara talks about the group’s commitment to each moment of the song, singling out the bass, the solo, and the perc, though she wanted them to bring the sound back to the sixties at the end.

The Yellow Jackets are here with Frankie Valli’s “Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You.” Excellent trombone and trumpet effects on the beginning. The tenor front man is back and this song is as good a vehicle as they’re likely to find for him on this show. He serenades Sara Bareilles which is simultaneously adorable and uncomfortable. Good, smooth backing sound from the group, and the low end and perc are well taken care of. The guys get a slow move grapevine working. Nice emotion and showmanship on the solo as he channels every bit of Heath Ledger’s star turn in 10 Things I Hate About You.

Sara calls the performance fantastic from the choreography to the look to the woodblock. She felt it was really polished and applauds the solo. Ben dug the brass on the opening. He credits the percussionist and bass, and says the falsettos were right on. Shawn dug everything about it.

Kinfolk 9 brings us The Beatles’ “Let It Be.” They’re back to their soloist from the first episode. Simple sound from the group—which they still don’t quite master. They don’t quite earn the explosion that they let loose on the second verse, with the soloist positively losing his sh*t and the group sort of screaming around him. I think I would real dig this soloist as a solo recording artist. I do not think this performance did anything to further the group’s cause in surviving on this show.

Shawn says they transformed a Beatles song into gospel. Sara loves the solo and applauds the group’s transformation into a gospel choir. Ben also loved the solo—particularly his soul. He wanted the group to open a little more and make their voices less focused. He says it was their best performance yet. Really, Ben?

Elimination time. Kinfolk 9 are the easy elimination from my perspective, but the judges’ commentary has me a little nervous—Vocal Point or The YJs could be getting the unfair early boot (I think Urban Method was weaker than either, but the judges are definitely in love with them). Vocal Point and Urban Method are safe. Phew. The Yellow Jackets are safe. OK, no way Afro-Blue or Delilah leaves, so we should be fine. Afro-Blue is safe. Delilah does not look happy to be left standing there. After a long dramatic pause, Delilah is, indeed, safe.

Kinfolk 9 sings it’s swan song. They give us an, um, innovative take on Beck’s “Loser.” I do appreciate the group’s frank sentiment but this ain’t so good, and I could do with about 40 percent less hamming it up. No real disrespect intended, but thank goodness they’re the group heading home.

Next week’s episode will continue the top 40 and sixties themes. That’s a wrap for this week.

By Mike Chin on October 3, 2011 in Event Reviews • Permalink