The Sing-Off Season 3, Episode 9
It’s R&B (both contemporary and retro) night on The Sing-Off. Our group number is an R&B medley that kicks off with James Brown’s “I Feel Good.” The Dartmouth Aires soloist gets the lead opening up, then hands it off to the Pentatonix front man. A mix of Afro-Blue, Urban Method, and Vocal Point takes the lead from there, shifting through “ABC” by the Jackson 5. Next up is “Crazy in Love” by Beyonce. Really fun, particularly when Afro-Blue has the lead on it. The rap guy gets a nice little spotlight for the Jay-Z bit. It may seem counterintuitive that the group numbers get stronger as the cast shrinks, but, in a sense, I think the ability to spotlight eah group more, and the smaller numbers all around are creating more cohesion on these big group sings. I dig it.
The Aires kick things off, singing R. Kelly’s “Ignition (Remix)”--not the sort of high energy song I would necessarily anticipate from them. The leads are charismatic, but just don’t sound quite as urban as I’d really like make this work. Fun little bit of choreographed walking on the “bounce, bounce” part. Smart cut forward to the “after the show” part, and a pretty sublime moment as the guys thrust their pelvises in slow motion as they slide their way up a scale. This is the kind of moment that’s a little silly and not necessarily family friendly, but goes along way toward asserting identity as a collegiate all-male group, which, by its nature, probably isn’t going to be entirely sanitized. I dig it. The breakdown is a lot of fun, and it feels like they really hit their groove there. Fun little succession of “beep, beep”s on the close. It took a little time for the guys to work their way into this song, but I really liked how it wrapped up.
Sara thought the lead was fantastic and appreciated the personality he showed. Shawn says the guys created lots of uncomfortable moments (but seems to mean it in a good way). He says the performance was playful and strategic. He said he could have used more bounce in the drums, and seen more dimensions out of it, but maintains that it was fun. Ben says it was entertaining and the group was grooving, but the bottom end and drums aren’t their forte. He credits the group members for consistently being themselves.
Urban Method is next with “Knock You Down” by Keri Hilson featuring Kanye West. Sort of sudden, jolting start to the song. The group’s rapper sure does have stage presence, and you can notice the energy level gets palpably higher when he’s in charge. Excellent perc as always. Il ike the moments when the soloist and the sound effects guy double up, but the solo in general is coming across a little flat to me this week. The backing female vocal to accompany rap is coming across too conscious for me—something about her sound just never quite clicks for me, and it’s not necessarily that she’s a weaker singer, but more like her style just doesn’t fit Urban Method’s sound—at least not as a lead. The soloist really thrives in the endgame, nailing the closing power piece of the song wrap things up well.
Shawn says he’s proud of the group’s maturation, and particularly the soloist’s development and the rapper’s ability to make each rap his own. Ben credits the beatboxer with really working out the groove of the song. He says he likes when the group pushes itself to greater complexity, and the performance had a lot of heart. Sara says she loves the decision to play with the arrangement and that different people had shots at the spotlight, and that they used the arrangement to create drama.
Here comes Vocal Point, singing Bobby Brown’s “Every Little Step.” Very nice sound effect work, and it’s cool how much music the guys pack into an arrangement from the word “go.” I really like the tenor of the lead’s voice on this one, which isn’t quite a fit for the song, but he feels at home with the music, and adds almost a boy band flavor to the piece (in a good way). The guys work out the choreography remarkably well for how little time they have to prep these numbers. Very fun little bit where the bass gets the lead, and a nice little perc-dance-cut feature, which segues into an excellent dance breakdown. Excellent change-up riff on the tempo toward the close. Everything about this was fun, which is a real accomplishment singing so far out of your native genre(s).
Ben lauds the multi-tasking of the singing/dancing beatboxer. He was really impressed with the group’s ability execute the choreography while singing so well. Sara applauds the group’s ability to deliver that choreography and that musical performance. She says she heard a couple fleeting moments of pitch issues on the chorus. Shawn says the song was impressive and particularly praises the breakdown.
Afro-Blue is here with Mariah Carey’s “We Belong Together.” Very chill intro, such a slick solo. The rhythm section is really driving this in the background, and I like the way in which the group steps forward as the sound swells—nice way to make the visuals match the music. On the chorus, the high parts sound a little grating to me, but it’s a minor quibble. Everyone in the background gets a little moment to shine on the second verse and the transition to the second chorus is just plain mean. The soloist riffs really nicely on the finish. My only qualm with this one is that we didn’t quite arrive at an emotion climax, which sort of fits the song, but makes it a little harder for the audience to connect and really remember the performance.
Sara says she loves the group, and their ability to continue the progress they demonstrated last week. She compliments the soloist, drummer, and bass individually. Ben talks about the group utilizing its strengths, and using jazz as a part of its toolkit rather than being a jazz group. Shawn says the group seems like it’s starting to understand how to lock in and ride the song, rather than working harder than they need to on an overly complex arrangement.
Pentatonix is taking on Usher’s “OMG.” Really interesting unaccompanied, soft opening before the bass drops in and the group slides into place. They keep things soft until the second verse which picks up to an insane tempo. For my money, the bass remains the MVP of this group, making insane transitions happen for the group. The tempo shifts read a little gratuitous to me, but I can’t argue with the ambition. The instrumental breakdown they close on is probably the most electric part of this—I really dig it. My only issue with this performance is that it felt like a bit of a retread of what we’ve heard from this group before. It’s a lot to ask for any group to dazzle and astond us every week, but, well, that’s what I’m challenging the frontrunners to do.
Shawn talks about how smart the dynamic shifts were, and how they highlighted the group’s strengths—particularly the bass and percussion. Sara talks about the group’s cohesion and interdependence on the individual parts, and how well they work together. Ben echoes Shawn’s sentiment the arrangement is really smart and diversified, and particularly singles out the drummer.
The Aires are back with Gladys Knight’s “Midnight Train to Georgia” Weird gender change on the lyrics. It’s a third person narrative song, which makes that seem entirely unnecessary. As it goes along, they make it first person also, which I guess makes it more personal on a certain level, but, well, I still don’t feel the need to challenge Gladys. Anyway, the solo is really soulful and the group’s sound is slick behind him. The bass is more evident hear than we hear it sometimes, which is good news for the group. I really like the old school look of both the group’s attire and choice in dance moves to echo the era they’re representing. The soloist’s rock and roll riffs seem out of place in the song. I really like the explosion on the “I’ve got to go, I’ve got to go” part, and feel like he really should saved the fireworks for that point. Overall, a really good performance
Ben says it was nice and the guys worked together nicely to support the solo. He praises the solo and bass. Shawn says sometimes emotion supersedes music; he says the soloist managed to both make the song his own and share it with the audience, which is what makes people love them. Sara says it was beautiful, and appreciated the restraint on the arrangement. She says she could have used a few more dynamics, though, to give the group more of a place to go.
Take two from Urban Method with “It’s Your Thing” by The Isley Brothers. Love the bass sound on the intro, and I like the decision to move the solo around between the three women, though the vocals come through a little unevenly between them. The black woman pulls it off the best, both sounding at home and seeming to tap into the celebratory heart of the song. The perc breakdown is really fun, and the group is at its best when the ladies get big. The inclusion of the rapper seems a little random for how little time he got, and the fact that he never got the spotlight in full, but his sidebar did put the group’s distinctive stamp on the song, which I can get on board with.
Shawn says he wanted the song to keep going—it felt good. He likes the way in which the group is carrying hip-hop forward in the a cappella genre, and says the group showed passion and heart. Ben notes the song only has two chords in it the whole time, which makes it all about vocal delivery. He liked the decision to insert harmonies and highlight the perc and bass, and liked the performance all around. Sara really liked the individual spotlights the group shone over the course of the song.
Vocal Point takes it away again, this time performing The Temptations’ “Aint to Proud to Beg.” It’s such a subtle thing, but I love the little roll of the tongue on the opening percussion. Really smooth lead vocal here where I’d actually prefer something grittier and truer to the original. I love the bass sound and the rapid-fire surrogate horn sounds. The guys pass the solo around in the home stretch, which is a lot of fun, and three leads sing the part about keeping the girl from “walkin’ out that door” in unison for a power moment that I think they should have a) been built to a bit more b) slowed down and c) made it louder to take it from a fun little speed bump to a can’t-miss road block en route to the finish. Good performance, but not the guys’ best.
Sara praises the solo, though she observes it sounded like he was trying a bit, and the arrangement felt a little scattered to her. Shawn compliments the rhythm section, but notes the divergence between the VP lead and the original vocal’s gruffness. Ben echoes Shawn’s sentiments saying the guys are always on it, but he’d like to see them take more risks with their dynamics.
Afro-Blue takes the stage again, this time singing “Best of My Love” by The Emotions. Great solo. Really fun visuals as the ladies advance up the stage like an old-time girls’ Motown girl group while the guys play their instruments off to the side. Fun moment, too, when the guys get on stage and pair off with the girls. This is the free and easy Afro-Blue we saw early on, but had been missing for a little while. The sound is really intricate without ever threatening to get convoluted; the group is true to itself and pragmatically on point with the original song. Sick bass and perc as always. Strong performance.
Ben praises the solo and says it was fun, but notes there were some holes in the chorus for him, perhaps because it was a little too staccato. He says they upheld the tradition of jazz music here, and he says they have a license to get back to their roots now. Sara says Afro-Blue is a group full of powerhouses, though she was also missing a little something from the sound. Shawn says they should be proud of how far they’ve come. He notes things came apart at certain points, but they know how to deliver a record all around.
Pentatonix takes us home with Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On.” Swank “Wa-wa” lead-in. I didn’t really expect it, but this may be the most natural fit we’ve heard for the soloist’s voice thus far on the show, and I really like the female backing harmony. It probably goes without saying, but the perc and bass are fantastic again. Nice little explosion into the ending, and when the lead riffs into his falsetto for a moment, it demonstrates the kind of emotion I’ve really felt we’ve been missing from him the bulk of this season. Excellent showing for the group.
Shawn calls the performance incredible and loses his words. Ben says the song will result in a mysterious bump in US birth rates in nine months on account. He loved it. Sara calls the performance unbelievable—professional, polished, and badass, then goes full-tilt and lays down an expletive to define the performance (sorry Sara, but this is a family-friendly blog).
Elimination time. Pentatonix and Urban Method are safe. The Aires are safe, too. Afro-Blue and Vocal Point in the bottom two? It’s another sad day in Sing-Off history. Afro-Blue safe. Dang. This really demonstrates how stiff the competition is at this point, and how little room there is for missteps. Vocal Point swan songs it up with “Home” by Michael Buble. Simple sound, and a really stunning solo. Man, this is beautiful. Excellent way to leave the show.
Next week is the last pre-recorded episode, including a judges’ choice song from each remaining group. Be sure to check back with us throughout the week for further coverage of The Sing-Off, including the up to date Power Rankings!