Follow Zap2it:
Z-Cap
'The Sing-Off' Night 2: Groove for Thought confuses judges by bumping it up a notch
Opening night jitters seem to be a thing of the past as "The Sing-Off" competitors came in hard for Night 2 making the judges' jobs very hard. Plus, Season 1 winner, Nota, returned to perform, which reminds us of two things: Why we returned to watch Season 2 and that it's time to buy that album.
We're pretty sure that there's some kind of handicapping going on when the show decides who will compete in the night's two groups. We have no scientific proof of this, of course, but we have strong suspicions. And that's better than science, right?
In the first round, things seemed to go as planned. We had the teens of Eleventh Hour pegged for the elimination from the very beginning. While they seemed to invoke "Glee's" "cool-kids-make-nice-with-nerdy-ones-for-music" vibe, their sound just wasn't as dynamic or full as their competitors. Plus, who needs teenagers when old-schoolers like Jerry Lawson and & Talk of the Town can sing "Mercy" as if they fell in love with their high school sweetheart yesterday? By the way, how in the world can Nicole Scherzinger, Shawn Stockman, and Ben Folds ever send the godfathers of a capella home? When or if that happens, we imagine several guilty sleepless nights for the trio.
Like in the first night, the real drama occurred during the Group 2 performances. We believe that Groove for Thought had a target on their backs and would be the ones singing their swan song. But, wait... the crew may have sensed they were placed in this group as the underdogs and decided to bump it up a notch. They stretched their voices and sound to every place imaginable in the few minutes they had on stage. By the end of their performance, Shawn looked as if his head was going to explode.
In the end, Groove for Thought moved seamlessly into Round 3 and Round 1 favorites, The Backbeats and The Whiffenpoofs, were left on stage to sweat out the decision.
While we saw a very slight chance either one of these collegiately trained groups would be leaving this early in the competition when we began the night, the choice seemed obvious to us at this point. The Whiffenpoofs are extraordinary singers and performers, but there's a certain pretension about them that keeps them from fully embracing the spirit and style of this competition. The Backbeats are clearly more poised to go the distance in this arena.
So, poof, the boys of Yale clearly had to go. At least to us.
Night 3 of "The Sing-Off" airs Monday, Dec. 13 at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.
Do you think something went horribly wrong? Should Eleventh Hour or The Whiffenpoofs have moved on? Sound off below!
Follow Zap2it on Twitter and Zap2it on Facebook for the latest news and buzz
Photo/Video credit: NBC
Zap2it Elite Sheet Must Reads from the Web's In-Crowd
Our Partners
The first night, I would have pegged the Whiffenpoofs to be one of the last teams standing, but their rendition of "I Just Haven't Met You Yet" was just a nice rendition -- no "wow" factor. And, yes, there was just a little pretension, mainly on the part of the guy who seems to be the leader. Plus one or two of them had voices that sounded somewhat operatic, which is fine in some contexts, but doesn't sit well with this competition. I was sorry to see them go but understood.
I don't envy the judges -- it is going to be even harder to send people home from here on out.
I thought they should have gone the FIRST night to give someone less professional a chance.
I wish they could have kept the Berklee kids during night 1 and eliminated Jerry Lawson.
I know I'm in the minority but my ear is least pleased by the alto lead in the Backbeats. The judges go ga-ga for her but I don't get it. I'd be able to tell more if she could stay on one pitch for more than a half-beat.
I'm no fan of vocal riffs, where you do the bumblebee over, under, around and through the desired note instead of hitting it and holding it strong for a good four-count -- or longer.
My faves, so far, are Committed and Street Corner Symphony.
I agree that the Backbeat lead does not hit the low notes well; perhaps the judges should watch the tape of the songs. As simon Cowell on American Idol used to say, sometimes we don't here it clearly until we see it on tape. They definitely did not hear what we at home heard. And yes, several of the groups they went gaga over last night sounded flat on TV....Whiffenpoofs were stronger then at least two other groups.
Groove For Thought and Committed are the class of this competition, and even Committed's main soloist was edging flat through his solo. GFT's chord vocabulary is frighteningly complex, yet those singers nail each and every one of those extended chords flawlessly.
Thing is, they won't win. They're not "hollywood" enough, and even if they make it to the final, "America" values style over substance and will likely choose the Backbeats or Street Corner Symphony. If we're really lucky, they'll choose Committed, but Talk of the Town is on their way out, because their lead, much as he's a legend, hasn't got the pipes anymore.
So long as the judges -- and Nicole Scherzinger, are you kidding me? I thought only politicians said so much without saying anything relevant -- are unwilling to even attempt to point out Committed's flaws, that group will take the prize.
Was I the only one not at all impressed with Nota?
I also wasn't impressed with Nota. In the first season, when they would bust out the trumpets it was interesting but it sounded like they couldn't stay on key when they did.
I also agree that the lead singer of Committed sounded a little off this last time, but their bell tones and vocal arrangement were amazing. They blend very well.
The first night I thought Groove for Thought wouldn't make it very far, I was unimpressed with their performance and expected to again hear something that was technically great but bland on Wednesday. I assumed they would pick some song I didn't know, and that I wouldn't enjoy their performance very much. They picked a song that I hadn't heard before, but I feel like they delivered a performance that DESTROYED the rest of the field. The vocal arrangement was insane, they all sounded perfect, the bassist was killing it, and that girl did what Nota couldn't pull off when she went saxophone-mode. I was expecting to hate the performance, but I had to watch it about 5 times because I couldn't believe how good it was.
I love a cappella; it's amazing how some people can use their voices.