Jewel proves her prowess as a professor of a cappella

Jewel adds her knowledge base to this Season's Sing-Off panel of judges

This new Season 4 of The Sing-Off a cappella singing competition show has rushed by so quickly, I haven't had an opportunity to give the judges props, especially new judge, Jewel, who replaced hit singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles who stepped down from the role of judge in order to promote her new album. 

The seven episode show, which debuted on December 9, 2013, and has aired three times each week, has only three more episodes left to air: tonight, tomorrow, and a finale on Monday. Now over halfway through, it's gone by far too quickly, in my opinion, and I'm sad that by this time next week, we'll be back to singing Christmas carols and listening to the same old tired musak that's filling up most of network televisions' airwaves this time of year. 

This past Episode 4, which aired on Monday, December 16 at 10 p.m., was an hour long show which featured four of the seven remaining competitors: Home Free, VoicePlay, Element, and Vocal Rush. 

The show has been judged by Ben Folds and Shawn Stockman, and hosted by Nick Lachey over its course of four seasons and has seen its ups and downs in ratings. The third judgeship role has been filled by Nicole Scherzinger in Seasons 1 and 2, Sara Bareilles in Season 3, and now Jewel in Season 4. 

I think many of us wondered how on earth the beautifully voiced Jewel would fare. A four-time Grammy Award nominee and platinum album seller, she has made her mark singing soulful emotional ballads, the equivalent of the chick flick for music. 

I must confess, I have been a fan of Jewel's since before most people ever heard of her. I've always admired the interesting texture of her soprano voice, found her songwriting intelligent and heartfelt, and even bought some of her CDs. But, what does she know about a cappella singing? 

Plenty, apparently. 

During the first episode, I was so shocked by her usage of vocal terminology, I almost wondered if Jewel would dethrone the great Professor Ben Folds as academia's premiere expert on singing. Her knowledge of technical terms and acute observations have put her at least on an equal footing. What I was not prepared for is her vast knowledge of music in general, factoids and little gems of trivia about the original recordings of the songs which are featured on this season of the Sing-Off. To put it simply, Jewel is a jewel. 

Though she talks about ten miles a minute, you can learn something from listening to Jewel. This particular episode, while taking notes and transposing her comments, I have defined some of the musical jargon she has tossed out within parentheses to make it easier for those of us at home without dictionaries handy to understand. 

Folds, while no longer throwing out the big words this season 4 (though Lachey did accuse him of being a sesquipedalian) has decided this season to instead come up with odd little non-word sounds to emulate various inanimate objects, such as: a walking bass guitar, a tree, and a refrigerator, to date. As a writer, this has been a challenge attempting to transpose and quote these vocalizations. 

In the meantime, Stockman talks mostly with his hands and vocal expressions. I have also enlisted parentheses to help illustrate these moments when I feel it's important to use a gesture as a quote.

Season 4 Episode 4 Recap – "My Generation"

Home Free

Minneapolis, Minn

5 men

https://www.facebook.com/homefreevocalband

http://www.homefreevocalband.com/

covering "Ring of Fire" by Johnny Cash

As a professional touring a cappella group, Home Free's Rob Lunquist explained that the group lives out of an RV and does about 250 shows a year. That kind of experience shows in their live performances, which are always tight, always harmoniously perfect, and truly entertaining. Their particular rendition of "Ring of Fire" by Johnny Cash was absolutely momentous. 

Tim Foust, started off the night by capturing the audiences' attention by spotlighting his deep rich bass vocals, singing slowly and deliberately:

"Love is a burning thing. 

And it makes a fiery ring."

The key changed as regular lead vocalist Austin Brown took over the next two lines: 

"And bound by wild desire, 

I fell into a ring of fire." 

The first verse took the band a full 32 seconds to deliver, twice the amount of time they would deliver the second verse, and captivated the audience with every single note and syllable. The group is only given about two and a half minutes to perform a song before the judges, and these four lines represented one fifth of their allotted time. 

"You guys opened and you encapsulated something about the song which is sad, and it was perfectly executed," said Folds.

"You know, June actually wrote this song when she met Johnny, and she was still married, which gives it a lot of heart and a lot of feel, of like, you're sinning. So that poignancy was really brought out by that beginning," noted Jewel, speaking of June Carter Cash.

The group then upped the tempo and launched into a full group chorus, of "I fell into a burning ring of fire," complete with voice emulated drums and bass. Each verse which followed was up tempo and bouncy, what Stockman termed as a "reggae dance hall beat." 

"I would have never thought of anything like that, but it worked. Like, it absolutely worked," said Stockman.

The song featured bassist Tim Foust on lead vocals. With each incredible note he delivered, it was apparent that we were watching a star perform. His control of his own four-octave range is incredible, reaching up into falsetto F#3 during one emotional verse, then back down to end the song in a fog horn like depth of a low F#0, that Judge Jewel noted to be over three octaves apart. 

Lachey marveled at the feat, "Shoot the floor! Have you ever heard anybody sing that low before? I don't know if I've ever heard anyone hit a note that low."

Folds thought the arrangement was awesome, "Tim, you went from being an instrument this time to being human. And it was so great… it was because before you've been … like the singing refrigerator guy, 'wom om bu om bu,' but this time, like the tree, like the wise tree. Maybe a wise tree is a better, you know? …And then, the end, with that massive heavy low note. it's just a great way to leave everyone going, holy carp,* what was that?" 

"That was sick," said Stockman.

Their performance nearly insures them in one of the four coveted spots in the finals, assuming they can continue at this level.

VoicePlay

Orlando, FL

6 men and women

http://thevoiceplay.com/

https://www.facebook.com/VoicePlay

covering "Don't Speak" by No Doubt

If anyone asked me, "who is the Pentatonix of Season 4," I'd have to say VoicePlay. Their three part harmony, bass, and drums, with a lead female vocal has made them the act that no one saw coming, especially after a rocky start this season. However, even Pentatonix was in the bottom at one point, but faced with the threat of elimination, pulled themselves up and kept going, and that's what VoicePlay has also done. And done well, I must say, as they performed an interesting version of "Don't Speak" by No Doubt.

After getting the assignment, band member Earl Elkins voiced concern, "We don't normally do emotional songs. We're not really a ballad style group, which it's gonna be difficult." The five-man backing group usually performs upbeat pop songs to tourists around the Orlando area, and added in their friend Honey LaRochelle for standout leads during the Sing-Off competition.

Judge Folds, who mentored the four groups this episode, suggested that they "put the song first in this one. I think you guys are at your best when you're really focused to the song, and then you can just tell the story," said Folds. "You're unique anyway… The things that you already are, are going to do their own work… Kick its ass."

The group started the song out with a delicate intertwining of high harmonies backed up by a light rhythm section, then came together perfectly as a group, each solidly hitting their marks. The highlight of the performance was an interesting Middle Eastern sounding solo, by Eli Jacobson, not an easy feat.

"That was amazing, just from the beginning," said Stockman. "It's really right now about arranging, and you guys showed a different side to yourselves that we haven't seen before. The way that Honey and Layne (Stein), how you guys just started the whole thing off. Everybody was like (mouth open in gawked amazement), It was like, you had us!"

Folds complimented them for their wise arrangement for this particular song, "All the things you started with that were sort of your liability,… the way that you would jump from one thing to another so quickly, kept us from knowing who you were. That time, you used all those dynamics to say something and it was really awesome."

Jewel broke down the song piece by piece, illustrating how the groups' changes made the song work, "You guys did that great and you used a lot of dynamic (variation and gradation in the volume) to help serve that point, starting in pianissimo (very softly), and then building, and you know you're crescendoing (gradually and steadily increasing) into forte (a loud forceful tone) and then into fortissimo (a very loud tone), really getting big, and then dropping back down, using the real sensitive vocal breakdown that you did out of the bridge was really beautiful. You guys did a great job considering a lot of different dynamics."    

"That was emotional," summed up Stockman.

Element

New York, NY

10 women

https://www.facebook.com/Elementvocals

covering "You Keep Me Hangin' On" by the Supremes

One of the difficulties with a large group, and especially an all-female group, is arranging a song in such a way that the lead vocal can be easily distinguished. Element was able to achieve this task by trading off lead vocals amongst their very talented pool of vocalists after listening to some sage advice by mentor Judge Folds, "Who ever's singing needs a clear space to sing. If you have other singers in your range backing you up, they're not backing you up anymore, they're getting in your way," he explained. "It could be one person singing and everyone else could be Shh Shh whispering."

Their cover of the Supremes, "You Keep Me Hangin' On," was a personal one, "That song's really about female empowerment, and I can see why you guys chose it. I know that's really a mission for you guys and I think we definitely felt that. There's a lot of sincerity in the lead vocal," noted Jewel. 

However, the groups' rendition seemed a bit too nice. Folds suggested that they dig deeper, "You have such kind faces," said Folds, "Julie (Manjula Raman), you almost got pissed, like, you almost summoned a little bit of anger. Go ahead and drive it home and get pissed about it. It's okay."

Despite their efforts, they were unable to impress the judges enough to survive this round and were sent home. "I liked what you guys did. I just felt like there were moments where some of the harmonies were kinda muddy. They were a little unglued, which made it for me, not as dramatic as it could have been," explained Stockman, "It just felt like one movement and it just wasn't enough change for me in the midst of that record."

Vocal Rush

Oakland School for the Arts high school in Oakland, CA

12 young men and women

https://www.facebook.com/osavocalrush

http://www.oakarts.org/school-vocal-music/647-vocal-rush-info-page

covering "Holding Out for a Hero" by Bonnie Tyler

Once again, the talented kids of Oakland School for the Arts Vocal Rush impressed us, this time with their amazing rendition of "Holding out for a Hero," by Bonnie Tyler. Noting their handicap, mentor Judge Folds suggested during rehearsals, "It's down to technique right now, because what you don't have going for you is …15 years on the stage or touring constantly together, so make sure that your T's are dotted and your eyes are crossed."

What I enjoyed most about watching Vocal Rush perform is the wide range of vocal talent: For this song, the group featured its deep rhythm section and strong lead vocals, something that you wouldn't expect from high schoolers. Add to that their multi-ranged harmonies and impressive dance moves, and you have a recipe for success.

"The fact that you're young and you have no fear, ya'll just go for it. Ya'll give your one hundred percent… every time you perform, and that's what's so great about you guys, and not only that, to be the youngest crew in this whole thing, you guys are so musically intelligent," praised Stockman.

"The bass and drums. You guys really really held it down this time in a way that you hadn't before," said Folds, "The double chorus at the end, was like you just about hit your limit, but when you ended it and you landed the plane, it was awesome. and I can't tell you how much I like watching you sing. And, It's just an inspiration. When I was your age, I was an idiot," joked Folds.

"I think you guys make this sound cool. I loved the rap. I thought that was really great. It took me by surprise. I didn't expect that," said Jewel, "And again, there's so many single voices, but you guys sound so warm and so rich, your tones are just beautiful, and they're blending beautifully. 

The group was given homework on ways to improve, "If there was one tiny chink that is in your armor, it's that your youthful exuberance can also just be a slight achilles heel, because you do get a little bit excited, and sometimes it just gets a little bit fast. You just get ahead of that tempo a tiny bit, and that's probably the only chink that I can find," noted Jewel.

"It fell apart just a little bit, but you picked yourselves back up. It's nothing else I can say except, awesome," said Stockman. 

* the word carp is implied. the actual expletive was bleeped out. 

Sing Off launches Season 3 in it's own time slot!

New judge Sara Bareilles of "Love Song" fame.

There are few television shows I've watched where I can honestly say I have watched them from day one, and this is one. The Sing-Off is a brilliantly executed talent competition featuring all singing, perhaps a few fancy dance moves now and then, but absolutely NO instruments. Except for a few snaps here and there, all sounds created – such as drums, percussion, guitar, horns, and organ – must be generated by the singers using only their own vocal chords and mouths. You have to see it and hear it to believe it!

This is one of those shows where as a fan and viewer, I feel ownership "from the beginning." I watched and blogged about the fledgling debut episode in 2009 which aired in the off-season in mid December, watched the second season in it's entirety in 2010, and each year, the show has progressed into something bigger and better. Season 3 in 2011 brings a whole new dimension to the show as the series now has it's very own cherished time slot on Mondays at 8 pm to 10 pm on NBC (channel 4 or 1020 here in Central Florida on Brighthouse networks) and will run for 11 episodes. This year, NBC has pulled out all the stops with aggressive marketing and hopes to glean a large share of viewers with something that is uniquely new and fresh.

Other changes have been made. A whopping 16 groups are competing, double the number over the first season, and the talent is huge! The official website has been expanded to include more information, photos, and a handful of fun preview videos. Former judge Nicole Scherzinger of the Pussy Cat Dolls has changed shows and will now be one of the judges on the X-Factor, Simon Cowell's new venture, which will air on FOX at 8 pm this Wednesday. Replacing her is the beautiful and talented Sara Bareilles, a former member of UCLA's a cappella group "Awaken," and a three-time grammy-nominated singer/songwriter, most noted for her clever "Love Song."

The finer qualities of the show have remained the same. Judges Professor Ben Folds and Smoooth Shawn Stockman (Boyz II Men) are returning. The multi-talented Nick Lachey (of 98 degrees and One Tree Hill fame) will continue to host the show. The contestants still wear quirky color-coded costumes, most of which cause me to chuckle. And, the show is still on NBC, which I must confess is my favorite networks.

This year's groups sound spectacular and are listed in a second post, due to the large number of competitors… Stay tuned…

Congratulations to Committed, Sing-Off Champs 2010

Last night, true to my predictions, Committed won first place for the second season of the Sing-Off a cappella show which aired over the last three weeks on NBC. I look forward to hearing from them in the future, eagerly await their new CD from SONY Records, and imagine we'll be seeing them perform on tour at festivals around the country next year.

The other three groups, correction, the other nine groups who did not win the grand prize, should be proud of themselves for putting on such an entertaining show for us viewers. It was well worth the time to see each and every TV episode.

The three judges outdid themselves.

I thought Judge Shawn Stockman from Boyz II Men really stepped up to the plate, offering not only interesting critiques, but also attempting to put into words the visualizations of the music he feels. I don't know if Mr. Stockman has ever considered writing books or poetry, but I think he'd be a natural.

Judge Nicole Scherzinger from the Pussycat Dolls was very sweet and always provided positive feedback. I imagine all of the male contestants are in love with her at this moment.

And of course, my favorite from last year, Judge Ben Folds, was even more informative than last year, stepping up the level of correct musical terms to exactly describe what the singers were doing. I suppose in a way, he was like a construction engineer, describing how the song was built from the inside out, much as an architect might describe how to build the structural metal scaffolding buried inside concrete walls and clad in glass, something the common every day building inhabitant is not even cognizant of – they just know that they like their office and the way the sunlight wafts gently into the lobby as they enter for work each day.

I would love to see the show extended in 2011, possibly as a one-hour show airing one night a week, perhaps Fridays when the college kids don't have papers to write. I am also quite curious about how on earth these groups put together a song from start to finish: How do they decide what to sing? Who writes their parts or do they just all jump in and see where it lands, tweaking out the bad parts? How on earth do they stay on time with no beat? And does someone have a pitch pipe out there?

Until next year!

Sing-Off winner announced tonight!

Tonight from 8 to 10:30 PM, the winners of the second season of the Sing-Off will air on NBC (Channel 4 or 1020 HD here in Orlando on Brighthouse Cable). It will no doubt be a stellar show and one for the books. The winner will receive $100,000 and a SONY Recording contract.

Each of the three judges, pianist singer/songwriter Ben Folds, singer Shawn Stockman of Boyz II Men, and performer Nicole Scherzinger of the Pussycat Dolls will perform with one of the four final groups still in contention for the grand prize: Jerry Lawson and Talk of the Town from Oakland, CA (although Jerry himself grew up right here in Apopka, FL); The Backbeats from Los Angeles, CA; Street Corner Symphony from Nashville, TN; and Committed from Huntsville, AL.

The show is hosted by Nick Lachey of 98 Degrees. Since there are now four groups and only three judges, I am curious if he will also perform with one of them.

Who should win? I honestly feel Committed did the best job and is the most marketable.

However, after polling most of my friends, it was clear that there is almost a tie between Street Corner Symphony and Committed. Perhaps six young men is the magic number. However, I must admit that I feel a fondness in my heart for Jerry Lawson, being from right here in Central Florida. Although The Backbeats were great as individuals, they did not seem as cohesive as the other three groups. I don't see them staying together and imagine that shortly after the show, they will dissolve and reform with a more original name (ever try Googling Backbeats?) and with a slightly different cast of characters.

Good luck to all of the groups!

Vote for Your Favorite Sing-Off Group!

Wednesday December 15's episode of the Sing-Off was split into two parts. In the first segment, Round 4, each group performed a medley of songs from one artist, utilizing at least two lead vocalists. Although I felt that On the Rocks gave one of the most entertaining performances of an Elton John medley, they were eliminated by the judges. The four remaining groups proceeded to Round 5 and performed a song picked for them by the judges.

In Round 5, rather than eliminate a group as planned, all four groups were pushed through to the public voting round, so that all have the possibility of winning the grand prize: a SONY recording contract plus $100,000. To vote for your favorite band, call the phone number below their name. Voting closes on Sunday morning at 9 AM, EST (Orlando time).

When voting for your favorite, I always use the "would I buy a C.D from this group for $10?" test. If the answer is "yes," then ask yourself, "would I pay $35 to see this group perform?" If you cannot answer yes to both, perhaps the group you're voting for isn't the right group to win the competition. This isn't a popularity contest – its business.

Here's my thoughts on Wednesday night's show.

COMMITTED
1-877-674-6401
Text 1 to number 97979

Medley: Songs by Usher
Judges review of their performance

Committed performed an extraordinary Usher medley, opening with "DJ Got Us Falling in Love." The lead singer was backed by a mixture of harmonic vocals, a hot emulated "wow-wow-wow" guitar part, and what seemed like a perfectly matched doubling of the lead. However, the backup vocalists made the song in my opinion, with a funky bass beat. Their second song, "You Got It Bad," was intensely romantic and the third, "Love in This Club," which I hear played at the beginning of every Orlando Magic game, added a soft "ch-ch" percussive sound. What I loved the most about their arrangements is that they seemed to improve on the songs. It was ear candy. Judge Ben Folds called it "harmonic badass" and Judge Shawn Stockman said, "The transitions were so sick!"

Judges' Choice: "Let's Stay Together" by Al Green
Judges' review of their performance

Committed utilized each and every member of their six member group by trading leads, showing that "there isn't a weak link amongst them," noted my friend Geoff who watched with me. Each person sang one line while everyone else sang a simple harmonic background rhythm. The transition was seamless and as smooth as silk.

STREET CORNER SYMPHONY
1-877-674-6402
Text 2 to number 97979

Medley: Songs by The Beatles
Judges review of their performance

Street Corner Symphony performed a medley of "Eleanor Rigby," "Help," and "Hey Jude" by the Beatles, showcasing their beautifully cascading harmonies, pleasant arrangements, and excellent lead vocals. Each of the first two songs were performed flawlessly, with "Help" being the more phenomenal of the three. However, the arrangements were not as stellar as usual. The transitions between songs seemed rocky, if you could even call them transitions. After singing "Help," they simply stopped singing dead in their 'tracks', and started up again with "Hey Jude." "Hey Jude" was the only song which didn't soar, since the song climaxed in the middle, and sadly petered out on their final notes. To me, their song choice was a little odd. "Eleanor Rigby" is a dark and moody song, while "Help" is upbeat, and "Hey Jude" is a very sad song indeed. "Help" being the best of their performances, should have been combined with two happier bits, and God knows, the Beatles wrote tons of those.

Judges choice: "Down on the Corner" by Creedence Clearwater Revival
Judges review of their performance

Street Corner Symphony's performance of "Down on the Corner" by CCR was brilliantly arranged. The first verse started off beautifully and built slightly, soared into full harmony during the chorus, then quieted down again for the next verse – a dynamic arrangement. Perhaps their most spectacular moment was when they surprised the audience by performing a break down where they incorporated the name of their group: Down on the Street Corner Symphony. The ending finale blew me away – it really rocked.

My only nit picky criticism is that the backup vocals were a wee bit too loud during parts of the verses.

THE BACKBEATS
1-877-674-6403
Text 3 to number 97979

Medley: Songs by Lady Gaga
Judges review of their performance

It's probably no surprise that TVgrrrrl is a giant Lady Gaga fan. Gaga's got pipes, writes her own songs, and plays an instrument (shock) – very well, I might add. I was extremely disappointed with The Backbeat's performance and I'm not sure what happened. They started off on the wrong foot, singing too fast, and having Kelley, one of their sopranos attempt to sing the lead on "Poker Face." I'm sure she must have been awesome, but we at home could barely hear her as she was drowned out by the male backups until she hit the higher notes in the chorus. Plus, the vocals were slightly out of sync, making it sound a bit messy. I would have liked to have heard the lower parts, the verses, sung by one of the many male leads. Just because Lady Gaga is a woman doesn't mean a guy can't sing the part. The transition was wonderful into the ballad "Paparazzi," sung by their most powerful female lead, Joanna, a contralto. Backed by their rich blend of backup vocalists, it really was the highlight of their performance. Their final song, "Just Dance," was a complete mess and fell apart, was performed too fast, with the backup singers once again singing too loud, not performing in sync, and drowning out the lead in places. One bright spot is their arrangements were good, just poorly executed.

Judges choice: "Landslide" by Fleetwood Mac
Judges review of their performance

Ballads are where the Backbeats shine, and the judges thoughtfully chose a song which could be sung best by a female lead with a lower range. The beginning was beautiful with Joanna singing lead while the backups danced vocally behind her, each performing slightly different parts, which when melded together, created a vocal symphony. Judge Shawn Stockman said, "I saw the sound... It was that beautiful." Judge Ben Folds said, "Emotionally, you delivered it."

JERRY LAWSON AND TALK OF THE TOWN
1-877-674-6404
Text 4 to number 97979

Medley: Songs by Otis Redding
Judges review of their performance

When Jerry Lawson and Talk of the Town performed a medley of songs by Otis Redding, it was awesome, like watching the pros perform at a concert, or as my friend Geoff noted, "It's like going back to the Apollo in the '60s." Their performance of "Dock of the Bay," was seamless and emotionally heartfelt. They followed with "Try a Little Tenderness," utilizing Paul on lead, to great success as the backup singers' "ba ba ba bop's" climbed perfectly up the scale, occasionally screaming out the words for emphasis, and entertaining everyone's derriere's off. Their third song, "Respect," was well sung and meaningfully portrayed. Judge Nicole Scherzinger noted, "I think that it was very fitting that you all ended with 'Respect,' because I think it kind of represents your journey on this show and in your lives. And I think it's just wonderful to be able to watch you all finally get the respect and the acknowledgement that you deserve."

Judges choice: House of the Rising Sun by the Animals
Judges review of their performance

"House of the Rising Sun" was by far the best and most moving performance of the night, excelling in phenomenal vocal arrangement. The judges told the audience that they had purposely attempted to get Jerry Lawson and Talk of the Town out of their comfort zone by assigning something different from what they usually performed. Undaunted, the veteran a cappella group created a uniquely interesting and complex arrangement of this old classic, which can seem monotonous when performed in the traditional way since the melody repeats throughout in consecutive verses with no real chorus.

Jerry Lawson and Talk of the Town performed four verses. For the first verse, the backup vocalists ooo'd throughout, slowly introducing a bass beat, then an echo. For the second verse, the backups created an "arpeggio" behind the lead. (I learned this term from Judge Ben Folds and had to look it up -- it means broken chords, where you play the notes in a chord as individual notes). The third verse was the most spectacular. While Jerry vamped the lines, "Mothers, tell your children, Not to do what I have done. Well, well. Don't live your life in sin and in misery in the house of the rise, rising sun," the backups sang each line of "Amazing Grace" behind him, managing to blend into the background, creating a thought provoking arrangement. For the fourth verse, the group brought the arrangement back full circle, with the backups once again singing a vocal wall of sound of "Ahhh's" and echos behind the lead, finally coming together for impact on the last phrase, "And God, I know I'm one."

Wow!

Round 3 of the Sing-Off Rocks!

On the Rocks from Oregon rocked the house Monday

Once again, all of the six remaining groups competing on the Sing-Off, an a capella music competition airing on NBC this December, came prepared to impress and I was blown away by all of their stellar performances. On Monday’s episode, each group performed twice: first, a rock song; second, a “guilty pleasure.” The result was a mixture of twelve performances ranging from dark to cheerful, and sexy to silly.

I almost didn’t post any reviews today, because all of the groups did such a wonderful job. Any negative comments are nit picky, so I’m labeling them as such, not to detract from multiple congratulations and kudos all around.

If anything, the judges were in rare form this episode, and I wish I’d written faster and been able to write down all of their extremely colorful comments.

The Backbeats

Rock choice: You Give Love a Bad Name by Bon Jovi
The Backbeats opened the show with their rendition of Bon Jovi’s “You Give Love a Bad Name,” excelling in vocal prowess. Their well orchestrated mix of backup vocals blended richly into the background and lifted up their lead singer without overpowering her. My friend Geoff, who watched with me was also impressed that the percussion vocalists emulated snare reverb, a hallmark of ‘80s music. The judges thought the song was too fast, but both Geoff and I disagreed.

Backbeats performance of You Give Love a Bad Name

Judges review of their performance

Guilty Pleasure choice: Love Shack by the B52’s
For their “guilty pleasure,” the Backbeats chose “Love Shack” by the B-52s. I was thrilled to see the girls dressed in Go-Go dresses and the guys dressed in fun multi-colored casuals. All of the singers, especially the lead, did a wonderful job sing-acting their campy roles. It was a fun and very entertaining performance.

My nit picky criticism: It is difficult to take a well known song such as Love Shack and perform it in a way which is acceptable to the audience. If you cannot mimic it exactly, you should make it your own. Most of the Backbeat’s version of the song was mimicry, which can be a great thing, but the lead’s range was not as low as perhaps necessary to mimic that of B52’s male lead vocalist, Fred Schneider. Perhaps if they had arranged the rest of the song so that it was even more of a departure from the original, I would not have felt that something was missing and would have enjoyed the differences instead of noticing them.

Backbeats performance of Love Shack

Street Corner Symphony

Rock choice: Creep by Radio Head
I never imagined that a cappella could sound “dark,” but Street Corner Symphony managed to pull it off in their rendition of Creep by Radio Head. The vocals were phenomenal at the start of the song, with the lead singing his heart out, and the backups gently oscillating throughout the background. Their version was more eerily disturbing and moving than the original, making it one of my favorite performances of the night.

My nit picky criticism: The chi-ching at the beginning of the chorus was too loud. During some moments in the chorus, it seemed that everyone except the percussionists hit the same vocal range, failing to round out the vocal backdrop.

Street Corner Symphony’s performance of Creep
Judges review of their performance

Guilty Pleasure choice: Come On Eileen by Dexy’s Midnight Runners
Street Corner Symphony’s second performance, “Come On Eileen,” by Dexy’s Midnight Runners was amazingly fun and wacky with wild choreography and a clever vocal arrangement. Once they reached the chorus, the song really rocked. I laughed as they dosey doed around the stage while still managing to sing perfectly matched harmonies. Judge Shawn Stockman echoed my thoughts: The great thing is you guys weren’t afraid to be silly.

Street Corner Symphony’s performance of Come On Eileen

Jerry Lawson and Talk of the Town

Rock choice: Satisfaction by the Rolling Stones
The smooth opening notes of “Satisfaction” by the Rolling Stones melted my heart as Jerry Lawson and Talk of the Town made the song sound hot and sexy. The old loose and relaxed, soulful choreography where the singers line up behind the lead was the icing on the cake. I loved the way they surprised us with loud stomps during the “Oh No No No,” portion, something which seems lost on the ‘small screen’ when replayed on the internet. Judge Ben Folds made us all laugh when he said the song reminded him of sitting on the floor as a kid, listening to an old Otis Redding live recording, “In Person at the Whiskey-a-Go-Go.” Ben said he would point the speaker down into the floor so that the sound vibrations would shake his butt. (That image is now forever burned into my brain.)

Jerry Lawson’s performance of Satisfaction
Judges review of their performance of Satisfaction

Guilty Pleasure choice: Easy by the Commodores
Jerry Lawson and Talk of the Town’s second performance was “Easy,” by the Commodores, which once again showcased their incredible wide range of vocals.

My nit picky criticism: The song seemed to move too fast for me and my guess was that this was due to the time constraints of being required to perform their entire piece within a set amount of time. It was not the “smooth,” I’d become accustomed to.

Jerry Lawson’s performance of Easy

On the Rocks

Rock choice: Pour Some Sugar On Me by Def Leppard
Determined to make it to the finals against all odds, On the Rocks, the largest member group remaining, performed a dynamic arrangement of “Pour Some Sugar on Me” by Def Leppard. Their instrumentation was absolutely perfect and their vocally synthesized electric guitars were real “wow” moments. They were very tight, despite being such a large group. This is not one of my favorite songs, but they made it cute.

On the Rocks performance of Pour Some Sugar On Me

Guilty Pleasure choice: Kyrie by Mister Mister
On the Rocks’ rendition of Kyrie, by Mister Mister, was another “wow” moment. I was so impressed with how the backup vocalists did not overwhelm the lead – they performed at absolutely perfect levels, and their vocal swells melded together in range like the colors in a rainbow. The lead vocalist, Peter, was incredible and in my opinion, has a shot at being a soloist. It was one of my favorite performances of the night. Judge Shawn Stockman echoed my thoughts, saying “If I can be cheesy for a second, it felt like I sprouted wings, and I just jumped off the Grand Canyon and just flew away and looked at rivers and deer and birds and other birds, and I was saying: Hi.”

On the Rocks performance of Kyrie
Judges review of their performance of Kyrie

Groove for Thought

Rock choice: Changes by David Bowie
Amanda, the youngest member of Groove For Thought, showed off her vocal prowess by singing lead in their rendition of "Changes" by David Bowie. She started off the song in a lilting airy tone, then as the backup singers joined in, the song soared into honey sweet.

My nit picky criticism: Amanda’s vocal mic was turned down too low and I feel it threw her off a bit. At first, I thought the backup female vocal was a bit off key, but my friend Geoff pointed out that the discordant notes are an intentional jazz style. Whatever it was, I felt it didn’t work for this particular song while it has fit well into their other song selections in the past.

Groove for Thought’s performance of Changes
Judges review of their performance of Changes

Guilty Pleasure choice: You Make My Dreams Come True by Hall and Oates
Hall and Oates are not one of my favorite bands, and “You Make My Dreams Come True” is probably my least favorite hit of theirs. However, Groove for Thought’s dynamic arrangement actually made the song sound very cool. The simulated horns were rocking. The doo waps, multiple leads, and dance moves were sure to please. It was such a joyful and pleasant rendition, I played it over and over again, making it one of my favorites of the night.

Sadly, Groove for Thought was eliminated. My guess is that we have not heard the last from them, especially Amanda, who will only get better as her voice ages into a more mature and stronger soulful tone.

Groove for Thought’s performance of You Make My Dreams Come True

Committed

Rock choice: Every Breath You Take by the Police
I had to laugh when I heard Committed perform this song, because it was clear that they, along with millions of other fans, do not get the meaning of this song. “Every Breath You Take” by the Police is actually sung in the voice of a stalker who tells his victim he is watching her every move. Despite that, hundreds of happy couples request to have this song sung at their wedding.

At first, the percussion seemed too loud and the song too fast, but once they settled into their groove, it worked, and I realized that Committed was doing what all teenage-to-twenty year olds do, which is that they were creating a more contemporary upbeat rendition, something that would be popular among their peers. At the end, they launched into a remnant of a Seal song, and that made it interesting.

My nit picky criticism: I would have enjoyed a more dynamic vocal arrangement.

Committed’s performance of Every Breath You Take
Judges review of their performance of Every Breath You Take

Guilty Pleasure choice: I Want It That Way by the Backstreet Boys
Committed’s performance of “I Want It That Way” by the Back Street Boys was perhaps the most harmonious performance of the episode, and seemed to improve on the original. It was absolute perfection in range, arrangement, percussion emulation, and vocal execution. I forgot there were no real instruments, which made it seem even more spectacular.

Committed’s performance of I Want It That Way

Sing-Off Now Showing On-Demand

If you missed the Sing-Off when it aired this week on Monday, Dec. 6 and Wednesday, Dec. 8, you will be pleasantly surprised to learn that NBC has just placed the show on their On-Demand channel. Here in Orlando, that's Channel 304 on Brighthouse Cable.

The Sing-Off is a music competition where ten a cappella groups compete to win a SONY recording contract. The show is judged by singer Ben Folds, Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger, and Boys II Men singer Shawn Stockman and hosted by 98 Degrees singer Nick Lachey. The show debuted in late fall of 2009 as an after-season filler and was renewed for a second season this year. The show has been enjoying a ratings spurt, ranking in second place for viewership for both episodes.

Happy viewing!

Sing-Off Round 2 wow's the crowd

Jerry Lawson and Talk of the Town made magic with their wide array of vocals.

Round 2 of the Sing-Off was perhaps the best night in a cappella television history. All eight acts brought their very best game to the table and performed their hearts out. I felt so completely sorry for the poor judges who had the difficult job of having to weed out two of the eight final acts in Round 2, which aired on Wednesday, Dec. 8, from 8 PM to 10 PM on NBC, because all eight groups could easily have been pushed through to Round 3. Perhaps the powers that be should have taken a page from Project Runway, announced a tie and not eliminated one of the performing groups, with the promise that two would go home next time.

All of my evaluations are done by myself and any friends who happen to be watching with me while I view the performance. I make a point to not read any other reviews (not even Judge Ben Folds' own blog) before posting my own because I don't want to cheat a group out of my honest opinion. Here is my take of each group, listed in order of appearance last night.

GROUP 1:

On the Rocks
Eugene, Oregon
15 members: all male, former and current college students, diverse

The original version of "Live Your Life" by Rihanna is already a vocally interesting and dynamic song. On the Rocks actually improved the sound, giving it a honey smooth texture by emulating the instruments with their voices. What I love about On the Rocks is the way that they trade lead singer roles, entertain with energetic choreography, and know how to make even red sweaters and windbreakers look cool. Judge Nicole Scherzinger was especially impressed with their simulated delays, something I did not pick up on until I watched the replay -- it's very noticeable on their final note.

Clip from the show:
• Judges critique after the show

Street Corner Symphony
Nashville, TN
6 members: men, Caucasian, young to middle aged

Incredible is the best word to describe Street Corner Symphony's performance of "Soul Sister" by Train. I was especially impressed by their dynamics, excellent timing, utilization of vocal strengths by switching off lead singers during the coda, sound effects (the rewind made my jaw drop), and nearly perfect pitch. And, they hit the high notes! I wanted to know more about Street Corner Symphony, so I read their website and was thoroughly entertained. Here are a couple of more interesting pages: About us, where you can read the bios of each of the six members and discover all of their eccentric phobias, and their first blog, complete with test comments and directions from their web designer (I can really relate to this).

• Street Corner Symphony performing "Soul Sister"

• Judges critique after the show

Eleventh Hour
Kettering, Ohio
7 members: 3 men, 4 women, diverse. High school students.

Eleventh Hour covered "Just the Way You Are" by Bruno Mars. The first verse of the song was a wee bit rocky as the backup singers cluttered the background, but the group fell back into perfect sync during the chorus, with the two lead singers and backup blending together in a magnificent harmonious swelling. Unfortunately, the backup lost track of their pitch somewhere near the end of the song. That being said, I was still extremely impressed, but someone had to go home and they were the least amazing of the four acts who competed.

Clip from the show:

• Eleventh Hour perform "Just the Way You Are"

• Judges critique after the performance

Jerry Lawson and Talk of the Town
Oakland, CA
6 members: men, African American, older

It was a magical moment when Jerry Lawson and Talk of the Town performed "Mercy" by Duffy as their full range of voices: bass, baritone, tenor, countertenor, and falsetto created a vocal wall of sound behind lead singer, Jerry Lawson, who sang with heart and conviction and really brought it! Their dynamic arrangement was exciting. It was tight. It was great!

Clip from the show (please note that this first link has been marked as an infringement of copyright laws and may not work anymore by the time you view it):
• Jerry Lawson and Talk of the Town perform Mercy

• Judges comments after the performance

GROUP 2:

The Backbeats
LA, CA
10 members: 5 women, 5 men, former and current college students, diverse

In a daring move, the Backbeats used three lead singers in the opening quiet lines of their rendition of "Break Even" by the Script. All three singers were strong and melded together flawlessly when they came together in the fourth line of the song. The backup singers swelled in places creating some "wow" moments, but for the most part were not too loud for the lead singers to be heard. The result was an emotionally moving rendition and Judge Shawn Stockman noted, "When you sing, I believe it." I was happy the judges finally noticed the female beat boxer.

Clip from the show:
• The Backbeats perform "Break Even"

• Judges critic after the performance

Committed
Huntsville, AL
6 members: male, African American, college students

Once again, Committed amazed and stupefied the audience and the judges as they performed their rendition of "Apologize" by One Republic. It was soooo smooth. Their perfectly blended backup vocals mixed and swelled, reversing highs and lows in round fashion. It was so beautifully executed, there were people tearing up in the audience. After their performance, the audience gave them a sincere standing ovation. Judge Ben Folds said "the first and second violins were beautiful, the celly were perfect..."

Clip from the show:
• Committed perform "Apologize"

• Judges critique after the performance

Groove for Thought
Seattle, WA
6 members: 4 men, 2 women. Caucasian, Various ages.

Groove for Thought created their own original jazz rendition of Mike Posner's techno pop song, "Cooler than Me." Their beautiful mix of high and low jazz-style minor key harmonies, rising and lowering in both tone and volume, created a rainbow of sound behind the rich, softly raspy-textured lead vocals. It was phenomenal and it carried me away.

Clip from the show:

• Groove for Thought perform "Cooler than Me."

• Judges critique after the performance

• Mike Posner's video of "Cooler than Me"

The Whiffenpoofs
New Haven, CT
14 members, male, college students, diverse

The Whiffenpoofs performed a beautiful rendition of "Just Haven't Met You Yet," by Michael Bublé, trading leads to give each gorgeous male singer the chance to melt some poor girls heart out there in TV land. The beginning leads were softer and sweeter, and the backup vocalists need to remember to turn it down and not sing so loudly so as not to drown them out. In the end, someone had to go home and all the acts were worthy of staying. However, the Whiffenpoofs were eliminated. They sang a very interesting version of "Home Sweet Home" by Motley Crue, and it was so wonderful, I almost wished they'd sang that instead.

Clip from the show:
• Whiffenpoofs perform "Just Haven't Met You Yet"

• Judges critique after the performance

Sing-Off 2 Round 2 airs tonight!

Tonight at 8 PM, Round 2 of the Sing-Off airs on NBC (Channel 4 or 1020 HD here in Orlando on Brighthouse Cable). I look forward to being thoroughly impressed and entertained. The show is hosted by Nick Lachey and judged by pianist singer/songwriter Ben Folds, singer Shawn Stockman of Boyz II Men, and performer Nicole Scherzinger of the Pussycat Dolls.

Judge Ben Fold's blog -- On Key

After I'd already posted my own take after watching Round 1 of the Sing-Off (which aired on NBC on Monday, Dec. 6, 2010), I discovered that my favorite judge, Ben Folds, had also posted his own synopsis in his blog on NBC.com, titled "On Key." If you have the time, please read it in its entirety. It's an interesting intellectual evaluation of the various acts written in the perspective of someone who is not only experienced, but also well-educated in music theory. I assume that he wrote this after judging Round 1, but before judging Round 2, which of course would have tainted his "first impressions."

Keeping Secrets

It must have been incredibly difficult for the various acts to keep the news about whether or not they had proceeded to the next round or not a secret. After the Round 1 winners were announced, a huge plethora of twitter messages, youtube posts, facebook messages, and other media flooded the internet yesterday. I must applaud all of the competitors for doing such an excellent job keeping this information under wraps. This is just another lesson of show business -- knowing when you can make announcements and having the self-restraint to hold it in. I think I speak for everyone when I say how much we appreciate the competitors for not spoiling the ending.

Sing-Off Returns Tonight! Judge Ben Folds gives his take

Be sure to set your TV dials for NBC tonight at 8 PM -- that's channel 4 here in Orlando on Brighthouse Cable. The Sing-Off will air from 8 PM to 10 PM tonight and Wednesday.

The show was actually taped last summer, but the finale will be held live in L.A. Rather than give you my own personal take on the show's premiere, I am doing something different this time: reprinting my favorite judge Ben Folds' blog, "On Key," which I have no doubt that he actually wrote himself. (These days, most celebrities do not write their own blogs or if they do, they are so heavily edited, they might as well have not written them at all.)

Reprinted from NBC's Sing-Off website:

Posted By Ben Folds

November 25, 2010 2:25 AM

The Sing-Off, Part 2

Acoustic Boogaloo: In which the ever advancing army of a cappella groups takes another small step in our second season of The Sing-Off on NBC, with a whole new slew of a cappella groups from around the country.

Last season's success brought many more groups out of the woodwork, and they promise to take the show to a whole other level when we kick it once again starting December 6th. Same cast - my judge friends Nicole Scherzinger (Pussycat Dolls), Shawn Stockman (Boyz II Men), and of course, Nick Lachey as our fearless host.

Sing Off is quickly turning into something that I so very much look forward to each year - it's kinda becoming summer camp for me. Camera dudes and TV crew of all types on our set mentioned all last season that they couldn't help getting chills every time a group sang. In fact, some of them seemed annoyed at their physical response. But this IS in fact why a cappella has always been and will never go away. It's not a fad. It's the essence of music. There's nothing novel about it, although in a world where models shake their asses, are tuned by computers, styled and publicized, and are considered mainstream... Yes, I suppose it becomes novel to make music with no instruments. It becomes novel that singers on The Sing-Off have no safety net, that they're not tuned, and that it's all based on talent and skill. Hell, most people might not be able to afford musical instruments in the near future, but we all have a voice. And more people can sing than you think. So this kind of music is going to be around.

I haven't seen much TV and I've never seen any of the popular vocal competition shows. I came to this because I want to see a cappella continue to advance. If the other two judges and I can provide a good sounding board from our experience as performers and even send the losers home having improved and remaining inspired, then I feel we've done our job. At the end of the day, in the final episodes, the public will decide who they connect most with. But until the last two episodes, the burden is on us judges to decide who stays and who goes. And I actually find that really tough.

My interest began as I realized that nearly every university in the country was covering songs I had written. (Nobody else was covering my music! Ha ha.) I honestly felt their interpretation of my music was often an improvement over what I ever imagined. I weeded out an album's worth of university a cappella groups from about 250 groups performing my music and made a CD called "University A Cappella" in 2008, which featured all singing groups. I drove a van with my engineer around the country and placed mics in their dorm rooms and let them sing. The proceeds went to music education, and as an aside, it seems to have landed me a judge position on The Sing-Off.

So these are my people, and my hope is that this show can document some of the innovations in a growing genre, and that it inspires more people to sing. If you watch the news, you start to think that nobody can work together anymore. You might start to believe that there is no harmony, there is no working in concert. I love a cappella because it reminds me that that's not true. That's why it gives the camera dudes goose bumps. And that's why I'll keep coming back as long they'll have me. Hell yeahs, we all grown up now on Season Twooooooo!

Shing!!!

The Beelzebubs (or Bubs) end their rendition of "Sail Away" with a fun, Titanic-like finish.

When I first heard about Sing-off, I thought to myself, this show will never make it. Surprisingly, I love it. Not only am I extremely entertained and delighted by each of the a capella group performances, I'm also learning something in the process about how to improve my own singing technique.

TVgrrrrl (aka Jenny Penny), when she isn't blogging, is also singing in a band, or should I say "shinging," a term coined by Ben Folds when evaluating one of the a cappella group's performances on Tuesday night's show. "Shing" was the actual word the backup singers were singing, but the term picked up new life as the sound the backup singers make behind the lead singer to sound like instruments.

The three judges, Ben Folds, Shawn Stockman of Boyz II Men, and Nicole Scherzinger of the Pussycat Dolls, are incredibly insightful, positive, and intelligent in their evaluations. While I am blissfully entertained, the judges are pinning down specifics of why one group sounds so good and why one group doesn't. Together, they point out the finer details, such as: subtle pitch mismatches, impressive vocal rises, dynamic arrangements, vocal intensity issues, and so on. The lessons a singer can learn from watching this show are good enough to put on a University accredited online education program.

Three groups, BYU Noteworthy, Face, and Solo have been eliminated to date. Remaining in the competition are: Maxx Factor, SoCals, Voices of Lee, and my two favorites, Nota and Beelzebubs.

Nick Lachey of 98 degrees hosts the show.

Sing-Off will air the last of three two-hour, taped competition episodes tonight on NBC from 8PM to 10PM. The live finale will air on Monday, Dec. 21. You can also catch the show online on NBC.com.

Sights Set on Sing-Off

NOTA from Puerto Rico will be competing with seven other groups.

Tonight, Tvgrrrrl will have her TV set locked onto NBC to see Sing-off, the first ever a capella singing group competition from 8 PM to 10 PM (Channel 4 here in Orlando on Brighthouse Cable). I’ve always been a fan of great musical talent and this show strips down the competition to focus solely on the performers’ own God-given talents.

The show is hosted by Nick Lachey of 98 Degrees; and judged by Ben Folds, Shawn Stockman of Boyz II Men, and Nicole Scherzinger of the Pussycat Dolls. All are renowned for their impressive live vocal group harmonies.

While American Idol showcases the Michael Jordans of singing – the superstars whose belting voices scale the ranges of melody accompanied by anything from a lone guitar to a full symphony orchestra – Sing-off will celebrate the team players who together as a group, create magic solely through the harmony, arrangements, and expert manipulation of their God given instruments – their own voices. Judge Shawn Stockman says, “It’s just you and your voice… the whole focus is on you and you alone, no drummers behind you, no guitars, no pyro, no anything. This is pure, raw talent at its finest.”

Eight singing groups from all walks of life and all ages have been chosen to compete:

Beelzebubs – Medford, MA – All male, 12 member former Tufts University graduates who have fun acting out and performing popular songs. (Their rendition of Life Would Suck Without You on youtube)

Maxx Factor – Baltimore, MD – An award winning Sweet Adelines quartet (Their rendition of Little Patch of Heaven on youtube)

Solo – Omaha, NE – Six member coed group of Omaha residents who face difficult challenges in their everyday lives. (I was unable to find a website or video sample of their work.)

Voices of Lee – Cleveland, TN – Religious based coed singing group with 10 members featuring flawless harmonies, professionally coached by Danny Murray. (Their rendition of All Rise on youtube, audio with still photo.)

SoCals – Los Angeles, CA – An eight-member coed subset of both current and past members of the official University of Southern California singing group, the USC SoCal VoCals. (Should be similar to this SoCal VoCals rendition of Footloose on youtube)

BYU Noteworthy – Provo, UT – A talented group of nine women from Brigham Young University. (Their rendition of Signed Sealed Delivered on youtube)

Nota – San Juan, PR – Six men who first began singing together in college. (Their rendition of Billy Jean on youtube)

Face – Boulder, CO – A professional a capella group of six men with a ton of awards already under their belts. (A promo video on their website.)


Unlike American Idol, Sing-off doesn’t pretend that the competitors haven’t already become successful in their own right. Some of the groups are already award-winning artists with huge followings. However, the winning group will get an even bigger prize: a recording contract with Epic Records/Sony Music.

Judge Nicole Scherzinger says, “What’s so wonderful about a capella singing in groups like these, is it’s all about just having a unity and one with the group – a blend – and listening to each other and not just to yourself. If they just have faith in each other and stick through it, they are going to do amazing.”

Judge Ben Folds, known for being one of the hardest working singer songwriters in the music industry, has worked for years to perfect his singing harmonies: “I feel like my job is to help them get to the next show… to help them get to the next step, and not to necessarily tear them down. You can’t move along unless you know what your problems are and so I consider that my job.”

Viewers will be able to cast their votes for their favorite band on Wednesday, Dec. 16 after the last of the three taped competition shows airs. The finale will air live on Monday, Dec. 21 at 8 PM. If you, like TVgrrrrl, have a schedule conflict and will miss one of the three competition shows, you can also watch replays of full episodes online on NBC.com.

At this point, my money is on NOTA. No Face. No, wait a minute, SoCals... But, Noteworthy is awesome, too. Oh, don't forget Beelzebubs... and the list goes on. Guess we'll see what the judges have to say!





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