The Sing-Off 4 - The Premiere! Recap and VIDEOS

The Sing-Off has returned for a 4th season! I’ll be live blogging the premiere right here. Join us!

Congrats, new producer, Mark Burnett, for tweaking the Sing Off without completely ruining it! What matters is that Ben Folds and Shawn Stockman are still on the panel. And I have to say, Jewel held her own with the boys. The Sing-Off STILL has the most technically proficient judges panel of ALL the singing shows. I learn something new every week. Jewel is NOT afraid to speak her mind or disagree with the guys, which is a very good thing. I wouldn’t mind seeing the gang mix it up a little.

Burnett used his casting people to find the groups, and I have to congratulate him on a job well done. This is a a very diverse, professional and talented group! Probably the best Top 10 ever, so I anticipate the rest of the short season to be really entertaining.

I would have sent Calle Sol to the Sing Off and then eliminated them. But, there were other reasons to keep them than their singing prowess. I get that. I would have sent the AcoUstiKats to the Sing Off. I thought they were kind of sloppy. But ultimately, I’m OK with the results. The Princeton Footnotes had weaknesses, particularly their lead singers.

OK Here we go with The Sing-Off. The Top 10 groups kick things off with a medley of Fun. hits. VERY COOL. Standing O from the judges.

The Sing-Off is back and BIGGER THAN EVER!!! Says Nick. The prize is a Sony recording contract and $100K cash prize.

This year features a very Voice-like twist. A sing off between groups called The Ultimate Sing Off. Dun Dun Dun. This week, the groups choose songs that will reveal to viewers who they are as artists.

Vocal Rush – “Bottom of the River” – An award-winning high school group, from a performing arts HS. Of course, you have to have the Glee-like group in the competition. There was a high school group on season 3, and they were clearly out of their league. This group is really tight and well rehearsed. Wow. I bet they won Nationals! OK Nick is undoubtedly going to be constantly reminding us that the performers are SINGING WITH OUT INSTRUMENTS. Don’t forget it. Ben was impressed with their focus, and the vocal percussion. Boys II Men started in a performing high school. Shawn is impressed that they understand dynamics. Jewel snarks that her fellow judges talked too long. She feels they really sold the song. The expressed the message of the song well. Righteous anger is important for youth, she says.

Home Free – Cruise – Country a’cappella y’all! From Minneapolis. They gig everywhere. Are country a cappella groups so novel? Vocal duos and groups are a big part of the country tradition, right? These guys are easy on the eyes and have great vocals. I hate this song less than I usually do when they sing it. Ben is feeling a little bit of bass in his butt! It sounded like a record to him. Jewell is so glad they’re here. The bass singer went from bass to a tenor 1 during the breakdown! Shawn thinks country is just a white man’s R&B. Tim is a natural bass, says Shawn.

The Princeton Footnotes – “Trouble” – Gotta have a collegiate group! They were founded in 1959. They swear they aren’t stuffy. They’are goofy! In a clip they’re throwing papers around, just like that scene in Glee featuring the Warblers. Cheeky renditions of pop songs, especially girl songs, is the stock in trade of collegiate a’cappella groups, no? I don’t love the lead singers, but the harmonies are decent. “WE LOVE YOU BEN” they sing. Heh. Shawn loved the tenors and the baritones. Ben loved the opening chord, but it became unglued a couple of times. Jewell advises the basses to hit the tonics really tight.

Calle Sol – “Pon De Replay” = This group is straight from Puerto Rico. It’s a fusion of pop and soul with a latin flavor. The girls are dancers. Most of them have children. This female centric group is just OK. The lead vocals aren’t impressive. The harmonies could be tighter and fuller. Ben called it fun and unique. They need to find ways to be fill in their sound. Jewel liked the dance moves, and compliments their unique rhythm elements, including creating a couple of pitched instruments. She loved the rhythm section. Shawn says the middle needs to be filled up, but otherwise impressed.

Street Corner Renaissance. – “What Makes You Beautiful” – They literally sang on street corners. Yes, they are all old. They spent a lifetime working day jobs, but now it’s “me” time. They sing mostly 50’s doo wop, but can indulge in modern classics, like One Direction! The song translates beautifully to doo wop! Even Simon Cowell would like this. Shawn takes the stage to hug them all individually. “Children take notes” says Shawn. Jewel says they “testified.” Ben calls the performance “real honest.”

OK. It’s time to choose the group that will perform in the Ultimate Sing Off. The Princeton Footnotes and Calle Sol are in the bottom two.

The Princeton Footnotes head to the Ultimate Sing off. Hm. I would have sent Calle Sol. They were the weakest of the five.

Ten – “Tell Me Something Good” – They’re ALL background singers. They perform gospel music. Peaches put the group together when she heard The Sing Off was coming back. God told her to. Whoa. The lead singers are AMAZING. Nice harmonies and a funky groove. Can’t go wrong. Ben thought it was amazing, but there was so much going on, the story got lost in the shuffle. Shawn compliments the powerhouses, but felt it could have been more cohesive. Jewel thought the harmonies sounded like a pipe organ.

Season 3 winners, Pentatonix, are in the house!

Element – “Burn” – They’re the only all female group. They don’t have the low end that a guy group would have, but it forces them to be creative. This is very energetic. The girls singing bass and rhythm are bringing a very full sound to the group. I’m loving the arrangement. Jewel loved the electronic drum loop. She thought it was a smart arrangement, but parts of it were rushed. Shawn felt they didn’t leave enough room to build. Hm. Ben thought they did come out with creative ways to get around the male problem.

Voiceplay – “Feel This Moment” – They sing at Universal Orlando. THAT’S called keeping it in the family (Universal is part of the Comcast family, as is NBC). Whoa. This group is TIGHT TIGHT TIGHT. Amazing harmonies. Intricate vocal arrangement and great leads. Shawn loved the percussion. It took a minute for them to take off. Jewell thinks the lead singer has a lot of character in her voice. Ben loved the harmonies in the chorus, but the midrange isn’t exactly there at all times.

The Filharmonic – “Treasure” – The singers are all Filipino-American. They’ve got the dance moves and youthful cute looks of a boyband, but definitely have an a’cappella sound These guys could clean up with the young ones. The falsetto guy is really good. I’m not crazy about the lead singer, though. Jewel is feeling it. She loved the bassline and their personality. Ben thought they were fun and entertaining and grabbed from the get go. They went ahead of the beat a bit, but still very good. Shawn admires their 90s style! He loved the bass line. Natural charisma made it fun to watch.

AcoUstiKats – “Blurred Lines” – Another all-male collegiate group, from the University of Kentucky. OK. That falsetto voice scared me a little. This is choppy. I’m not crazy about the lead voices and the harmonies are all over the place. It’s like a free for all! I’m likin the bass though. Ben thought it was fun, but rushed. Still infectious. Shawn was a little nervous. He notes that the falsetto sang 3 octaves. Jewel giggled. She’s never seen men wiggle their hips like that. She noted that the falsetto singer had formal training. That’s what bugged me about him! That wide vibrato seemed out of place.

Time to pick the second group going into the Ultimate Sing Off. It’s between Element and Voiceplay. VoicePlay will perform in the Ultimate Sing Off.

All groups prepared THE SAME SONG, “Bye Bye Bye” by *Nsync for this moment. It’s a vocal duel, sung together, just like in The Voice Battle Rounds. When do the groups rehearse the songs together? I’d give Voiceplay the edge over The Princeton Footnotes. For one of the groups, it’s BYE BYE BYE. Somebody had to say it. Nick did. Ben thought they should have brought it like that in their earlier performances.