The Sing-Off Holiday Special 2014 (VIDEOS)

Pictured: "Melodores" (l-r) Nikhil Ramaprasad, Cameron David, Dan McNeill, Austin Lyons, Augie Phillips, Ted Moock, William Woodard, Jamal Marcelin, James McHugh, Jonathan Amaro-Barron, Justin Riele, Hollis Cuffie -- (Photo by: Evans Vestal Ward/NBC)

The Sing-Off 2014 Holiday Special Recap and Performance Videos!

The Sing-Off returns for a 5th season. Sort of. A one night holiday special will pit 6 a’cappella teams against each other for a 50,000 grand prize. This has already gone down by the way. I have the spoilers to prove it.

Returning judges Jewel and Shawn Stockman will be joined by Fall Out Boy frontman Patrick Stump while Nick Lachey is once again set as host. Unfortunately, former judge, Ben Foldscould not clear his schedule to tape the show.

Performing on the special will be season four Sing-Off champions Home Free, who will sing with Nick and all three judges. Season three winner and hugely popular group Pentatonix will also perform.

All six groups kick off the show with a rendition of “Kids in America.” It’s a get to know you performance!

http://youtu.be/1az3UApXT2Y

Host, Nick Lachey takes the stage. It’s America’s #1 a ‘cappella vocal competition.  How about the ONLY a’capella competition? At least on TV> The first round will consist of groups performing their “signature song”–a tune that showcases what the group is about. Nick ribs Patrick about having to fill Ben Folds’ seat.  “They got the other nerdy rockstar that they could find,” jokes Patrick.  His dad was disappointed Ben wouldn’t be there. Ha. Patrick. Hilarious already. And kind of adorable.

Timothy’s Gift – “Ghost” by Ella Henderson – All female country rock group from Nashville. They sing in prisons! They want to inspire hope in the men and women. Female groups always have trouble sounding full from top to bottom. No exception here. The soloists are decent, other than that one screechy singer. Jewel said it worked even without the bass and percussion (I disagree. I missed it). Shawn was particularly impressed with a singer, Abby. She had flipped into a beautiful head voice. Patrick wonders what it’s like to play in a prison.

http://youtu.be/wG–50lN0Og

A. Squared –  Pompeii by Bastile  –  This group incorporates electronics into their performances. They sing a’cappella, while a DJ loops their voices on the spot. This reminds me of the stuff Blake Lewis does. He sang in an a’cappella group too. They met at Yale. So. Geniuses.  I heard this was messy live. But on TV, it’s pretty cool. The sound is huge, but a little cold and fake at times. Shawn compliments them on their ambition, but as an a’cappella purist, he felt the voices were obscured by the machines. Jewel calls them bionic–half man half machine. Don’t allow the emotion to be buried in the technology, she says. There was some great choral singing though, which she called “tasty.”  Patrick called out some minor pitch things (which, when looped over and over again can be a problem) but overall, he complimented them.

Traces – River Deep Mountain High by Ike & Tina Turner – All female group started in a New York City church.  This group had to start over 4 times at the taping due to tuning issues. Impressed with the bass person!  Some interesting percussion things going on, too. The lead singer is REAL GOOD.Shawn loved how they moved and worked the stage. He also loved the FEELING the lead singer gave. He alluded to their tuning problems.  A little more percussion would have been nice for Patrick, but the bass was AMAZING. Jewel agrees. More compliments for the lead singer, who she compares to Nina Simone.

The Exchange – Love Runs Out by OneRepublic – My computer froze during his performance. I’ll try to catch up later. But what I heard was pretty great–a combination of technical vocal finesse and emotion. ETA: Two members were in last season’s The Yellow Jackets. Another member was in a competing season 3 group–not namechecked, though.

San Fran 6 – Break Free by Ariana Grande – Male/female group.  Dad of one singer was a super-cheesy rock star in the Philippines. One of the female singers is a chemist. They are very nerdy!  Unfortunately, the female lead is weak. The harmonies though, are intricate, tight, AMAZING!  I loved this arrangement. They really flipped the song in a good way.  Shawn called the beat “crazy.”  Wow. that percussionist is just doing stuff I’ve never heard in my life.  Shawn felt a few spots could have been better. Patrick disagrees. He LOVED the arrangement. Jewel enjoyed that the lead girl sounded like a pop singer.

Melodores – All male group from Vanderbilt University –  Trumpets by Jason Derulo  – Oh. One of the singers, Ted, was cast in Pitch Perfect II. The performance got off to a slow start, and a few of the voices I didn’t enjoy, but things really kicked into crazy gear in the second half, as the group moved through different rhythms and styles. A very entertaining performance. Fantastic harmonies. Jewel loved all the different aspects they hit.  Shawn loved the “trip” they took him on. A little more bass maybe? But he loved the flugel horn! Patrick loved the arrangement. A few pitchy moments, but awesome.

Now it’s time for season 3 winners, PENTATONIX with their special remix of “Hark the Herald Angels Sing/That’s Christmas to Me.”  The gang is SO proud of all the group’s success!

RESULTS! Which group will move to the Top 3?

The Exchange
Traces
The Melodores

Judges Choice round!

Traces – “I’m Every Woman” by Whitney Houston –  The girls are backstage crying. They want it so much! The girls start off ballady, after which they break into some gospel realness. Shawn thought they brought the attitude. He loved the lead singer, compared her voice to honey dripping off a spoon. Patrick was impressed that strong voices didn’t overpower each other. Jewel felt they were hitting on all cylinders. More props for the bass singer!

The Exchange – “Sing” by Ed Sheeran – Oh. HARD song to sing. This is actually….pretty great. Tight, intricate, beautifully sung.  Reminds me of Pentatonix!  That kind of good. Jewel was impressed that they did the rap in 3 part harmony. Patrick says they played off the audience really well. Shawn loves their range. Fun, entertaining harmonic. Flawless, Patrick calls it.

Melodores – “Take Me To Church” by Holzier – They didn’t get much rehearsal time, but they’ve got an amazing lead singer that will hold it all together. Intense lead vocal. Without rehearsal, the background harmonies aren’t as interesting as the first song, but the lead singer is explosive, bringing the proper emotion to the performance.  Patrick was curious about how they’d handle the sparse parts of the song. He was impressed. Jewel appreciated the lead singer’s vulnerability. Shawn says the group took us to church, told a story. The panel seemed really moved by the group’s willingness to put it all out there.

NEXT The judges join season 4 winners, Home Free, for a performance of “Stand By Me.”  Nick joins them! I love that all the on air peeps SING!

Oh. There will be another Sing-Off tour! Kicking off in February. Here’s the full tour schedule.

Time to announce the winner! But not before a recap of the Top 3 performances.  “It’s absurd how hard this is,” says Patrick about the decision. Jewel feels like a mama. Shawn reminds everyone that each group has a purpose and should continue whether they win or not.

And the winner of The Sing-Off 2014 is….Melodores!

http://youtu.be/8WUzNLvlSaQ

A $50,000 prize split between about 20 people whee! Nick announces that Melodores is the first collegiate group to win the competition.

About mj santilli 34833 Articles
Founder and editor of mjsbigblog.com, home of the awesomest fan community on the net. I love cheesy singing shows of all kinds, whether reality or scripted. I adore American Idol, but also love The Voice, Glee, X Factor and more!