America’s Got Talent: 1AChord Continues to Wow With Gospelfied REM Cover
On America’s Got Talent first live quarterfinal (Read our Recap), 1AChord, the newly founded trio made up of University of North Carolina college students, continued their streak of gospelizing beloved songs with their take of REM’s “Everybody Hurts.”
In their audition, the trio took on “Fix You” by Coldplay. “Everybody Hurts” wavers on being overdone, but I still like the song a lot, as it packs a lot of emotion in its lyrics. I did notice that the arrangement was a bit like 1AChord’s audition arrangement. But this time, the backing music employed more of a rhythmical beat.
I liked this cover, but at times I thought it could have benefited from a less is more approach. Yes, taking the song to church was a nice idea, but it robbed the song of some of its emotion. Additionally, this time around, the group sang too many runs, and not all of them were well executed. I still think that 1AChord was one of the better acts of the night and was my second favorite singing act, next to Jimmie Herrod.
“I am a Jew, and I believe”
All four judges gave 1AChord a standing ovation. Sofia Vergara called the “fantastic” performance a combination of “rock stars” and “gospel singers.” Simon Cowell called it the “best performance of the night so far,” using the word “magic” to describe the performance. He also noted the growth the group had made since their audition. Howie Mandel could not believe that they just met this year, calling them “seamless” and saying that they have their own lane as “contemporary gospel.” He even went as far as saying, “I am a Jew, and I believe”.
I think when results roll around, 1AChord will most likely be one of the acts going through. They really can sing, and for the most part, are good at successfully flipping pop songs into gospel.
Watch 1aChord sing a beautiful rendition of “Everybody Hurts”