Tonight, The Sing-Off Top 6 perform! I’ll be live blogging right here.
The big group number is “I Had the Time of My Life” – The singers pair off boy/girl to sing leads. Jewel and Shawn sing to each other! Cute. OK who is going to do the big Jennifer Grey stage jump from Dirty Dancing?
Tonight, Jewel steps up to the mentor plate. Looks like there’s LOTS of crying. Movie music is the theme!
Everyone will go head to head in 3 ultimate sing offs. Two teams go home tonight.
Jewel told her sad story of leaving home at 15 and ending up homeless at 18. She taught herself guitar and pulled her self out of despair. No excuses allowed! The groups will choose a song made famous in a movie.
Home Free – “Pretty Woman” from Pretty Woman – Jewel says the song has to be more than just a toe tapper. It has to be either heartfelt, or a total party. The arrangement of this song is like country do-wop. They inject some humor into the performance. The bridge slows down. I guess this is the “heartfelt” part. The vocals as always are stellar. These guys have a very good chance of winning the prize. Ben calls it “tight”. He liked some of the silly touches. The song could have been done in any of the styles incorporated, but it was ok all incorporated. Shawn was a little mad that the iconic riff was kind of left out, but he’s over it. Their vocals are so tight, he says. Jewel thought they did a great job.
Vocal Rush – “Against All Odds” from Against All Odds – Blargh. I hate this song. The vocal percussionist will be singing lead. The lead singers are weak tonight. The harmonies are muddled too. High school group has gone as far as they can, I think. They are just out of their league here. Shawn was impressed that the percussionist sang so beautifully. Shawn really loves the other singer too. Eh. Also, they really function as a group and could go far. Ben is really impressed with the young group. He loved the arrangement, he could only take them down on a few technical points. Jewel loves their emotional honesty. She appreciated the emotional vulnerability in the leads.
The AkoUstikats – “Old Time Rock N Roll” from Risky Business – Jewel wants to know who is wearing their underwear. She reminds them to be consistent. Don’t let theatrics overshadow technique. A fun performance. All wear Raybans and jackets. A couple of them strip to their underwear for the last verse. Cute. It’s probably the tightest they’ve been so far. This group tends to be sloppy. Shawn could have done without “the exposure.” Great performance, lots of energy, says Shawn. The harmonies only wavered a little during the choreography. Ben confesses that he’s gone commando tonight. TMI! The transitions were good. There were too many styles of music mushed together. He wished the lead vocals had more growl in it.
The Filharmonic – “Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” from Armageddon – Jewel advises them to bend the technical and emotional together. These guys have the tendency to be technically competent, but smile their way through songs. It’s very pretty. They sing directly to the judges, making eye contact. The lead singing is fantastic. They had some trouble at one point. But I think these boys are sticking around. There are some tears from the boys. Jewel thought it was tender and emotional. Joe breaks down. Awe. Ben loved Joe’s lower range. He loved both leads. He felt they connected and have a rock star aura. Ben notes the overuse of cymbals. Shawn appreciates that the made the song their own, but they’ve got to keep the harmonies locked.
Voice Play – “Don’t You Forget About Me” from Breakfast Club – Jewel advises Honey, the lead singer, to open up her well of pain and let it out. She cried and Jewel hugged her! Jewel wants to hear genuine longing. This is a little slow for me. At one point, they peel away from each other, pulling off pieces of high school memorabilia. But they’re all singing something different. It’s like a free for all. Confusing. They are so focused on being emotional, the technicals have suffered. Shawn loved the arrangement. He loves Honey’s delivery. He was impressed with Ellie the bald guy. Shawn was waiting for a peak that never came (Yes! I agree). He wanted more of the “Na na ha na nas” at the end. Ben loved Honey’s lead. He appreciated the almost improvised quality of the performance (Hm). Jewel is proud of Honey. She likes the way they deconstructed the song, but agrees the end was underwhelming.
Ten – Skyfall by Adele – Finally a CONTEMPORARY SONG. So far, it had been basically 80s night. The lead singer is fantastic. I love her phrasing. That raspy higher register is fantastic. Lots of dynamics in the backgrounds. Whoa, curly haired lead singer is absolutely killing it. So emotional. The harmonies are really tight. WOW. Really impressed. My favorite performance of the night. Ben calls it really powerful “Your choir is world class,” he says. He kind of wants to hear them with a band. He wants to hear them just sing. Jewel had advised them to create an atmosphere. She thinks they accomplished that. She is impressed by their intricate 10 part harmonies. Shawn says it’s a joy to see them develop. He thinks they’re coming into their own. He calls Dee Dee’s voice mesmerizing, and Amani amazing. Everything was on point, he says.
The Ultimate Sing Offs.
Lots of trash talking in the video packages!
Acoustikats vs Voice Play – “Eye of the Tiger” from Eye of the Tiger – Hm. This is tough. It’s a draw. Both groups are pretty good. Lots of humor in the performance. I love the tongue and cheek quality. This is a song that, in retrospect, is hard to take seriously. Ben thought it was really funny and that the two groups worked well together. Shawn called it a mixture of Looney Toons and Monty Python. “You guys entertained everybody here.” Jewel loved the silliness. With all the movement and antics, they were really sound.
Ten vs Vocal Rush – “Fame” from Fame – This is a pretty messy arrangement. Ten doesn’t sound nearly as good here as they did on their solo number. The arrangement is too slow. Jewel thought it was dynamic and exciting. Ben thought Ten were more youthful and Vocal Rush tighter. They rubbed off on each other in a good way. Shawn was reminded of his high school days at the performing arts high school in Philly. Shawn singles out Sydney in Vocal Rush for her solo.
Home Free vs The Filharmonic – I’m Alright from Caddyshack – The best was saved for last. Best sing off of he night. The vocals are so clean and tight. There’s humor and a little choreography, but it never gets in the way of the performance. This is so entertaining. And so well arranged! Awesome. These two could be facing off against each other in the final. “How much fun was that!” says Shawn. “It really did show the distinction between the two groups.” He felt it really showed their distinct personalities. “That was so cute!” giggles Jewel, “Oh my heck!” She thought they brought out the best in each other. Ben was amazed that they pulled off so much.
RESULTS!
Vocal Rush, Home Free and Ten advance to the next round. The Filharmonic are also safe.
Voice Play and AkoUsticats are eliminated.
Hm. I would have eliminated the teens, Vocal Rush instead of Voice Play. The final elimination was not a shock. I could not imagine the judges eliminating The Filharmonic, especially after that stellar sing-off with Home Free. I think the AcoUsticats were kept around another week because the proposal last week was good TV.
