OK. Live blogging The Sing-Off now. Ben Folds is mentoring tonight!
The theme is music across the generations. The group number includes classic rock tunes like “My Generation” “We Will Rock You” and then “It’s Time” by Imagine Dragons. So, I guess we really are spanning the years. There’s way too much yelling in this song. And NO CHOIR SHOULD EVER COVER “MY GENERATION.” Seriously.
The remaining 4 of the Top 8 sing. One group will go home. Home Free, Voice Play Element and Vocal Rush perform.
Home Free – Ring of Fire by Johnny Cash – These guys will probably be in the final. Their harmonies are so tight. Each one of them is a great vocalist and their arrangements are inventive. Holy crap, the low note the bass singer hit is unreal. They get a standing ovation from the judges. Ben felt they perfectly executed the song. Jewel was impressed by the “country a cappella reggae” Shawn thought the arrangement worked. Truly entertaining.
Voice Play – “Don’t Speak” by No Doubt – They don’t normally do emotionally-based ballads. It will be a challenge. This is very pretty. The red headed lead singer and the bald guy perform it like a love duet (sorry, I don’t know names!) This is really cohesive, Their best performance to date. Shawn thought it was amazing. Ben thinks they totally kicked the songs ass. Jewel says that this week, the group showed us their hearts. A great use of dynamics.
Element – “Keep Me Hangin On” by The Supremes – Ben advises the girls to give lead singers the space to shine. Oh. This isn’t very tight. And the harmonies are grating. These girls are definitely singing off tonight. Ben said it was in the right direction, but there were a few tuning issues. Jewel said it was tough to make modern, but nice job. Shawn liked what they did, but some of the harmonies were muddy and unglued, It could have been more dramatic.
Vocal Rush – “Holding Out for a Hero” by Bonnie Tyler – Ben tells them that anything fear based or tension based is their enemy! These high schoolers lack experience, but Ben tells them to toss aside the idea that they can’t last until the end. Well, they can’t. They are really really good…for high schoolers. The lead singers sound awesome, but the harmonies could be tighter. They tossed a rap into the song that was a nice touch. Ben thought the bass and drums really held it down. “When I was your age, I was an idiot,” says Ben. Shawn admires that they give 100% and are musically intelligent. He notes there was a problem with the double chorus. Jewel says their youthful exuberance can be an achilles heel. The excitement causes them to fall apart a little bit.
Now, it’s time for the Ultimate Sing-Off. The two acts in the bottom two are Element and Vocal Rush. The two groups sing “Survivor” by Destiny’s Child. Both of these performances are problematic. There are pitch problems and sloppiness throughout. But, I’d give the edge to the teens. Element performs the song like a joke. I thought the kids were fiercer. The judges decide to save Vocal Rush.
Element is eliminated
Double elimination on Wednesday! See you at 8 pm.
