On the Rocks are Eliminated
2nd Elimination: TWIST! A second group was NOT eliminated. Committed, Street Corner Symphony, The Backbeats and Jerry Lawson and the Talk of the Town all advance to the finale.
Voting instructions:
There’s a 10 vote limit per voting method
- Committed – 1-877-674-6401 – Text 1 to 97979
- Street Corner Symphony – 1-877-674-6402 – Text 2 to 97979
- The Backbeats – 1-877-674-6403 – Text 3 to 97979
- Jerry Lawson & Talk of the Town – 1-877-674-6404 – Text 4 to 97979
Voting lines are open until Sunday 9 am Vote online at NBC.com
Neil Diamond, Sheryl Crowe, Sara Bareilles and Boys II Men will guest on Monday’s 2 1/2 hour finale. The judges and Nick Lachey will also perform.
What a cop-out! The judges didn’t have the nerve to cut Talk of the Town, but it would have been criminal to eliminate The Backbeats after their incredible performance of “Landslide”.
I think the judges should have manned up and eliminated Jerry Lawson and TOTT. Lawson, who was part of the Persuasions, one of the most famous a ‘capella groups EVER, has no business competing against a bunch of newbies. I hope when the show comes back next season (and it will–the ratings are so good, Monday’s finale has been expanded to 2 1/2 hours) they keep the playing field LEVEL.
Videos and Live Blog after the JUMP…
We’re down to 5 groups on the Sing-Off tonight. Tonight, two groups will be eliminated. The remaining 5 groups will sing 2 songs–a song picked by the judges and “Superstar Medleys”.
One group will be eliminated after the first round.
Stick around for my live blog!
Group performance – The Beatles – “A Little Help From My Friends”. Wow. Wow. Wow!!!! This is sensational! – VIDEO
Superstar Medleys
On the Rocks – Elton John Medley (Bitch is Back, Bennie & the Jets, Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me) – OTR go out for a night of silly karaoke! OTR are doing a good job of blending that “Artistry” with performance. Beautiful harmonies! The Elton John glasses are a nice touch. The crowd LOVES it. Nicole says, “Y’all came to play tonight. I was very impressed…so clean. Good job.” Ben says, “Sounded really good, blending together really nicely. The groove on Bitches back was too complicated. Less is more. Bennie and the Jets could have been slower. You landed the plane really nicely.” Ha ha. Getting the groundwork ready to eliminate them tonight.” Shawn says, “You really represented well on the leads.” – VIDEO
Committed – The group play some B-Ball! – Usher Medley – Isn’t Usher kinda sexy for these church boys? Nice harmonies, but it could use a little more edge if you know what I mean. This is kinda the same problem they had with rock songs. It’s nice, but…kind of a snore. Ben says, “Nice work guys. Harmonically bad ass. You’ve taken the journey to birth control music to that. I didn’t miss any instruments. Very inspiring.” Shawn says, “The transitions were so sick. It was entertaining.” Nicole says, “That was the Holy Spirit moving through them. Really good job.” – VIDEO
Street Corner Symphony – Beatles Medley (Eleanor Rigby, Help, Hey Jude) – They’re at the Whiskey A Go Go to preview their medley. OMG. Their Beatles suits are HOT. Love the bass singer doing Paul McCartney air guitar! I’m not loving this as much as I’d hoped. The three songs didn’t flow together seamlessly. Hey Jude was the best of the three–the breakdown was gorgeous. Beatle bow! Aahhh. Shawn says, “Classic classic. It started off a little rough, but you picked it up. It sounded really down home. Richie, you really look like John Lennon. It was scaring the hell out of me.” Ben says, “I agree with Shawn. You weren’t quite tuning at first. The beatbox when it was in was really great. The performance was very very good.” Nicole says, “That was absolutely lovely. John you took it home.” – VIDEO
The Backbeats – Lady Gaga Medley (Poker Face, Paparazzi, Just Dance) – The Backbeats go glam shopping in Hollywood. I keep calling these guys over-rated, but tonight? I kinda dug this. For once, they worked really well as an ensemble, rather than a couple of lead singers with background vocals. They held it together well despite a complicated arrangement. Nicole says, “I think that you guys did a good job. I don’t think we realize how hard it is to recreate synthesized sounds.” Shawn says, “I think you guys had the hardest assignment of the night. I commend you on that…it was off the hook.” Ben says, “Paparazzi groove was really fantastic. You guys share the limelight seamlessly.” Hm. I think they deserved more praise than that. – VIDEO
Jerry Lawson and the Talk of the Town – Otis Redding Medley (Dock of The Bay, Try a Little Tenderness, Respect) – TOTT are hanging out at the…barbershop. They preview their performance for the fellow patrons. Talk of the Town do their thing. It’s not a big revelation, it’s really old-fashioned, but they do what they do very well. Ben says, “The transitions were great, it was good to see Paul step up. Your pitch isn’t always dead on. There’s so much energy in it. Nice work.” Shawn says, “When you guys sing, you remind me of a cool tall glass of lemonade. You encompass what a’capella is all about.” Nicole says, “I just got goosebumps. It was beautiful. It was very fitting that you all ended with Respect.” Hm. Am I hearing a kiss off? Will the judges actually cut Jerry and the boys? I’ll believe it when I see it! – VIDEO
One group will be eliminated after the break.
Still in the game: Committed and The Backbeats are declared safe first, Jerry Lawson and Talk of the Town are next. Street Corner Symphony are the last to be saved. (I would have cut a bitch!)
On the Rocks are Eliminated. Very clever send-off. They leave the stage singing “The Final Countdown”. – VIDEO
Nope. The judges still don’t have the nerve to ditch Talk of the Town.
Judges’ Pick – The judges discuss the strengths of each of the remaining groups.
Committed – “Let’s Stay Together” by Al Green – Very nice, very smooth, very sweet…if not very exciting. These guys have fine voices, but for me? They’re missing something. Charisma. I think that’s it. Shawn says, “I like the way you guys stayed in pocket. It’s a classic. How you did it was perfect. Maurice, you hit the chorus beautifully. Good performance, smooth.” Nicole says, “I really enjoyed being able to listen to you all. I felt like I was in a music video, in slow motion, picking all my favorite candies. You all just taste the music.” Nicole veering off into Paula territory? Ben says, “You guys are so advanced harmonically. You almost always nail them. Passing off the vocals seamlessly.” – VIDEO
Street Corner Symphony – “Down on the Corner” by Creedence Clearwater Revival – Very soulful. Digging this a lot. The lead singer’s versatility is just AMAZEBALLS. Joyful, energetic, great breakdown. LOVING THIS PEOPLE! SCS is BACK. Ben says, “Nice toss, nice catch! How great are we! You nailed that. You made a classic sound modern again. Stylistically, you didn’t mess with the arrangement. Nice work.” Shawn says, “I’m so glad you guys kept the original arrangement. Playful, soulful, fun, tight, funky. Arena a’capella. I loved it.” Nicole says, “Alive and kicking! Jeremy you definitely did your thing. I hear every single one of you individually.” – VIDEO
The Backbeats – “Landslide” by Fleetwood Mac – Backbeats are really stepping it up tonight. Gorgeous arrangement. That was mesmerizing. Great job mimicking strings by the BGVs. Courtney is crying. Nicole says, “Everybody is at the top of their game. That was really beautiful. You all should be really proud of yourselves.” Ben says, “I feel like you guys have grown up as a group. A very innovative arrangement. Very ambitious. Emotionally you delivered it.” Shawn says, “I saw the sound. Joanna has the most sincere eyes. Absolutely beautiful.” Based on that performance, The Backbeats deserve to advance. They were better than Committed. The difference? The Backbeats got to the emotion of the song in a way Committed didn’t. But really, if life were fair, Jerry Lawson and Talk of the Town would be hitting the road. – VIDEO
Jerry Lawson and Talk of the Town – “House of the Rising Sun” by the Animals – The group performs a competent, gospalized version of the song. However, no surprises. Shawn says, “I think the Animals meant for the song to sound like that. How did you turn that song into a gospel? It made my spine curve. Off the hook.” Ben says, “I agree with Shawn. It was beautiful.” Nicole says, “I just have to say, Lord have mercy. Every song that you sing brings new meaning to the song.” Jerry is practically crying on stage as they get a standing ovation. – VIDEO
Elimination next!
Going on to the finale: Committed, Street Corner Symphony, The Backbeats…and Jerry Lawson and The Talk of the Town…everyone is moving on to the finale. The judges WUSSED OUT. – VIDEO
