Well, as The Sing-Off returns, this presents a bit of a conundrum because one of the groups this season is from UO, On the Rocks, and I'm aware of them already. (Actually, you probably are, too.) So I guess the point here is, I might not be all that neutral this time around. You've been forewarned.
The show opens with a big group number that reveals that there are more groups (10) and the talent level is really high. Host Nick Lachey explains after this that each group will sing "a signature number" and that two groups will be going home tonight.
Jerry Lawson Is Back
Eleventh Hour from Fairmont High School in Kettering, Ohio, is up first. They liken themselves to a Breakfast Club group that met in the performing arts room instead of detention. To reveal the group's little kid status, I suppose, their first song is "Baby" by Justin Bieber. They are pretty adorable. Judge Ben Folds says they sounded like more people than they were, and he liked the percussion and the bass. Nicole Scherzinger calls them the real-life Glee -- you knew that was coming. She felt the groove and loves how the music brought this disparate group together. Shawn Stockman says they give a fresh look to a capella music and that he commends their focus.
On the Rocks (I'm stifling the "Go Ducks" right now; really, I am) became YouTube sensations thanks to their viral video of them singing Lady Gaga's Bad Romance, which you can see in the link above. Their signature song tonight is, indeed, "Bad Romance," and they kill it, mostly. Shawn Stockman says he wasn't sure about the song selection ("15 men pretending to be Lady Gaga?") but they pulled it off, and he loved how they incorporated the choreography. (I guess he hasn't been watching them on YouTube.) Ben says they were so entertaining that it mitigated the pitchiness a little bit. Nicole thinks that Gaga would be pleased to know how she's influenced them. She loves them.
Seattle's Groove for Thought has a jazzy style that they say sets them apart. Several of them are music teachers, so apparently we have our Mr. Schu, folks. They've also recently added the daughter of a longtime member to the group, which gives them a family feel, too. Their signature song is Stevie Wonder's "I Wish," and it's very lovely and fun. Ben says they had great energy, and lots of groove. He especially loved the arrangement, which "kept you from going toe-to-toe with Stevie Wonder." Good plan. Nicole says they each have their own swag and she loved it. Shawn found it solid and pleasurable, comparing them to Take 6.
Jerry Lawson Is Back
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