We’ve come a long way from the beginning of this season of NBC’s “The Sing-Off.” We’ve seen ten amazingly talented groups from all over the country grace the stage in Los Angeles, and up ‘til now, we’ve seen six of those groups return home. The post-high school group Men of Note and the music majors of Berklee’s Pitch Slapped went home on the first night. On the second night, the High-Schoolers of Eleventh Hour went home along with the classy gentlemen of the Yale Whiffenpoofs. The inimitable jazzy sound of Groove For Thought would hold up until the third night, and on the fourth, Ben, Nicole, and Shawn would narrow down the finalists when they sent On the Rocks back to Oregon.
And then there were four – The godfather’s of a cappella Jerry Lawson and Talk of the Town, the ad-hoc co-ed group The Backbeats, the southern gentlemen of Street Corner Symphony, and the Gospel church boys of Committed.
The show last night was fantastic, and I could go through the full two hours and talk about the great performances. But let’s be honest, all of you just want to hear who won. So I’ll start with that. May I be the first to congratulate the new “Sing-Off” Champions – Committed! Congratulations guys! Your soulful gospel sound and natural R&B flavor helped to capture the hearts of millions, while your impeccable talent and unity captured their ears.
If you haven’t watched the finale, you should look for it on Hulu.com when it becomes available. It was an awesome show featuring the four finalists singing with some big name stars including Neil Diamond, Sheryl Crow, Sara Bareilles, and Boyz II Men, not to mention performances with the judges and Nick Lachey, our MC. Let’s just say… Committed singing “Motown Philly” with Boyz II Men! Awesome!
It’s been a great season! I’m excited to see what comes of all the groups that competed. As we’ve seen with American Idol, it’s not always just the winner that gets the recording contract. I hope that JLaw and the boys keep doing their thing. I believe that The Backbeats and Street Corner Symphony will go on to make great music. But most of all, I hope that Eleventh Hour continues to sing like they have, and I hope that other high-schoolers get into this type of music like Eleventh Hour has. I hope you’ve enjoyed my recaps. Comments are definitely appreciated! Keep music alive… and remember - music is life... the rest is just details!
http://www.casa.org/content/sing-season-2-episode-4-recap
http://www.casa.org/content/sing-season-2-episode-3-recap
http://www.casa.org/content/sing-season-2-episode-2-recap
http://www.casa.org/content/sing-season-2-episode-1-recap
About the author:
Jeeves Murphy: "I've only heard the a cappella version of that song before." If Jeeves had a nickel for every time he's said that, he'd be a rich man. Jeeves has been singing ever since he can remember (even before he was "Jeeves"). He's performed in classical and renaissance a cappella groups, as well as contemporary groups and barbershop quartets. He helped found multiple groups while he was in college, including the first of its kind at UMBC (The Mama's Boys) where he graduated with a degree in English Literature. Jeeves currently works in Columbia, MD as an ITS Engineer. In his spare time, he is an all around musician - playing piano, bass guitar, cajon, and of course singing Tenor (high-tenor), arranging, and vocal percussion. He's the Maryland State Ambassador for CASA and writes semi-regularly for the site (or at least when the mood strikes). Jeeves' articles focus mainly on performance and CD reviews. http://www.imjeeves.com/
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