<p>I agree that again, the right group went home. This is the advantage of decisions made by realy good judges who actually know what they are talking about. Vocal Play is getting better and better. They have a lot of potential, I think. Home Free is already very good.</p>
<p>Great show last night. I enjoyed all of the performances other than Element. They could have used some advice on costumes, in my opinion. Fancy, glamorous dresses in every performance doesn’t really do it. They have been my least favorite group since the beginning. I’m happy that the judges saved Vocal Rush over them. Those high school kids are amazing.</p>
<p>I love Home Free and I wouldn’t be at all surprised if they win the whole thing. </p>
<p>musicmom, I wasn’t surprised with the eyebrow thing. It’s not unusual to dye eyebrows to match your hair and she is a musician, after all. ;)</p>
<p>All of my kids are musicians and all have been involved in a cappella. I thought it was interesting that the one son who is already home from college commented that people without a musical background might not understand what the judges, particularly Jewel and Ben, were criticizing or complimenting. I hadn’t thought of that. To us, it’s like hearing “regular” English 
but for listeners without a real musical background it must sound like a foreign language. In any case, not surprising that Element went home. Very hard for all women’s groups to have that full sound without the bass register.</p>
<p>You’re right, momof3. </p>
<p>Regarding women’s groups, I’ve heard Sweet Adelines that are very effective. I think that
a dedicated women’s a capella group could forge a new sound the same way that Pentatonix created a new style. But I think they would have to concentrate less on recruiting pretty girls with conventional mid-range voices.</p>
<p>I am increasingly impressed with the judges. Jewel’s comments are so instructive and she is very articulate. I am glad they are not “dumbing down” their critiques for the audience. These are true musicians they are speaking to, and they will benefit most from concise feedback, I think. </p>
<p>I was curious about Jewel’s background and found she went to Interlochen. So her depth of knowledge makes sense!</p>
<p>Once again, I thought the right groups went home. I really enjoy this show. Everyone has so much personality! Oh, and they sing good, too.</p>
<p>Great show last night. (I just watched it on Hulu since I missed most of it then.)</p>
<p>I really like VoicePlay, and would rather have seen them stay than the HS group, as good as they are, or Filharmonics. But the decision was certainly not out of line.</p>
<p>Am just watching last night’s episode, which started out with Time of My Life, and it made me want to get up and dance. One of those duets really looked like they were singing to each other in a very meaningful way. ;)</p>
<p>I don’t have a musical background, but I love the “insider baseball” critiques. I’m willing to learn.</p>
<p>Well, I was very surprised when they announced that Ten would be in the Sing-off, since I think they and Home Free are the strongest groups. But I think that the ultimate choice of who to send home was reasonable. That group really failed to capitalize on their Judge’s Choice song, IMHO.</p>
<p>It was hilarious when poor Jewel said that it was frustrating when a song didn’t come to a climax! You could see she realized what she was saying as it left her mouth. :D</p>
<p>Yes, I think she was truly embarrassed!</p>
<p>I am not that crazy about 10, although I did think they out-performed Filharmonic tonight. They seem like 10 individuals singing together instead of a group to me, if that makes sense. But they are talented and deserve to be in the top 3, although I place them at #3. I think Home Free should win. They are definitely ready to record. And I’m not just saying that because my D’s friend is in the group! :)</p>
<p>I loved Home Free’s version of the Zac Brown song. I love that song anyway., but I just thought they did a great job.</p>
<p>I agree that Home Free should win. They are amazing and “different”, for an a cappella group. I am so, so impressed with Vocal Rush…what talent and poise for teenagers!
Well, for ANYONE, but….TEENAGERS! That girl (the vocal percussionist with the amazing voice, I think)….is 16!!!</p>
<p>I love The Sing-Off! It’s great that it’s back, and it sucks that it’s on at different times on different nights wherever NBC has a hole in its schedule, so that I’ve only been able to see half the shows in real time. I missed last night altogether and had to go to the web site to find out what happened.</p>
<p>I was surprised that Filharmonic had been cut, rather than Vocal Rush, but then I watched the performances and it was the right call on the merits. The judges didn’t do Filharmonic any favors with their choice of song. The judges have been punishing groups for staying in a vein and not doing enough with a song. “Baby I Need Your Loving” is a nice song, but it’s not a platform to do a lot more than Filharmonic did with it.</p>
<p>Vocal Rush has been a constant pleasure this “season”. They are always teetering on the brink of falling apart, but not doing it, and their performances have a feeling of total commitment and fearlessness. They are weaker, vocally, than the other groups left (and than the last few groups cut), but they do a great, great job. How did they get this much time off from school? There’s a lot of planning and rehearsing baked into each episode; I assume this was shot over the course of months, not a couple of weeks. Was it during the summer?</p>
<p>I do think I have detected the producer’s hand in some of the choices this year. There is no way Folds and Stockman would have cut Streetcorner Renaissance (or whatever) as early as they did.</p>
<p>The end-of-show sing-off format is a wonderful idea, and has produced great TV and pretty good music every time. I liked it best, though, in the show where everyone had to do it, so it wasn’t completely one group vs. the other; both could make it through.</p>
<p>I agree that the season has been tending towards a showdown between Ten and Home Free since the first show. Both groups are pros. Ten was custom-made for this competition, but sometimes lacks cohesion; Home Free has identity, range, and chops. I expect them to win. But it’s not like a couple of years ago, where the outcome was a foregone conclusion from the very first show.</p>
<p>I’ve thought Home Free would win from the first show. I don’t even like country music, and last night’s performance gave me goose bumps. I’m also glad the high schoolers are still in it, they bring a nice energy. I was assuming it was shot over the summer, are the finals Monday live?</p>
<p>Yes, JHS, it was filmed over the summer. The groups were notified that they were cast in April, then they all moved into apartments in Culver City for the summer while filming took place. They did an episode a week.</p>
<p>This has been a fun season. Does anyone know if it’s only the final three groups who take part in the tour? </p>
<p>Jewel seems to be taking a page from Christina Aguilera’s fashion book in the last two episodes with the low cut dresses and overflowing cleavage.</p>
<p>Jewel is a great addition to the show: She has cred, she is knowledgeable and semi-articulate, she is nice, and she fills out a low-cut dress quite nicely, thank you. Without giving off a sense of trashiness, too.</p>
<p>One of the things I affirmatively like about The Sing-Off is that it is one of the least “lookist” shows on TV. Stockman and Lachey are obviously very good-looking, and the third, female judge has obviously always been cast in part on looks (although the last two, Sara Bareilles and Jewel, certainly had a lot more to offer than that). But Ben Folds is about as close to normal-looking as anyone who gets paid regularly to appear on TV is, other than the “fat guy” roles on certain comedies. And while I am sure appearance enters into whom they cast as the singing groups, season after season there are plenty of people onstage who are not glamorous-looking in the least, but who can sing like the dickens. I think the looks threshold on the other competition shows is much, much higher. So I am willing to give them a bit of a pass on Jewel’s wardrobe.</p>
<p>In reality, it would be very difficult to find any successful female performer who was not good-looking. The looks threshold for women is always high. Why does, say, Rihanna have a career? Not because of her singing. There are some prodigiously talented female vocalists who have made it despite marginal looks in conventional terms, but not many. </p>
<p>But I agree: The Sing-Off is one of the least lookist shows on TV.</p>
<p>Agree with many of you… Home Free is “home free”!</p>
<p>Just finished watching the finale. Lots of fun, I thought. And I am very happy with the result. I don’t want to be specific here in case others have not seen it yet. But what a fun Christmas diversion!</p>