Now we’re down to seven groups and they lead off with a Halloween medley which must’ve felt weird when they recorded it weeks ago… sounded good though… the judges seemed to get a kick out of it… tonight they’re tasked with superstar medleys, which is three songs from a superstar mashed up into one… should be interesting… off we go…

now playing: Singing in the Rain/Umbrella by Glee

Urban Method chooses Rhianna as their superstar… i like Umbrella, but i’m pretty tapped out on her catalog at that point… this is a longer performance than i expected, and the medley portion was much more distinct than i had hoped… they are trying to prove that they are more than a rap group, and it comes through fine, but they have lost a little of their identity with it… it was pretty good, but nothing spectacular… Sara says she loved the last song and they should be more confident… Shawn liked that they showed the potential of the girls and compared them all to candies that needed to be unwrapped… or un-rap-ped… Ben thought it started off well, fell apart in the middle, then came back together in the end and overall it was great…

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eight groups left and it’s hip hop night… which is interesting and obviously tips the scales in Urban Method’s favor… they open with a B.O.B. song, Nothin’ on You that i’m not completely familiar with, but it sounds pretty good… probably better than the original… not sure how many are going home tonight, but i’d have to guess we’ll see two more go home… wait, did he just imply that Boys II Men is 20 years old?… yikes… okay, so, two sets of four and then a sing off battle to eliminate one group… sassy… off we go…

now playing: Whatcha Say by Solo

The Dartmouth Aires take on Flo Rida’s Club Can’t Handle Me… i think one of the groups did a Flo Rida song in the first season… well, this is definitely not in their comfort zone… they’ve donned some sterotypically ghetto fabulous outfits, but they don’t seem quite as comfortable as they normally are on stage… the hook is working pretty well, but the leads are struggling a bit… it was alright, but could’ve been better… Sara said it had swagger because they started out chaotic and rushed, but they settled in eventually and it was fun to watch… Shawn shouts out to hip hop and then tells them they put their style on it and he would hang out with them… good job… Ben says it was a little disjointed, calling it polka hip hop but lots of fun…
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Ten, count them ten groups converge on the stage as we dive into the mix with a supergroup performance of All Night Long… party… fiesta… forever… guilty pleasures night and lots of groups… so, not much time to chit chat… off we go…

now playing: Dynamite by The Yellow Jackets

The Yellow Hoodies, i mean Jackets start things off on the right note, picking a Spice Girl tune for their guilty pleasure… and they are definitely having fun and making it their own… quite a performance and no problems with the vocals… Sara says it was a ton of fun… some tuning issues, but she would watch it again… Shawn says it’s burned into his retina and all of it was good, even though some of the harmonies were a little off, so far so good… Ben says it was really entertaining and a smart arrangement… it was a starburst of energy…
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As a long time fan of hip hop, I’ve been able to witness first hand the marriage of faith and hip hop from the early days. And by early, I mean when Stephen Wiley was “Rappin for Jesus” to the be-be-beat, Michael Peace was “R-R-Rockin’ it Right,” and SFC was telling us to “Listen Up.” Yeah, the days of cassette tapes and cardboard. When Christian rap, Holy Hip Hop, or whatever you want to call it (Call It What You Want?) didn’t have it’s own section in the Christian book stores because there wasn’t much of it and they didn’t know what to do with it.

And when I “broke” into the industry of writing about CCM, it was largely because of my personal history and love of hip hop – a CCM subgenre which seems to always be “on the rise.” By providing credible coverage through popular media outlets, I like to think I helped give a mainstream voice to the marginalized subculture, though I recognize I was never more than a small cog in the large mechanism that is the CCM industry.

I’ve seen a lot of ups and downs – more than speedboats – through the years. Seen artists get shine and stained, but despite all I’ve seen, I still get pretty excited and, moved, when I see a good thing happen in the industry. [continue reading this post...]

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now it’s time for the other six to perform two songs each – one current radio hit and one from the 60s but first, a supergroup rendition of Rhythm of Love by Plain White Tees on a stage that’s been transformed into a field full of artificial flowers and sunshine…

now playing: Sing by The Sing Off Contestants

Whew… i finished my Lucky Charms just in time to catch The Deltones open the night with Edge of Glory by Lady Gaga… i typically only like Lady Gaga songs when they’re mixed down and rearranged as a capella tracks a la Glee’s Gaga episode… this one’s pretty nice, but it’s clearly a strain for the lead vocalist… too bad… it’s a soft opening to the competition tonight for me… Shaun says it was really solid… Sara says they were a little static physically… Ben says it was a really solid performance…
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six of the remaining twelve groups perform tonight and they lead off with Somewhere Only We Know, which i’ve always found to be a haunting and enchanting melody… they did a solid job as they pretty much always do as a giant group… tonight they’ll sing two songs each – one current radio hit and one from the 60s… always fun… i might not type as much because i’m eating popcorn and my fingers are greasy…

now playing: Motownphilly by Boys II Men

Vocal Point kicks it all off with Never Say Never without their bass vocalist, sadly… they went with the green jackets and ties this week and they’re doing a great job… i’m honestly not familiar with the original version of this tune, but this version sounds pretty good… they’re a very cohesive group… Ben says that he enjoyed it, it was fun, and they sang the hell out of it, which is a lot to unpack, knowing they’re Mormons… Sara says they’re like wholesome Thundercats and despite some rough spots, it was really good… Shawn makes fun of them for singing Bieber, but tells them it was a really good performance…

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And this week we meet the rest of the contestants eight more groups square off to boot off the bottom two and leave us with twelve… before the cutthroat ruthlessness begins though, they’re all joining together as one to bring us a fresh new version of Sing by My Chemical Romance… Nick Lachey introduces the judges and they justify why they boot off who they boot off… and with all these “offs” in the opening paragraph… i’ll end it with… off we go…

now playing: Motownphilly by Boys II Men

the Dartmouth Aires lead off with a Stevie Wonder/Red Hot Chili Peppers jam, Higher Ground… i wonder if you have to special order shirts that bright… i like the background vocals a lot, but the lead singer shouts more than sings and it just made my dog start singing along in his sleep… Shawn says this is what he’s talking about… he was tapping along the whole time… Sara says they were spot on and they had her from hello… Ben says it was nice work, but the background was a little too loud, making Michael (the lead) work too hard to be heard (a.k.a. shout)… he liked it though…

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Thirty five years ago, The Muppet Show debuted and kicked things off with a sketch I’m sure made little sense to most viewers. And for years, I’ve just assumed it was a catchy tune with some silly puppets that was designed purely for light-hearted entertainment value. But, the other day (perhaps due to having a high fever or being overtired) a light came on and I realized this silly little video is a perfect illustration of the struggles associated with innovation.

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Well, today is the beginning of the new television season and, in the past, i’ve tried to talk about the new and returning shows… this year i’m going to do things a little differently and launch my latest “live blog commentary” for the show, The Sing Off… similar to what i’ve done in the past with American Idol and maybe even replacing my Idol commentary because, frankly, i like this show better… Anyway, they’ve kicked it off with Pink’s Less Than Perfect and it was absolutely phenomenal… i’m excited for this season…

now playing: Motownphilly by Boys II Men
The Yellow Jackets are singing Wavin’ Flag from the World Cup, or Copa as it’s often called… they really are wearing yellow jackets… i think it’s kind of an obscure song for this type of competition, but it is pretty catchy and the arrangement is pretty solid… the chorus is a little loud and crowded vocally, but they did a great job on the solos and getting the crowd into it… Shawn says it was ridiculous and powerful… Ben liked the group effort and the chorus, but the tempo fluctuated a little, and Sara sees a special and unique brotherhood, she enjoyed their spirit, but wanted a counterpoint to the arrangement… maybe… she’s new and unsure…

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Awwwwww yeeeeeeah… now it starts to get interesting… the final showdown… two singers left and it’s CAGE MATCH STYLE…. okay, it’s not cage match time, but it is the final competitive hoe-down… i mean showdown… and, like most of you, i’m so ready for it to be over… it’s been an interesting season and i’m so glad that the final two are in it to win it… Scotty vs. Lauren… and they’re already handicapping Lauren by saying she blew out her vocal chord… but the doctor of death says she’ll be fine…

now playing: Previously by Brad Paisley

three rounds one they’ve sung before, one that’s been picked by their personal idol (George Strait and Carrie Underwood)… and one that’s bound to be awful because it will be their first single… no time for jibba jabba… off we go…

Scotty… singing Gone… and it’s really deep and the sound is not so good in the Nokia Theater… oh, it’s this song… this was his favorite, really?… it’s a good pace and tempo for him and it’s certainly country enough… it shows off his range pretty well… yeah, that was a good choice… and i guess the producers also understand that the judges have nothing to say that’s worth hearing so we just skip that part…

Lauren… singing Flat on the Floor bathed in red lights and the fiddler is getting a work out tonight… she emerges from the staircase and you can kind of tell that she’s afraid to really push her vocal, but it still sounds good a worthy response to Scotty’s opening challenge… again, no need to even acknowledge the judges… we gotta keep the show rolling…

now playing: A Little Bit Stronger by Sara Evans

this really feels rushed… i can’t even believe they’ve managed to change their outfits… diving right back in…

Scotty… George Strait picked Check Yes or No… and he’s squatting behind a guitar that accentuates how skinny he is… this is a good song for him and i think it’s pointing out how young he is… it’s slower than his opener, but not in a bad way… still a good song… still no judges…

Lauren… Carrie Underwood picked Maybe It Was Memphis… and Lauren’s chosen another princess dress with what appears to be a giant antique key dangling off of her neck… the key to her heart maybe? cute… anyway, this is a low key song that i’ve never heard before, but it seems to work fine… you know, to be honest, it really doesn’t matter how they sing at this point… this show is just a formality… everyone is just waiting for voting to start… oh… now we’re going to talk to the judges…

Randy says America did a fine job picking these two… and it’s so hard to decide… but Scotty was just brilliant with the first song and really good with the second song… but Lauren did awesome with both songs… so round one to Scotty, round two to Lauren…J-Lo says Scotty started off well, Lauren attacked well… what Randy said… Steven goes with the pretty vote, giving both rounds to Lauren… Randy is not willing to make it through a show without shouting that they’re both in it to win it…

now playing: The Story of Us by Taylor Swift

now we get to hear the Coca-Cola song… i’m Positive it will debut high and everyone will have forgotten about it within a month… his mic went out… i think… okay, so i like the concept of a drum corp, but not if they don’t actually play the drums… anyway, that was a mediocre copy of a Black Eyed Peas performance…

Scotty… if Scotty wins, his single will be called I Love You This Big… maybe it will be better because Jimmy picked it… they’re playing his AI history behind him as he bellows out this ballad… and it actually does fit his style… i don’t know how well this would sell, but i suspect it would do alright… Randy (in a pimp suit, by the way) says wow man… it was a great range because he sang low and high… and he’s in it to win it… J-Lo says it really was (a brilliant vocal)… that he’s a good storyteller and he did a really great job with that song… Steven says he’s come a long way… Ryan gives Scotty an extra mic because he’s “too chill”…

Lauren… if she wins, her single is called Like My Mother Does… which apparently captures her entire Idol journey and will move moms like crazy… apparently, her target audience is soccer moms… oh, she’s a little flat on the chorus… but again, it doesn’t matter… this song is all about how great mothers are… Lauren may be crying… Ryan comes over to help her down the steps into the audience so she can hug and serenade her mom without pulling a Haley… it’s a fine song, i suppose… she’s reduced to tears on stage… Randy says wow, amazing job Jimmy, and great job mom for being her supporting Lauren… and oh, yeah, Lauren has arrived, it was amazing… J-Lo says she may have just won with that song… it was everything it needed to be and she sang it just the way she needed to… Steven reminds everyone that he picked her to win it when he first saw her and he thinks America will agree…

now playing: The Gambler by Kenny Rogers

so all three judges are calling this a victory for Lauren, whether they want to say it specifically or not… and it’s been a long time since a girl won… and as David Cook grumbles out Don’t You Forget About Me, i’ll go ahead and call it the opposite way… Scotty is your American Idol… anybody dare defy me?

peace… love… bdg…

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