REVIEW: "The Sing-Off"

by Trish Causey

If you don't have cable TV (like me) or got so busy with the holiday frenzy you weren't paying attention to the TV, then you just may have missed NBC's miniscule reality show, "The Sing-Off." If you did, there's still a chance to see this wonderful, legitimate vocal competition online and let the network know you want MORE of this show!

While the history of the reality show abounds with fame-seekers, adrenaline junkies, and the utterly depraved, a few have managed to capture the competition spirit of genuinely talented and expertly trained individuals. However, most reality contest shows devote half their air time to perpetuating (or fabricating) conflicts between contestants (or Judges) and generally beating a dead horse to death, throwing it down a few rings toward the bottom circle of Hell, lighting fire to it, blogging about it, and bringing it back as a Wild Card to cause further chaos in an already screwed up competition premise. These types of shows, along with the increasing negativity of prime time TV, was the main reason I left TV behind and now watch my preferred shows online.

Amidst this competitive conundrum, a new show has been glimpsed on the horizon, and I can only hope that "The Sing-Off" is a sign of things to come. A singing competition of a cappella vocal groups, "The Sing-Off" is an amazing breath of fresh air among the reality shows that sensationalize egomaniacs and skewer the proverbial fish out of water.

The eight groups chosen to participate in the televised show crossed every boundary any other studio producer might have enforced. Not just for the 18 to 25 demographic, "The Sing-Off" vocal groups included a high-energy all-male college group, the Beelzebubs; an over-40, all-female Barbershop quartet with incredibly tight harmonics and a big sound, Maxx Factor; and an all-male group from Puerto Rico who infused their songs with Latin rhythms, Nota. Singers of many ethnicities furthered the diversity of the a cappella group stereotype.

The competition as a whole spanned every singing style and age-group possible. The groups' song choices and the Judges' requests produced a unique experience as familiar favorites were re-arranged and re-imagined musically. Some final products were better than others, but I would gladly watch "The Sing-Off" any time, any day of the week, to promote real singing by real singers on network television.

Former 98 Degrees singer, Nick Lachey, hosted the show and frequently repeated the annoyingly incorrect statement that the singers were singing "with no instruments, just their voices." The human voice IS an instrument; it is the most amazing, most versatile instrument that exists. Nothing compares to it, and only the piano and cello come close, but still fall second to the voice. Others must have complained as well because by the night of the Finals, he sang a different tune saying, "their only instrument is their voice."

Boys II Men alum, Shawn Stockman, and award-winning a cappella impresario, Ben Folds, were spot-on in their duties as Judges, offering advice on improving the performances or arrangements and giving cautions of pitch problems. The third Judge, Pussycat Dolls' singer, Nicole Scherzinger, took up space as eye candy. Featurettes showed the vocal groups on their home terf and their journey to the Quarterfinals, as well as visiting Los Angeles charities to give back to the community. All three Judges plus special guests, Smokey Robinson and Bobby McFerrin, performed with the groups that made it to the Finals.

The three consecutive nights of competition with the Finale the following week (instead of once a week leading up to the Finale) might be a sign NBC feared initial interest would fade---as if "rubbernecking" an a cappella show might have lost its appeal during the holiday season. Their hesitation was unfounded as each show was full of energetic performances, ear-catching harmonies, and unheard of a cappella stage theatrics: choreography. Divulging any other details will spoil the surprise, so just trust me, and watch the whole eight hours.

As "GLEE" re-energizes television with the music zeal once enjoyed by former marvel, "American Idol" (see above comments of sensationalized inner conflicts), "The Sing-Off" better be back on the schedule for the Spring. Television, as well as the country itself, needs programming that promotes the arts, highlights hard work not the easy way out, and honors community service not grabbing whatever you can and hoarding it. And unlike most reality shows, every one of the contestants was good enough to be there.

Go to NBC's website and catch the replay. Long live "The Sing-Off!"