"The Sing Off" Finale - my 2 cents.

First off, let me just say that I really hope this show gets picked up for the Spring or Fall season. I was a bit underwhelmed by the contestants for this pilot "mini"-season. Honestly, outside of the professional a cappella groups that I know and I've seen, there are other groups out there that are so much better than the groups they had on. However, not all of the groups on the show were complete unknowns to me. I have heard of Voices of Lee, the Bubs, and Maxx Factor, from various a cappella festivals and competitions all over the U.S. and they have developed reputations and recognition over the years, so they already have some fans out there.

Anyway, I missed the first 30 mins of the show, but got home just in time to see Nota sing "Stand by Me". I'm sorry, but I wasn't a fan of Nota (still am not). Yes, they have flavor. Yes, they can perform. But most of the time, someone in the group would either be sharp or flat. Their harmonies were not as tight and smooth as that of Maxx Factor or Voices of Lee. Very underwhelmed by them. But I suppose they have the potential to be marketable in mainstream music, that's probably why the public votes for them.

Voices of Lee performed "Pocketful of Sunshine" with Natasha Bedingfield. I love the arrangement they did, and they all sounded amazing, including Natasha! The harmonies are balanced, no one was sticking out like a sore thumb. The arrangement was tasteful, it wasn't overly done, not too many bells and whistles, just voices. Very tasteful. But, was it just me or did Natasha lose count somewhere in the middle of the song? Maybe she did it on purpose, I'm not quite sure. I love Voices of Lee. They were my faves.

I skipped the Bubs' performance. Singing with Nicole? Yeah, that's a channel changer. "You Don't Own Me"? I smelled "cheese" a mile away. I switched the channel to HBO and watched "Alex Rider: Stormtrooper" for a little just in time to see Damian Lewis shoot Ewan McGregor! :(

I also skipped Nota's performance with Smokey Robinson. I love Smokey, but I was just over Nota altogether.

Boyz II Men. My boys, my boys! What happened?! They were shaky. They weren't blending very well. And their sound wasn't full! They need Mike McCary back! They were able to pull it together towards the end, singing "End of the Road" but they were definitely missing the bottom. That's OK, Mike's rejoining the group next year. Very excited about that! How I wish I was there at the studio live, singing along though. :(

BOBBY MCFERRIN. I have to agree with Jake Moulton with what he said on his Facebook status page that Bobby saved the night. He did! Mr. McFerrin IS the king of a cappella and is simply a musical genius. The improve was great. But Bobby definitely schooled everyone in that studio with his talent. He should've done the Bach Fugue and had the audience sing along to "Ave Maria". Or he could've done "Mere Words", which is one of my favourite Bobby songs from "Bang! Zoom!" He didn't win 10 Grammy's for nothing, and not a lot of people know that he's more than the "Don't Worry Be Happy" guy. He is so much more than that. Way more! HE was definitely the highlight of the night for me!

Voices of Lee was voted off, leaving Nota and the Bubs to duke it out in the finals. Obviously, I was disappointed.

I basically skipped out on the rest of the show. I did catch a glimpse of the finalists performing with judge Ben Folds, avec piano. Shame on you, Mr. Folds. No instruments allowed at an a cappella show. SHAME.

So, "who won?" you ask. Nota. Their closing song: "Down" by Jay Sean. Ummm... I was so underwhelmed.

Overall, I'm glad that a show like this has finally seen daylight, and I really hope it gets picked up for a regular season. I'm not a complete fan of this show just yet. But I'm glad this has shone the spotlight on a cappella.