Cashing in on the immense popularity of AI and Glee, The Sign-Off pits the country's best a cappella groups against one another. Age is no limitation, as this year's crop of contestants ranges from a high school group from Oregon to five grandfathers from Boston's North Shore.
The reason you should watch is the creativity of the groups. First, their unique style requires unusual twists on songs we all recognize. Second, the coordination of the costuming is often brilliant. The Dartmouth Aires blew off the roof with their rendition of Stevie Wonder's "Higher Ground," but take a gander at their outfits--preppy chic at its finest! The GSD Staff wants those sweaters.
Lastly, the judges are refreshingly humble and knowledgeable because they are all musicians. There's no TV exec dominating the group with his concerns about the groups' like-ability and how many records they can sell. Ben Folds is nerdy but he's not afraid to speak in technical musical terms that the participants understand far better than TV viewers. Sara Bareilles is humble and sincere and definitely not in it for the face time on a national TV program. Shawn Stockman, from Boyz II Men, brings street soul to the judging group, and he's most effective when he explains his evaluations based on his experiences as part of his three-man signing group.
The Sing-Off is great because it's a lot like D3 athletics--the participants sure ain't in it for the money. The $100,000 grand prize isn't chump change, but the chance that one of these groups will end up at the top of the charts is as likely as the GSD Staff making it to The Sing-Off Season 3 with our rendition of Sammy Cahn's "Let It Snow."
Music in its purest form. Mondays at 8:00 on NBC.
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