by Todd Betzold

 

Top 5 and it's all about R&B tonight on The Sing Off, as each group takes on two songs: one contemporary R&B hits and one oldie, but goodie.

 

They start out singing a medley of some R&B music, which was fun. But down to business, as the Dartmouth Aires bring their high-energy to the stage singing "Ignition (Remix)" by R Kelly. They struggled in rehearsals with too many ideas on the table, so we shall see if they get it together for the performance. I have mixed feelings about this one. At parts, they were amazing, but most of the performance seemed overwhelming to me...too much going on.

 

This performance might be right up the alley for the hip-hop group Urban Method, but that means a lot of pressure to do great...can they survive? They'll be singing "Knock Me Down" by Keri Hilson featuring Kanye West. This was a really good performance. I liked the vocals and the girls did really well and the rapping was excellent.

 

Vocal Point is up next and they'll be taking on "Every Little Step" by Bobby Brown and wanting to show America they have some soul in their bodies. The Mormons got some rhythm. This was so entertaining and I thoroughly enjoyed it. They had great dance moves and vocals...may be my favorite performance of the night.

 

They almost went home last week, so Afro-Blue has to step it up this week or it may be the end of the road for them. They'll be singing "We Belong Together" by Mariah Carey and struggled in rehearsals to remember all the lyrics, so could get ugly. No lyrics were forgotten and it was a good performance, but good is all I can say. I don't get the chills from them anymore like I used to...makes me sad.

 

Now this should be amazing, as Pentatonix takes on "OMG" by Usher. Now when this show started, I wasn't too keen on this group and thought they would be out quickly...now, I think they could and might win this whole competition. Excellent job and they are so entertaining and I could hear them on an album.

 

We are going back in time, as the groups will now take on some classic R&B songs. Up first are the Dartmouth Aires singing "Midnight Train To Georgia" by Gladys Knight & The Pips. They left the high-energy performance backstage for this song and proved to us that they can sing. This was an amazing job on the vocals and very enjoyable.

 

Can Urban Method keep the momentum going on R&B night? Singing "It's Your Thing" by The Isley Brothers, they were able to keep the momentum going. I enjoyed the performance and they've been fighting strong since being in the bottom two a few episodes ago.

 

In my eyes, Vocal Point had the best first song performance, but can they keep it going with "Ain't Too Proud To Beg" by The Temptations? Well, it was an alright performance, but definitely not on the same level as their first song. It lacked the connection and confidence that they showed in the first song.

 

I fell this is a huge performance for Afro-Blue and if it isn't over-the-top amazing they will be the group going home. They'll be singing "Best Of My Love" by The Emotions to increase their chances of staying. To me, another alright performance, but I wanted more from them. Started out good, but it went down from there. I think they started really strong in the competition and with that, I guess I expect more from them, so maybe that's why I have been feeling let down?

 

The last performance of the night, but certainly not least, is Pentatonix singing "Let's Get It On" by Marvin Gaye. The bass these guys do is amazing...the vocals were outstanding and this group just sang their way into the finals...forget what happens next week, they're amazing.

 

And we have arrived at the point where one of these lovely groups must be sent home. The first three groups safe are: Pentatonix, Urban Method and Dartmouth Aires. This leaves us with the groups I thought would be here: Vocal Point and Afro-Blue. After some discussion, Vocal Point is sent home (I'm shocked).

 

The Sing-Off airs Mondays at 8/7c on NBC.

 

(Image courtesy of NBC)

 

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