the sing-off (guilty pleasures)

(SPOILER ALERT:  The eliminated groups are mentioned at the end!)

I feel like I turn into a mean, rude person when I write my little reviews on this show, but I'm really not trying to be.  I just have lots of opinions. :)

As I watched this episode, I heard myself saying the same things over and over again.  "Eh, already bored."  "Nope.  Don't like it."  "Not creative."  So, rather than saying all of those things about each group separately, I'll give more of a general review of everything.

Pentatonix, Afro-Blue, and Delilah (my top 3) all did a good job.  I don't think those performances/arrangements were their best, but they were enjoyable and still had creativity running through them.  That is why I love them.  They're creative.  They change things up.  They throw in some weird Eric Whitacre-esque chords.  That's why I liked Sonos too ... but I won't start on that.  Anyway, I felt like my top 3 certainly did a good enough job to not get eliminated or be anywhere near the bottom.

These groups are the ones I call the middle-of-the-road-ers:  The Deltones, Vocal Point, and Urban Method.  These groups have had their shining moments, but that's the problem ... they're just moments.  However, I think they have potential and are the ones that need to stick around in order for us to see where they can go.  I think my main issue with this season is that I feel like all of the middle-of-the-road groups are going first, rather than the just plain bad ones.  I think Kinfolk 9 was a bit in this category and some may say Sonos was as well.  I certainly don't think either of those groups was going to win, but I do think they would have benefitted from growing a little more in the competition.

Then we have the Dartmouth Aires, YellowJackets, The Collective, and North Shore.  These are the groups that I just really don't like consistently.  The Dartmouth Aires and YellowJackets are pretty much interchangeable to me - lots of loud boys singing lots of full chords.  I haven't ever liked North Shore and as for The Collective, their overall blend makes me nervous.  I will say, though, this week was a fairly decent performance, minus the kind of annoying Rachael/Ruby vocals.  These four groups were in the bottom of my mind after watching this episode.

Goodbye to North Shore and The Deltones.  You win some, you lose some.  Part of me felt relieved and part of me was sad.  Letting The Deltones go was a bit premature, but seeing North Shore leave was a good decision.

So, in conclusion, here's my list of the remaining 8 groups from best to worst:
1.  Pentatonix
2.  Afro-Blue
3.  Delilah
4.  Urban Method
5.  Vocal Point
6.  The Collective
7.  Dartmouth Aires
8.  YellowJackets