"The Sing-Off," based on our beloved Harmony Sweepstakes, is putting a cappella on America's Prime Time Doorstep, and drawing huge viewing audience numbers for NBC. Some very bright person from the show in Hollywood got the very good idea of recording a Christmas CD featuring the 10 groups still in the running for the Sing-Off 2010 championship. Thus we have in our hands a unique Christmas album, a "best of the Sing-Off best," if you will! Beginning with Pitch Slapped's upbeat, spirited cover of "Joy To The World," On The Rocks' sweet, harmonious "White Christmas" and The Backbeats' powerful "O Holy Night," we continue with Eleventh Hour's classic Pop cover of "Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town," Men Of Note's ringing "The First Noel," Yale's Whiffenpoofs' intricately arranged and harmonized "God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen," Committed's surprising bluenote arrangement of "Angels We Have Heard On High," Jerry Lawson & Talk of The Town's Motown-flavored "Silent Night," Harmony Sweeps champs Groove For Thought's wonderful "We Three Kings/O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" medley and Street Corner Symphony's driving vocal percussion gem "Auld Lang Syne." As we saw so many times at the Sweeps National Finals, each of these groups is marvelous in their own way, and we could only be sure as we heard their sets that we didn't envy the judges. But for now, let us take home and treasure this unique Christmas album from ten of the best a cappella groups in the country, and bless The Sing-Off, a beautifully-wrapped gift to a cappella music! |