Deltones - Their pop song was "The Edge of Glory" by Lady Gaga, and I really like their musical balance, but I think that for all the studliness they have at the bottom with their strong basses, they're missing a top-end girl voice. But I think that would be just gravy, and their lead did a good enough job to highlight a good ensemble sound. The oldies song they picked was a Supremes song, and it really gave this huge group a chance to show off the female depth on the vocal bench. However, it felt like all the ladies were layered on top of each other too much. Their lead didn't quite knock this one out of the park for me, and hearing the judges skirt around their performance was kind of a giveaway that this wasn't a very good song.
Pentatonix - Last week's surprising group comes out with a Ke$ha bit, and from the first note it's evident that their beatbox is the best in the competition, hands down. The arrangement is definitely different, and while I'm not sure it totally worked, it was commendable for its bravery at the very least. There just wasn't enough of their amazing male lead for my taste. For the '60s song, they definitely sit behind the 8-ball because these guys are so very modern in their style. With that said, their take on Janis Joplin was so soulful and just nice to listen to. I expected their pop song to carry them, and hearing their Joplin cover reinforced that.
The Collective - The pop song they picked is a favorite of mine, "Rocketeer," and I'm really glad they went with the other girl voice since I just really don't love the female lead from last week. While it was a good performance, it seemed a little bit like a group of people singing around a campfire. Their second song was a high-energy group dance song, and it gave each of these solo artists a chance to sing their lungs off. Really, just the last 45-seconds of the song were stellar, but it was fairly good all around.
North Shore - The old-school doo-woppers are really out of their element singing a pop song, and taking on "The Lazy Song" by Bruno Mars really seemed weird. However, each member of this group does exactly what they're required, and they may have the best cohesive chemistry of all the groups. Also, the lead's personality really has a chance to come out when he sings - it's really refreshing. They took on The Righteous Brothers "Unchained Melody" with their oldies song, and it was...amazing. Really just had nothing wrong with it, the lead vocalist was incredible and his range was completely on display. That song was right in their wheelhouse, so they needed to kill it. Thankfully, they did.
Dartmouth Aires - I love these guys! So much fun, and their take on Neon Trees' "Animal" was really great and energetic. They lost it a little bit right at the end, but showing the versatility to have another guy step into the lead spot and absolutely kill it was really a strong statement. Also, their fashion is great - for what that's worth. Their second song was "Pinball Wizard" by The Who, and holy crap it was a great change of pace from hearing Sonos immediately before. They just had such a great combination of layered vocals between their lows and highs, and they went back to the original lead vocalist, so it was incredible. I loved it, and I love these guys. They're in my elite of both sides of the bracket.
Sonos - My least favorite group from last week, they took on Coldplay's "Viva La Vida" and I just didn't really like it. Very boring, and between having one guy singing lead and having the other beat box...that just leaves three girls to split up the bass duties. And it was very lacking. The oldies song that this urban group tried to take on was The Jackson 5's "I Want You Back," and they definitely...made it their own? As always, the three female vocalists are in the alto/soprano range, and their non-beatboxing male isn't a bass. So there really is never a foundation to build on. It was pretty awful to see the judges skewer them and just see them squirm up there. Them getting eliminated really wasn't a hard decision, and I'm tired of hearing about how hard it is to sing without effects pedals.
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