Committed Wins NBC’s “The Sing Off”

[Update 12/21/2010: Committed has won The Sing Off in the final episode aired last night. In the embedded video below, host Nick Lachey announces the winners. Beneath that is the original article.]

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[Ed. Note – Manly, gruff, security expert and sports aficionado, Ron Swanson has come to enjoy an NBC show featuring a capella music, a delicate art form, the joys of which he is experiencing for the first time. This hit competition has gotten everyone talking and we would like to hear your opinion in the comments section about who will win. Don’t be shy, tell us what’s on your mind. If a grizzled bear of a sports handicapper like Ron can go public with his love for deliciously harmonized voices and reality tv, anyone can. This is a Glee-full, Idol-friendly safe zone, right here, it is. And the Backbeats are gonna win this. With a “Landslide” like that, they crushed the competition. The Backbeats lead singer even looks a little hot like her, Nicole Scherzinger, of the Pussycat Dolls, one of the judges on “The Sing Off…” UPDATE: Given the popularity of the show, NBC has announced it will extend The Sing-Off finale by a half hour.]

The latest from Sir Ron Swanson:

I’ve never before been sucked in to one of these made for TV talent shows, but somehow I seem to be tuned in to NBC’s “The Sing Off“.

In an attempt to pawn off my guilt on my friends, here are some pretty cool videos from the show (final will be Monday at 7:00 CST) And hey – do any of you know the name Jerry Lawson – they keep treating him as a long lost brother of Otis and Sam…

I found myself wishing the judges would throw some Sisters of Mercy or something similar at one of the groups, but that would perhaps be a bit tough to pull off. It would be interesting to see them try to do “Mother Russia” without instruments…

I will be bored by the whole idea after Monday, but I will actually be going away from the Bears game (during commercials, of course) just to see how it goes Monday night.

I cannot begin to predict how voting will go, but here’s my take on what I would like to see:

Street Corner Symphony:

J. Geils Band’s “I Do”. The guys who really know how to have fun should cover the band that lead the world in the having fun category.

Committed:

Anydamn thing by Sam Cooke. Why has this not happened yet?

The Backbeats:

“Crazy on You”, by Heart. Tough one to nail, but this group can do anything.

Jerry Lawson & Talk of the Town:

I’m tempted to go with the Kristofferson/Cash classic “Sunday Morning Coming Down”, just to see what these pros could do with it, but I think staying closer to Motown with “Walk Away Renee” does them more justice.

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These guys, Street Corner Symphony, are my favorites, but they will not win. They did an incredible version of CCR’s “Down on the Corner.”

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These guys, Committed, are unreal singers. They can sing anything. I knew none of the songs from their Usher medley, but they impressed nonetheless. Here’s their fantastic version of Rev. Al Green’s “Let’s Stay Together.” The fact that they could all sing lead on Al Green song shows just how good they really are.

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I thought the Backbeats were the weakest group out there until they did this. Not anywhere near my favorite Fleetwood Mac song even, but wow, I do not often tell anywone to listen to an internet vid, but really…

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They keep referring to Jerry Lawson as a “legend”, but I don’t know the name myself. Anyway, my thinking is that his “band,” Jerry Lawson and Talk of the Town, is the bomb here.

Later sports fans,

– Ron

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