The Flip Side

Team Lachey

All the choirs did a wonderful and the runners up were rewarded with $50k for their charity be GE (nicely done GE).  There was a lot of music by the teams still in the running and the eliminated teams – all of it really good music.  I hope this becomes a Christmas tradition.

In the end Team Labelle, Team Shelton, and Team Lachey were left.  First Team Shelton was eliminated.  I know, sad but true.  Team Lachey was the winning team taking back ¼ million for their charity.  To be honest, it didn’t matter to me who won because I got to keep hearing all the choirs throughout the competition and believe me when I say they were all very very good.

Congrats to Team Lachey!

Team Rowland

Michael Bolton

Last night Michael Bolton’s New Haven Connecticut choir was eliminated.  Kelly Rowland’s choir (eliminated in the first round) sang a nice opening.

Tonight we see which two teams are eliminated to award the winner of the competition.

Kelly Rowland

Last night, we were treated to part 2 of Clash of the Choirs.  I was sad to see Kelly Rowland’s Houston choir eliminated last night and Maria Menounos hinted that Kelly’s choir would still receive something (I assume for their charity).
Blake Shelton’s Oklahoma City choir started things off with “Takin’ It to the Streets” by the Doobie Brothers.  I was wary.  It didn’t seem like a good choice for a choir.  It did start a little rough but finished very strong.
Patti LaBelle’s Philadelphia choir was up next and they performed “I’ll Stand By You” by the Pretenders.  I thought this was a very interesting choice and could see how it would work for a choir.  While I wouldn’t say it was the best vocal performance of all time, this choir has a depth of feeling that is unbelievable.  It was really a great performance regardless of any screw ups.
Nick Lachey’s Cincinnati choir followed with Garth Brook’s “Friends in Low Places”.  That sure as hell didn’t sound like a good choir choice to me.  While I wasn’t entirely captivated at the beginning, the vocal breakdown and gospel style toward the end were very nice.  I might also add that this group has some nice moves.  I’m thinking they are coached on this by Mr. Lachey.
Michael Bolton’s New Haven choir wrapped things up with “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough”.  This is a nice song for a choir and while I still felt too heavy a reliance on soloists, the choir en masse is a very very good one.

Christmas time is a perfect time for a show like Clash of the Choirs.  I’ve always loved a good choir (and I’m not talking about just any choir) and there were some really good choirs on last night.  First up was Nick Lachey’s group from Cinncinati.  They sang a Natasha Bedingfield song and sounded great.  Next we had Kelly Rowland’s Houston group who did George Michael’s “Freedom” and were fabulous when singing as one, but a little too much soloing for my taste.  Michael Bolton’s New Haven group sang Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer”.  His main male singer sang all of the verses with the choir singing the chorus.  Not my favorite arrangement but nicely done.  Country singer Blake Shelton’s Oklahoma City choir sang Tom Cochrane’s “Life is a Highway” and sang it well.  As a bonus the group had some really nice movement going on and were a pleasure to watch.  Last up, Patti LaBelle’s Philadelphia group sang “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands”.  When this song was announced I admit a small groan.  “Not that old chestnut”, I thought.  However, they jazzed it up nicely and had some fantastic solo singers (two female leads).  Toward the end they did a very jazzy back and forth vocal and made the song unique and wonderful.
I’d love to see all the choirs stick around, but since I couldn’t choose just one…I didn’t.  Nope didn’t vote at all.  The only complaint I had about the show at all was the celebrity judges which consisted of all the other choir directors (Nick, Blake, Patti, Michael, and Kelly).  Consequently, that was a pointless back patting segment and a bit of a waste.
This was a nice show for the season and all the choirs and their directors did a wonderful job.