Afro-Blue's special appearance on The Sing-Off last night went off without a hitch, with the Howard University group providing a marvelous setting for Smokey Robinson to perform his big hit "You Really Got a Hold On Me." (FYI, Dallas-based quintet Pentatonix took the top prize.) And it turned out to be a special appearance indeed. [...]
Tonight's finale of The Sing-Off, unlike the other episodes, is being broadcast live. And in Los Angeles for the occasion is none other than Afro-Blue, the absurdly talented folks from Howard University whom the judges eliminated on last week's show.
But they're not just VIP audience members. As with the entire Top 10, Afro-Blue has been [...]
YOU'VE GOT
TO BE
KIDDING
ME.
That sentence takes up an entire page of this writer's notes for last night's episode of The Sing-Off. I wrote it just as the judges' decisions were announced: Urban Method and Pentatonix had been kicked upstairs to the finals, while Afro-Blue and Dartmouth Aires were asked to revisit the song they felt had been [...]
There is no Simon Cowell among the judges on The Sing-Off. Ben Folds is the toughest among them, but he always frames his criticisms as constructively as possible, while Sara Bareilles and Shawn Stockman are cheerleaders who give occasional gentle nudges of advice. Which means it's not always easy—particularly as the competition narrows and the [...]
As beautifully as they performed it, Afro-Blue's take on Tom Petty's "American Girl" on last night's The Sing-Off was misguided from the start.
The group's intro video reminded us that the judges have called out the Howard group repeatedly for overcomplicating their arrangements. But from the moment they began their rock submission (for "Rock and Country [...]
Afro-Blue heard a familiar criticism on last night's installment of The Sing-Off.
"Really ambitious arrangements," Shawn Stockman noted of their performance, a medley of three Janet Jackson hits for Superstar Week. "Sometimes you guys might overthink some parts of the arrangements, where it may not really need any of that stuff you're most known for."
Sara Bareilles [...]
Afro-Blue set the bar impossibly high during their interview segment on The Sing-Off’s Hip-Hop Week last night. They were performing what was billed as The Fugees' "Killing Me Softly," but mentioned the song's connection to Howard alum/erstwhile D.C. resident Roberta Flack. "We have to pay tribute to Roberta," members said. "Of course we hope The Fugees [...]
If you’re a Howardite—or just an aficionado—you know the university’s homecoming week is truly a beacon, and the admission-free International Yardfest is the most economical way to celebrate. (Though acquiring a fresh outfit still costs money.) As usual, this year’s lineup is semi-secret, perhaps because organizers tend to book acts down to the wire—though Young [...]
Even if the Howard University ensemble hadn't made a point of saying so, Afro-Blue's performance last night of Whitney Houston's "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" was clearly the product of Sing-Off judge Ben Folds' critique two weeks ago. "Don't overthink the arrangement," he told them after an elaborate casting of "I Heard It Through the [...]
The Sing-Off is, like all musical reality shows, steadfastly and proudly middle-of-the-road. But juxtapose its concept with performers whose forte is elswhere, and the middle of the road becomes a challenge in spite of itself—something D.C.'s own Afro Blue discovered on last night's installment of the show, in which the Howard University ensemble passed round [...]
