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Tonight is the season two premiere of 'The Sing Off' and if you are like me you may need an introduction on the premise. Ten vocal groups around the country will be performing a capella to well known songs every week. There are three judges: Ben Folds, Nicole Scherzinger and Shawn Stockman. The show is hosted by Nick Lachey. Tonight the judges will send two groups home and eventually America will vote for the winner.

We begin tonight with all of the groups singing “I’ve Got the Music in Me”. Some sound better than others, but I’ll reserve judgment for now.

First up are Eleventh Hour, a high school glee club from Ohio. We hear from the kids that their love of music has brought them together, allowing different cliques within the group to interact. They perform “Baby” by Justin Beiber. They sound pretty good, but I have a feeling that they will be eaten alive by some of the more seasoned performers yet to come. Ben Folds says it was great, in particular their percussion and bass vocals. Nicole, of course, compares the group to a “real life Glee”. Shawn compliments their focus and thinks they will inspire their generation.

Next up are On the Rocks, a college group from Oregon. On The Rocks performs a song a week on the lawn of their campus. While performing their rendition of “Bad Romance”, a student posted the video online that went on to receive close to 700,000 views [It's over a million views now, with other versions in the 400,000 range apiece -- Mike]. So they will be performing that song tonight. They are awesome (or maybe I just like the song)! It’s hard to believe that there are no instruments being used, and the chorography is pretty entertaining as well. Shawn expresses his initial hesitance with 15 guys singing a Lady Gaga song, but now sees the error of his ways and says he loved it. Ben Folds thinks they were a bit pitchy (huh?), but has high hopes for them in the future. Nicole thinks Lady Gaga would be impressed.

Groove For Thought are up next. They are from Seattle and many of them are music teachers. Amanda, their female lead, is the daughter of one of the other members. Tonight they are performing “I Wish” by Stevie Wonder. The male lead (Peter) has a great voice, but I find the backup vocals to be pretty cheesy and old fashioned. Ben thinks it’s really good. Nicole says she likes their jazzy style. Shawn thinks it was a very solid performance.

Next up are Pitch Slapped from Berklee College of Music in Boston. They say they are like a family. They will perform “Good Girls Go Bad” by Cobra Starship. The male lead could be a stand in for Justin Timberlake, they look that much alike. They’re fun, but I can’t say I’m overly impressed. Nicole thinks the accompaniment could use some work, but she likes the performance. Shawn thinks it was pretty good. Ben thinks they should focus more on the ensemble.

Jerry Lawson & Talk of the Town from Oakland, California are up next. Jerry was a member of the group The Persuasions. After recording 24 albums, Jerry fell on hard times and gave up music until he joined Talk of the Town. They will be performing The Drifters “Save the Last Dance”. I have to be honest and say I have no clue who Jerry Lawson is, so if you do you may find what I have to say offensive. The group sounds good, but not great. They are considerably older than any of their competition and it shows in the vocals. That being said, I can tell that possibly because of their age (rather than in spite of) they may do quite well in this competition. Shawn says he has much respect for Jerry. Ben says he has chills and that they own the genre. Nicole seems to be in awe of the group, telling them that they are honored to have them in the competition.

It’s now time to for the first elimination and the judges have decided that Pitch Slapped will be the first to go. They sing “Na Na Hey Kiss Him Goodbye” as they exit the show.

Starting the second half of the competition are The Whiffenpoofs from Yale. They are the first ever a cappella group starting in 1909. They will be performing Mika’s “Grace Kelly“. I have to say I did not enjoy the performance at all. The lead singer has a nasally voice that is drowned out by the rest of the group. The crowd seemed to enjoy it. Ben says it’s burned in his brain and he enjoyed it. Nicole calls it brilliant. Shawn sarcastically thanks the group for inventing a cappella groups and thus giving him a job. He goes on to say it was off the hook.

Up next are Men of Note from New Jersey. They are athletes and say they are very competitive. They are still trained by their high school music coach, though they all have since graduated. They will be performing “For the Longest Time” by Billy Joel. As with any singing competition song choice is always key and I don’t feel they chose wisely. They do sound good, but something a bit more current would have served them better. Nicole thinks they could have been tighter. Shawn thinks they started a bit tight, but loosened up by they end. Ben thinks they rushed it a bit.

Street Corner Symphony are up next hailing from Nashville, Tennessee. They’re highly influenced by southern rock and country. Your basic good ole boys. Jeremy, the lead singer, was at one point signed to a label, but after they refused to release any of his music he gave up on his music career until finally joining the group. They will perform “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” by Tears For Fears. Jeremy has a nice voice, however in certain parts the song sounds low for him. Overall it’s a solid performance, with an interesting arrangement of the song. Ben thinks it was really good. Shawn likes their honesty. Nicole is surprised that there are only six members of the group considering the sound they are able to achieve.

Next up are The Backbeats from the west coast. The group is comprised of individuals from competing college vocal groups, joined together to form one super group. They will be performing Beyonce’s “If I Were a Boy“. They are fantastic! Joanna, the lead vocalist is amazing. We are talking perfection here! They just made this show worth watching for me! Nicole says they set the bar. Ben says it was moving. Shawn says it gave him chills.

Last up tonight are Committed, gospel singers from Alabama. They express their nervousness at attempting top forty pop music. They will be performing Maroon 5’s “This Love”. They have great harmonies combined with standout lead vocals. Another great performance. Shawn thinks they are incredible and compares their vocals to butter. Nicole loves it. Ben thinks they’re wonderful.

It’s time for the last elimination of the night and the judges have chosen Men of Note to leave the competition. They perform Rhianna’s “Take a Bow” for their exit performance, which I find ironic considering they if they performed this song in the first place they might not be leaving tonight.

What did you think of tonight's show? Who is your pick to win? Let us know in the comments.

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