Portland’s Michael Odokara-Okigbo and the Dartmouth Aires are apparently not always pitch-perfect.
For the first half of this season on NBC’s “The Sing-Off,” the show’s judges couldn’t find anything to criticize about Odokara-Okigbo and his a cappella group. Week after week the group was praised for its stage presence, its energy and its vocal precision.
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But Monday’s episode marked one of the first times the judges detected problems – mostly minor ones – with the group’s performance.
“There were little flubs here and there, harmony-wise,” judge Shawn Stockman said of the group’s rendition of the country song “Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy” by Big & Rich. “But it was energized and fun.”
“The groove and the bottom end were a little loose, but I think you guys pulled it back together,” said singer Ben Folds, another judge. “Watching you guys is like watching a Broadway show.”
The third judge, singer Sara Bareilles, said the group may have concentrated too much on putting on a “big” number and could sometimes let the arrangement get “a little loose.”
The problems weren’t enough to convince the judges to send the Dartmouth Aires home – the group advanced to the next round and will sing again on next Monday’s show.
Now Odokara-Okigbo and the Dartmouth Aires are one of just five groups left vying for the grand prize of $200,000 in cash and a Sony Music recording contract, out of the 16 groups that started the season.
The show’s grand prize – which could start the winning group on the way to a career in pop music – will be announced on the season finale Nov. 28.
Odokara-Okigbo, a graduate of Waynflete School in Portland and a former member of the Boy Singers of Maine, is currently a senior at Dartmouth College in Hanover, N.H.
The Dartmouth Aires began Monday’s episode by singing a required rock song, “We’re Not Gonna Take It” by Twisted Sister. Odokara-Okigbo sang one of the two leads with high energy, kicking his legs at the camera and pumping his fists.
Before the performance, Odokara-Okigbo had said on camera that being on the show convinced him he wanted to pursue a music career.
Stockman, one of the judges, was perplexed that Odokara-Okigbo had ever considered not singing for a living.
“Michael, what were you going to do outside of singing?” Stockman asked him. “You seem so natural up there. That was a great performance.”
Staff Writer Ray Routhier can be contacted at 791-6454 or at: rrouthier@pressherald.com
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