Soundtrack Of My Life Night

After two amazing episodes to start off the season, it was time for the Group A Finals with Soundtrack of My Life Night! I was looking forward to this for many reasons, as this is a theme night that has led to many great performances in the previous two seasons, and all three contestants were already amazing singers, so I knew we were going to get more great performances. 

The episode started off the same way as the group finals last season, with a group performance from all three contestants. They performed “High Hopes” by Panic at The Disco, and how they performed was they each took turns singing a line in the verse before all coming together at the chorus. I always enjoy these group performances, as it gives the contestants an opportunity to show off what they sound like together and showcase their unique vocal abilities. After that, Nick then said that tonight would be a double elimination, unless the panelists chose to ring the Ding Dong Keep It On Bell on one of the contestants, which I am glad they brought back this season, as it means that some contestant who is about to get unmasked will have another performance.

After that, it was time for the first performer of the night, which was The Ship. In her clue package, she said that she has always trusted where she is heading, even when it was risky. She then said that there was a time in her life where she found herself shipwrecked, broke, and living off a $2 burrito a day, having half for lunch and the other half for dinner. She then said that she jumped at the chance to sing backup on an international tour, but that as thrilling as it was, she knew that she had her own stories to tell. She realized that she would rather be driving herself in a rental car singing her truth and taking that chance starting the tidal wave of her career. She then added that she took a risk even being on the show because it was so unlike her. Visual clues included a rowboat and a picture of John Wayne. She then went on to give an amazing performance of “Because the Night” by the Patti Smith Group, during which she showed off all the power and emotion in her voice. After the performance, an additional clue was brought out, which was a letter from LeAnn Rimes congratulating her on the Best New Artist win in 1998. When the panelists were making their guesses, Jenny guessed correctly and said that The Ship was Paula Cole.

The second performer of the night was The Woodpecker. In her clue package, she said that she knew her family was rooting for her, and she chose to perform a song to honor them. She then said that she comes from a long line of strong women in her family, and they all live under one roof. Her great-grandmother introduced her to jazz and Ray Charles and passed on her love for music, her maternal grandmother gave her the courage to go after her dreams, and her other grandmother instilled in her a love for The Masked Singer, which they always watch together, and was also one of the reasons she was on the show. Visual clues included a picture of Regina Hall, a burger, and a globe next to a record. She then went on to give an excellent performance of “Put Your Records On” by Corrine Bailey Rae, which I felt was a perfect song for her voice. After the performance, an additional clue was brought out, which was a pair of glasses, and she then said that the glasses reminded her of how she got her start. To my surprise, none of the panelists said the correct guess, which was actress Marsai Martin. As a result, I guessed that what would happen would be either one of the panelists would guess correctly at the last minute, or none of them would.

The third and final performers of the night were the Buffalos. In their clue package, they said that they have learned that sometimes the hardest parts of life are when you are forced to be the most harmonious. They then said that when they made it big, they had one top boy who helped guide them and inspired them the most that was everything to them, a real MacGyver too, always fixing stuff. But one day, they suddenly lost him, and they felt heartbroken and that they couldn’t go on without him. They then said that they sang as they put him to rest, thinking it would be their last time, but they knew he would have wanted them to keep the herd together, so they did, and everything they do these days is for him. Visual clues included a bell and a sign that said, “Dead End.” They then went on to give a beautiful performance of “Bitter Sweet Symphony” by The Verve, during which they showed off their amazing harmonizing abilities and how much power they have in their voices. After the performance, an additional clue was brought out, which was a shirt that said, “Halftime Show.” I still agree with Jenny who said that The Buffalos are Boyz II Men. The story that they told about losing someone close to them was referring to what happened to their road manager at the beginning of their career, the bell is referring to The Liberty Bell from their home town of Philadelphia, the “Dead End” sign is referring to their song “End of the Road,” and they performed at the Halftime Show one year.

After all three performances, it was time for the first unmasking of the night, which was The Woodpecker. While I thought all three contestants were great, it did not surprise me that she was the first contestant to be unmasked in the episode. As the panelists were making their guesses, I thought Jenny was going to guess correctly, as she brought up her Masked Ambassador being Jenifer Lewis, but she didn’t, and for the first time this season, none of the panelists guessed correctly, as she was revealed to be Marsai Martin. 

After that, it was time for the first Battle Royale of the season. The Ship and The Buffalos took turns giving their own renditions of “Go Your Own Way” by Fleetwood Mac, both of which were very good, as Ship stayed close to the original song while showing off the power in her voice at the end, while Buffalos did a great job at performing their own rendition of the song. Before they went to commercial, the panelists were discussing whether they should use the bell, before saying that there might be someone better in another group and deciding to save it, which shocked my dad, who thought they both deserved to go on. 

When they came back from commercial, it was announced that The Buffalos would be moving on to The Quarterfinals, which didn’t surprise me, as it’s hard to be one singer going up against three singers. In the end, Jenny was the only panelist to correctly guess that The Ship was Paula Cole. After they talked with her about her time on the show, I was glad to see that they continued the tradition of letting the unmasked contestants who are singers perform their most famous song as their encore, as she performed her song “I Don’t Want to Wait” afterwards. I thought it was a beautiful performance, and both my dad and my uncle agreed that it was her best performance on the show. 

Overall, this was another amazing episode of Season 12 of The Masked Singer, and I’ll see you all next week when we meet Group B for the first time in Sports Night!