CD Reviews

CD Review: Jerry Lawson and Talk of the Town

In the winter of 2010, a new generation of a cappella fans were introduced to Jerry Lawson—a legend in the form who has been making music without any instrumentation for over four decades. Lawson was best known as the front man for The Persuasions, but he had left the group years before, with intentions of pursuing a variety of personal goals that transcended a cappella music. Little did he know, Talk of the Town was waiting around the corner.

Movie Review: Street Corner Harmony

From The Sing-Off, to The Barbershop Harmony Society’s International Contests, to the International Championships of High School and Collegiate A Cappella, there may no greater organizing force, and no greater platform for today’s a cappella musician’s than the competition stage.

Perhaps the greatest contradiction in all of a cappella rests in the fact that, despite so much of the genre revolving around competition, it still maintains one of the tightest-knit communities you’re likely to find in all of music.

The idea of community may be what’s most attractive about Abraham Santiago’s Street Corner Harmony, a documentary centered on the cadre of 1950s- and 1960s-era a cappella groups carved a unique niche New York City, Philadelphia and Jersey City.

In poignant recognition to how oft forgotten this unique, pioneering era in a cappella truly is, the documentary includes no video footage from the era of which it speaks, relying on recorded sounds and interviews with the singers decades after their heyday. Nonetheless, listening to the passion with which men speak of their time hearing and performing a cappella can’t help but stir up emotions in any reviewer, regardless of whether he or she was around to partake in that musical era. As Kenny Bank from The Five Sharks said, “I listened to people harmonize out on the street and got goose bumps—I couldn’t believe four or five voices could fill up a space like that.”

CD Review: The Midnight Ramblers Revival

Rare is the a cappella group that dares to take a stab at a seamless album—a set full set of tracks with no breaks between songs. Such an experiment has every chance of coming off as either one-note—a forty minute mood piece that leaves your head pounding or in a state of near-depression (depending on the mood selected)—or a recklessly long medley with no sense of continuity. Yes, there’s every possibility for such an album to fail.

The Midnight Ramblers do not fail.

Revival, the latest album from The University of Rochester Midnight Ramblers, takes plenty of chances and while I won’t say that every single one of them pays off, the overarching design of the album is sheer brilliance, combining skill in arrangement, shrewd song selection and ordering, and masterful production from Liquid 5th to assemble a unique listening experience that’s simultaneously fluid and engaging.

CD Review: The Outskirts In Pants

One of the most striking commonalities of the a cappella CDs I’ve listened to as of late is how few tracks they have. While I’m all for concision and highlighting the best of your best material, there’s also something to be said for a group that’s willing to lay out a full hour of music over the course of an eclectic collection of 16 tracks. Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to reintroduce you to The Haverford College Outskirts.

The latest album from the all-female crew, In Pants encapsulates not only multiple genres, but spans time periods with impressive fluidity. Consider, for example the transition from relatively contemporary “Suddenly I See” to Paul McCartney’s classic “Maybe I’m Amazed,” which includes a sample of a hymn from centuries before, “Amazing Grace.” For those who fear the album might sound dated, rest assured the group is back to Little Big Town, Mika, and Sara Bareilles in the tracks to follow (though they travel back through time for a whimsical take on “Brand New Key” before anyone can say they’re settling for modern-day clichés).

Movie Review: American Harmony

American Harmony is a documentary directed by Aengus James, documenting a year-long journey to the International Championships of Barbershop Singing. The film will air on The Documentary Channel on February 12, 2012 at 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. ET (5 p.m. and 8 p.m. PT)

To explain why American Harmony is so effective, it’s worth taking apart the name. Although the film focuses on an International competition, the stories it portrays are distinctively American. There are four major threads to consider.

When we watch David versus Goliath, most of us root against Goliath for a love of the underdog. But if Goliath actually does take a fall, can we help feeling a twinge of sympathy at the giant’s disappointment for falling short of expectations? For any favorite who has lost and for every bridesmaid who never made it to the altar herself, Max Q has a heartbreakingly familiar story to share. The film opens on the 2005 Internationals where the star-studded quartet is expected to take home gold medals, only to walk away with silver instead. The arc of the film is very much about the foursome’s journey toward redemption. At the fore stand Tony De Rosa, a talented role player who is singing lead for the first time in a high stakes situation, and Jeff Oxley, a been-there-done-that pro with international championship credentials who oozes confidence and hungers to stake his claim one more time as the best in the world.

CD Review The Octopodes Code Blue

So often, when strong live a cappella groups hit the studio, they leave behind the sheer gusto for performance that they ordinarily exhibit on stage, in favor of pristine tuning and effects. One of the most refreshing elements about Code Blue, the latest offering from The Johns Hopkins University Octopodes, is that the group brings its flair for drama straight into the CD for a finished product on which the group never sounds as though its phoning in a song, but rather like they’re attacking every note.

Indeed, emotion is the key hook for this album. The best example is an inspired cover of The Script’s “Breakeven,” in which the solo positively rips through verse after verse, while still somehow retaining enough umph to get progressively bigger on every chorus. The track is a case study in both intensity and control that really kicks the CD, on the whole, into gear. The group’s takes on “Uprising” and “The Clock” demonstrate similar vigor, compelling listeners through a real sense of urgency in the music.

CD Review: The Stereotypes Tongue Tied

As I was listening to Tongue Tied, the latest offering from The Stereotypes, out of Washington University of St. Louis, I couldn’t help thinking of alternative titles for the album. The main one that came to mind: Post-Gaga: How To Make All-Male A Cappella Fun Again.

There’s nothing inherently wrong with an all-male group covering Lady Gaga. In fact, when On the Rocks and the rest of the vanguard took the charge, I was as amused as anyone. But as the 2011 competition season wore on, it became increasingly apparent that an uncomfortably large number of all-male college groups thought it would be hilarious to put their own spin on “Poker Face” or “Bad Romance.” The market grew saturated and it just wasn’t fun anymore.

To my knowledge The Stereotypes never fell into the Gaga trap, but this album demonstrates the guys’ ability to capture the best elements of that particular craze while artfully dodging the clichés attached to it. The boys from Wash U have a rip-roaring good time, embracing Bonnie Tyler, Adele, Madonna, and a selection from Wicked. They simultaneously grabbed their audience’s attention for how different and fun these songs are coming from a male lead vocal, while also taking the songs seriously. I can’t emphasize enough how important it is that these guys don’t just go for cheap laughs; you don’t hear them pausing and there’s no point at which you can really imagine them winking for a camera in the studio. On the contrary, you get the impression that one of these guys legitimately grew up on Madonna and thought, “hey, wouldn’t it be neat to have 15 of my dude friends sing this”—and all 15 dudes were on board.

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