New Contemporary Releases

Breath of Soul : 4 The Record

Review: Breath of Soul, David, Jesse, Tony and Jake, is an all-male a cappella contemporary quartet who bill themselves as 'Nashville's Premier Vocal Band.' '4 the record' is their 3rd album, following 2009's 'Blue Christmas' and 2010's 'Breath of Soul,' to which we gave rave reviews on the Primarily A Cappella website, commenting, 'to be this good early in their careers promises great things for BOS.' '4' is the poised, finely-crafted album of a mature group who have paid their dues and are ready to join a handful of cappella's elite groups. Some of our favorites among the 10 cuts are beautifully arranged covers of Foster the People's 'Pumped Up Kicks,' Lady GaGa's 'Bad Romance,' a fine pair of originals by tenor & vocal percussionist Jake, 'Bee' and 'Give Yourself;' The Animals' 'House of the Rising Sun,' excellent takes on a pair by Cory Hosler, 'Fix You, Fix Me' and 'My Last Season;' an impressive, sweetly-segueing medley of 'Michael Jackson vs. Queen,' Adele's 'Rollin' in the Deep,' and a soulful, harmonic take on Jason Mraz's romantic anthem 'I Won't Give Up.' Don't miss this one--Breath of Soul is smokin' hot and '4' took our breath away!

Songlist: Pumped Up Kicks, Bad Romance, Bee, House of the Rising Sun, Fix You, Fix Me, Michael Jackson vs Queen, Give Yourself, Rollin' in the Deep, My Last Season, I Won't Give Up

Cat's Pajamas Vocal Band : Purr-Fect For The Holidays

Review: Brian, Nate, Brad, Nathaniel, Mike and Nate are five-man a cappella band from Branson, MO who entered the national spotlight in 2005 when they placed in the top 10 while performing their Oreo Cookie Jingle for Randy Jackson. Since then they have been touring the world, and now perform over 200 shows per year in Branson and throughout the U.S. They have been seen on multiple TV shows, cruise ships and performing arts centers around the world, and were recently picked to compete on NBC's The Sing-Off! 'PurrfectÉ' is the group's first Christmas CD of 12 tunes. Favorites are a crazed, manic, very fun 'You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch,' a very silly 'The Chipmunk Song' with perfect imitations of Alvin, Simon and Theodore; a jazzy, chord-bending, very Motown arrangement of 'Silver Bells;' a mellow 'White Christmas, Part 1 and jazzy, finger-popping, doo-woppy 'White Christmas, Part 2; a powerful, sweet take on 'Mary Did You Know,' 'Mustang Santa' is a big fun, soulful romp, and, after that, the incongruous but hauntingly lovely 'In the Bleak Mid Winter' features guest tenor George Dyer. We love a cappella groups who become great entertainers, and Cat's Pajamas is one of the best. Don't miss this one!

Songlist: Sleigh Ride, Winter Wonderland, O Holy Night, You're A Mean One Mr. Grinch, The Chipmunk Song, Silver Bells, White Christmas, Part 1, White Christmas, Part 2, Mary Did You Know, Mustang Santa, In The Bleak Mid Winter, Silent Night

Fermata Town : Hold That Thought

Review: Winners of the 2013 Boston Harmony Sweepstakes this group is the latest addition to the Contemporary A cappella league. Inspired by the wealth of new talent in the a cappella world, they have worked hard to find their voice and put a unique stamp on the Boston a cappella scene. They pride themselves in creating many original arrangements. Full review to come shortly.

Songlist: Seven Nation Army, Stereo Hearts, Dreaming With a Broken Heart, Lazy Song, People Get Ready, Forget You, Geek in the Pink, Settle Down, Circus

Flying Pickets : Only Yule

Review: Formed over 30 years ago and one of the very early contemporary a cappella The Flying Pickets are still going strong today and continue to tour extensively across Europe. The group members have changed over the years but the level of excellence has stayed consistent and it easy to tell listening to this fine recording why they have remained popular for all these years. Each one of these Christmas tunes is creatively arranged along with the strong voices makes for a delightful holiday treat. This recording deserves to be in your collection.

Songlist: 2000 Miles, Ding Ding Merrily On High, Shine, Little Drummer Boy, I Believe In Father Christmas, Christmas Present, Very Good King, In The Bleak Mid Winter, Christmas Lullaby, Alleujah, Silent Night, Frosty The Snowman, Only You

Pentatonix : PTXmas

Review: Groundbreaking southern California winners of NBC's The Sing-Off, season 3, mixed (1 woman, 4 men) quintet Pentatonix has re-addressed the a cappella envelope with their transformation of pop hits and innovative arrangements. Just in time for the season, the group ducked into the recording studio and left this brightly-wrapped all a cappella 6-song EP under our tree, and we have to say, PTX has re-invented the Christmas album! Cut 1 is a stunning, beatboxed, hip-hopped, driving version of 'Angels We Have Heard On High' that is unlike any carol we've ever heard; #2, 'O Come, O Come Emmanuel' is a powerfully dramatic, rhythmic arrangement with roaring wind effects; #3 'Carol Of The Bells' drives and soars like Santa after a few drinks on the Interstate, #4 'The Christmas Song' is a bluesy finger-popper with a sweet tenor lead and even some faux trombone; #5 'O Holy Night' is more traditional, harmonic, soaring and sweet, and #6 'This Christmas' is a romantic, driving pop hit that promises big changes in the relationship this season. Pentatonix clearly has the vocal chops, arranging talent and the (circular Christmas tree ornaments) to use them. Watch out, Santa!

Songlist: Angels We Have Heard on High, O Come, O Come Emmanuel, Carol of the Bells, The Christmas Song, O Holy Night, This Christmas

Petra Haden : Petra Goes To The Movies

Review: Stunning a cappella renditions of classic movie themes from Psycho to Taxi Driver to The Social Network. A one of a kind opportunity to experience some cinematic soundtracks in an extraordinary new way. Epic and evocative scores have been ingeniously recreated utilizing layers of remarkably inventive vocals. Far from a mere novelty, these interpretations retain every bit of emotional resonance and inspirational might as the originals.

Songlist: Rebel Without A Cause, God's Lonely Man, Cool Hand Luke, Cinema Paradiso, A Fistful Of Dollars Theme, Psycho Main Title, Goldfinger, Carlotta's Galop, It Might Be You, The Planet Krypton, Superman Theme, My Bodyguard, Pascal's Walt, Calling You, Hand Covers Bruise, This Is Not America

Rockapella : Motown and More

Review: How does an a cappella legend sound? Judging by Rockapella's 'Motown & More,' more sweet, tight, soulful and rockin' than ever! Having grown up 50 miles from the Motor City, this reviewer was weaned on the Motown sound, which dominated the top 40 airwaves with wonderful artists like the Temptations, the Supremes, the Jackson 5 and Stevie Wonder. So here come the hits on 'Motown & More,' and they are to the original tunes like little Michael Jackson was to himself on 'Thriller.' Tight Vocal Percussion replaces drum sets, of course, but Scott Leonard's arrangements of standards like 'Brick House,' 'Papa Was A Rollin' Stone,' '(Stop) The Love You Save,' 'My Cherie Amour,' 'Dancing In The Street,' 'Use Ta Be My Girl,' 'My Girl,' 'Ain't Too Proud To Beg' and 'Just My Imagination' (which segues smoothly into a sample of John Lennon's 'Imagine'), is the '& More' here! Let's be frank, Scott, Jeff, George, John & Steven could sing rings around most of the early Motown vocalists, and we're hearing exactly how amazing so-called 'covers' can be, when re-invented by one of our favorite, and still one of the premier a cappella bands in the world, Rockapella. We loved this album from start to finish, especially because we have loved Motown ever since we were big enough to reach the faux-chrome radio knob on our '64 Comet. Great stuff!

Songlist: Blame It On The Boogie, Brick House, Papa Was A Rollin' Stone, (Stop) That Love You Save, Dancing Machine, Pretty Much You, My Cherie Amour, Dancing in the Street, Use Ta Be My Girl, My Girl, Ain't To Proud to Beg, Just My Imagination

Roomful of Teeth : Roomful of Teeth

Review: This is the debut album from the adventurous and renowned vocal octet Roomful of Teeth. From the neo-alpine yodel on Rinde Eckert's 'Cesca's View' to Caleb Burhans's stirring post-minimalist take on bel canto singing in 'No', the album breathes fresh life into the a cappella landscape. One of this generation's most dynamic vocal talents, Merrill Garbus of tUnE-yArDs, contributes two electrifying songs that explore a range of world-inspired grooves. African pygmy yodels, Inuit rhythmic pulsing, Appalachian hymn tunes, and bracing Eastern European belting all filter through Garbus's powerful compositional voice. For her Pulitzer Prize-winning four-part composition Partita for 8 Voices, Caroline Shaw uses her insider vantage as a Roomful of Teeth vocalist to create a sonically exquisite and emotionally charged journey through the ensemble's soundworld.

Songlist: Passacaglia, Amid the Minotaurs, Montmartre, No, Courante, AEIOU, The Orchard, Cesca's View, Allemande, Quizassa, Sarabande, Runaway, Ansa Ya

Six Appeal : Plan A

Review: The 2012 Harmony Sweepstakes National Champions are one of the most exciting groups to have won the event in several years. Dynamic performances, creative arrangements and powerful vocals combine to make them one of the a cappella groups most likely to break into the mainstream. A full review will be coming shortly.

Songlist: Circle of Life, Listen to the Music, Keep Your Head Up, Little Black Dress, Not Over You, Ordinary People, Not Over You, Do I?, Your Man, On Your Love, I Will Survive, And So It Goes

Solstice : Winter Solstice

Review: Veteran all-women septet, and one of our favorite World/Folk groups, we watched Solstice do the Bay Area proud by winning the Regional and placing 3rd in the 2007 National Finals. Urged by their friends and families to release a Holiday CD, the group finally and happily fulfilled this longtime dream, and Becca, Emily, Kim, Krista, Lark, Mari & Sara did it wonderfully! Choosing little-known, difficult classical tunes like Cortland Bender's lovely 'Rosa Mystica,' Francisco Guerrero's 'A Un Nino Llorando Al Hielo' and Thomas Weelkes' 'To Shorten Winter's Sadness,' from the 15th and 16th centuries; beautifully arranged traditional carols like Bernard de la Monnoye's 'Patapan,' 'Deck the Hall,' and Franz Gruber's 'Silent Night;' and popular Christmas songs like Vince Guaraldi's 'Christmas Time is Here,' Tommie Connor's 'I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus' and Alfred Burt's 'Caroling, Caroling;' along with the rich traditional Hebrew song 'S'Vivon' and other favorites, make 'Winter Solstice' a very special 15-cut collection that is sure to brighten your holiday for years to come!

Songlist: Nowell, Nowell, Out of Your Sleep, Deck the Hall, S'Vivon, Rosa Mystica, Corpus Christi Carol, Patapan, Nova, Nova, Ave Fit Ex Eva, Christmas Time is Here, Tyrley, Tyrlow!, I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus, A Un Nino Llorando Al Hielo, Caroling, Caroling, Jul, Jul, To Shorten Winter's Sadness, Silent Night

Straight No Chaser : Under The Infuence

Review: Under The Influence sees the acclaimed a cappella group reimagining a selection of their all-time favorite songs alongside many of the superstar artists and undisputed music icons that made them famous. Produced by Mark Kibble, founding member of the legendary a cappella group Take 6 and one of Straight No Chaser's primary influences, the album includes unprecedented collaborations with some of popular music's best and brightest - including Phil Collins, Dolly Parton, Rob Thomas, Seal, and Jason Mraz - as Straight No Chaser put their distinctive and inimitable spin on songs known and loved the world over.

Songlist: I Want You Back, Rolling In The Deep, Against All Odds , Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I'm Yours), Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me, Some Nights/We Are Young, I Won't Give Up, This Is How A Heart Breaks, Kiss From A Rose, Jolene

Various Artists : Pitch Perfect - Motion Picture Sound Track

Review: Set in the world of collegiate a cappella the hit new movie Pitch Perfect features made-for-movie a cappella groups The Treblemakers, The Barden Bellas and the BU Harmonics. This well-produced CD includes all the a cappella singing from the movie and loaded with new takes on old favorites, to hits of right now that are seamlessly mixed together, mashed-up and fabulously arranged.

Songlist: Don't Stop The Music, Let It Whip, Since U Be Gone, Cups, Riff Off, Micky, Like A Virgin, Hit Me With Your Best Shot, S&M, Let's Talk About Sex, I'll Make Love To You, Feels Like The First Time, No Digerty, The Sign, Eternal Flame, Turn The Beat Around, Right Round, Just The Way You Are, Just A Dream, Party In The USA, Bright Lights, Bigger City, Magic, Price Tag, Don't You (Forget About Me), Give Me Everything, Just The Way You Are

VoicePlay : Peppermint Winter

Review: Pride of Orlando, FL since their beginnings there as a barbershop act, and close friends of Mickey 'The Mouse,' all-male quintet VoicePlay, formerly calling themselves 42Five, brings us 'Peppermint Winter,' their joyous new Christmas CD! There are 17 songs here, with a handful of standards such as 'Deck The Halls,' 'I'm Dreaming Of A White Christmas,' 'Santa Clause Is Coming To Town,' a hip, swingin' 'Here Comes Santa Claus,' 'Christmas Island,' 'Have a Holly Jolly Christmas,' 'The Christmas Song,' 'Silent Night' and 'Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas.' All these are made to sound new by innovative arrangements and 'altered' lyrics, such as 'Fat Man's Comin', Fat Man's Comin'...,' and faux horns & whistles on 'Christmas Island,' for instance. Other songs are new to us, 'Holiday Road,' the bouncy 'Season's Greetings,' the manic, silly 'Bollywood Jingle Bells,' the title tune, 'Somewhere In My Memory' 'Santa and I Know It,' ''Zat You, Santa Claus' and a Hanukkah tune, 'Left to Right.' VoicePlay knows all about thrilling audiences and bringing holiday cheer, so pick up 'Peppermint Winter,' a happy gift to yourself and your whole family!

Songlist: Deck The Halls, Holiday Road, I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas, Santa Claus is Coming To Town, Christmas Island, Season's Greetings, Here Comes Santa Claus, Have a Holly Jolly Christmas, Left To Right, Bollywood Jingle Bells, Peppermint Winter, The Christmas Song, Silent Night, Somewhere in My Memory, Santa And I Know It, 'Zat You, Santa Claus, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

Brody McDonald : A Cappella Pop - A Complete Guide to Contemporary A Cappella Singing

Review: A Cappella pop singing - it's the hottest trend in the nation! Author Brody McDonald's award-winning ensemble, Eleventh Hour, was the first high school group to appear on NBC's The Sing-Off, and now you can similarly challenge your top high school and collegiate age singers with this book! With a foreword by Deke Sharon, topics include forming your ensemble, music selection, rehearsal techniques, sound reinforcement, vocal percussion, and much more!

Songlist: What Are We Anyway?, The Audition, So What Do We Sing?, How To Structure Your Rehearsal, Rehearsal Techniques, Turkey Bacon, Practice versus Rehearsal, The Balancing Act, Planning Your Set List, Your Visual Plan, What To Wear, Vocal Percussion, What About The Bassses?, The Solo Vocalist, Moving to the Stage, Booking a Gig, Live Sound For Pop A Cappella, Microphone Technique, Effects Pedals, A Cappella Meets PR, Creating the Culture, Pop A Cappella in the Classroom, The Feeder Program, Making a Recording, The Sing-Off

Deke Sharon and Dylan Bell : A Cappella Arranging

Review: At the heart of every vocal group is the music it performs. This often means writing its own arrangements of popular or traditional songs. This book is the long-awaited definitive work on the subject, wide ranging both in its scope and in its target audience - which spans beginners, music students, and community groups to professional and semi-professional performers, vocal/instrumental songwriters, composers, and producers - providing genre-specific insight on a cappella writing. The tone of the book is instructive and informative, yet conversational: it is intended to stand alongside any academic publication while remaining interesting and fun. Dubbed 'the Father of Contemporary A Cappella' author Deke Sharon has firmly established himself as one of the leading vocal harmony talents today having arranged over 2,000 songs which are published worldwide. Deke was vocal producer on NBC's 'The Sing-Off' and served as arranger, on-site music director and vocal producer for Universal's 'Pitch Perfect' movie. A Cappella Arranging is a good textbook - and a 'good read' - for every vocal arranger, whether amateur or professional; every vocal music classroom, and any professional recording studio. We highly recommend this book.

Songlist: Basic Arranging in 10 Steps, Principals in Arranging, What is Arranging?, The Arranging Sprectrum, Discovering Your Toolkit, Transcription, Five Myths About Music Making, Vocal Conventions, Song Selection, Listening to the Original, Listening to Other Versions, Form and Conceptualization, Preparing Your Materials, Melody and Lyrics, The Bass Line, Background Vocals, Final Touches, Record / Rehearse, In Depth Analyses, Change Up and Clever Bits, Arranging For Other Vocal Formats, Vocal Percusion, Specific A Cappella Styles, Writing For Your Own Group, Writing Medleys, Breaking the Block, Final Thoughts

Various Arrangers : Modern Pop Vol 2

Review: 'Firework' - Ben Bram is known for his work on The Sing-Off and Pitch Perfect, and for arranging for groups such as The Backbeats and Pentatonix. This wellcrafted treatment of the Katy Perry hit will make your pop a cappella group come alive. 'Some Nights' - This powerful anthem by the Grammy-award winning pop group FUN. became the band's second top-ten hit on the Billboard Hot 100, and has been featured on Glee. The intense lyrics explore the meaning of life, using war as a metaphor for the struggle between good and evil. Creatively arranged, pairing a strong a cappella choir with martial snare and bass drums. 'Forget You' - This Grammy-nominated hit by Cee Lo Green is perfect for pop a cappella groups. With a rhythmic groove supporting a soloist, this one really kicks!

Songlist: Firework, Some Nights, Forget You

Jackie Evancho : Original Keys for Singers - Songs from the Silver Screen

Review: 12 vocal/piano arrangements of Jackie's beautiful interpretations of movie favorites Ð all in the keys in which she sings them.

Songlist: Can You Feel the Love Tonight, Come What May, I See the Light, The Music of the Night, My Heart Will Go On, Pure Imagination, Reflection, Se, Some Enchanted Evening, The Summer Knows, What a Wonderful World, When I Fall in Love.

Style: Show Tunes