Håll Musiken Igång (Keep The Music Playing)
Ta Av Dig Skorna! (Take Your Shoes)
Johanssons Boogie Woogie Vals (Johansson's Boogie Woogie Waltz)
De Sista Entusiasterna (The Last Enthusiasts)
Följ Mig Bortåt Vägen (Follow Me About The Way)
Den Finska Klockan (The Finnish Clock)
The Big Juleblues (The Big Julblues)
Underbart Är Kort (Wonderful Is Short)
Konditori Förgätmigej (Confectionary Forget-Me-Not)

The enthusiasm of the Alley Cats is so infectious and their energy so buoyant that they can make you like any song they sing. It's true! Having gotten their start at Disneyland's 'Magic Kingdom,' they exhibit a merry disposition that bursts through even on CD-they cannot be contained! A host of classic tunes such as 'Book Of Love,' 'Don't Be Cruel' and 'Duke Of Earl,' which could be perfunctory in lesser hands, are pounced on by the Alley Cats, and are the better for it. The arrangements are familiar but with a little added pizazz (we'd encourage more!), the intonation crisp, the rhythms fluid. A highly professional and entertaining recording.

If butter melts in your mouth, the Alley Cats arrangement of 'Smoke Gets In Your Eyes' will melt in your mind! It is beautiful, smooth, and just melts away the bands of every day tensions from around the heart. Then you'll just have to swoon to one of the sweetest versions of 'Only You' which you will ever hear. Thank goodness they launch into a upbeat 'Blue Moon' or you would end up in a emotional puddle on the floor! If you ever were touched by the romantic songs of the fifties and sixties (and a sound alike or two from the seventies), this recording is for you. Frankly, we've never heard a better recording of era's music. The voices are beautiful, the slides into falsetto breaks is seamless, and the arrangements keep true to the originals while filling out the instrumental parts with vocals. The Alley Cats have presented all of the greatest songs of an era, 'Silhouettes,' 'Twilight Time,' 'Earth Angel,' 'Stand By Me,' and more, sixteen cuts in all. The tempos and arrangements vary so you never become complacent and let a tune slide by out of predictability, but rather have to pay attention to each sweet riff. We gush, we enthuse, and we have only this to add, 'yip yip yip yip, mum mum mum mum, get a job!' With your first paycheck be sure to get the Alley Cats, 'Strike 32.'

Listen to "Rockin' Robin" in Real Audio.

This is the AOH's third spirited recording, and the fun, excitement and feelings of love and nostalgia that come though it are part of the group's tradition. Included is the "Toy Set" that wowed the audience at the 2001 international competition in Nashville. The centerfold of the liner notes is a full-color shot of the 115-strong group on stage in complete "Toyland" costumes, from clowns and roman soldiers to pandas, cats, sailors, space cadets, Spiderman–you name it. It all says "fun," loud and clear, and that's how the group sings. 12 songs are here: "Applause," "I'm Beginning to See the Light," "Through the Years," "My Honey's Lovin' Arms," the Turtles' "Happy Together," "The Music of the Night," "Toy Song," "Toyland," "Short People," "One Alone," "Tonight" and "Friends." That must have been an unforgettable performance at SPEBSQSA Nashville, and this is an unforgettable CD on many levels–most of all the pure, sweet barbershop harmony that flows throughout.

This 1997 release is a compilation of some of the group's favorite songs from their first three albums, plus three previously unreleased tunes. The new material opens the album - so the first half (the "Now" part) is accompanied, but full of the luscious vocals that has won the group so many fans. It includes a somewhat obscure Led Zeppelin cover, "That's The Way;" a solemn song about a friend's death "Fly Away;" and radio-friendly "Every Now and Then." Among the six a cappella tunes are the Christopher Cross tune "Sailing," and originals "Plainotfancy" and "Rock Your World." The CD is intended to introduce The Blenders to listeners outside the a cappella world, but it will also serve as a great introduction to the group for our catalog customers, and is a must for collectors who want a complete set by this up and coming vocal band.

The Bobs have left an indelible impression since their formation as a new wave a cappella group 20 years ago. "Coaster" swerves into the 21st century, with the same wanton desire to corrupt the minds of all who listen that have characterized the Bobs' previous nine recordings. Musically, of course, the membership – Matthew, Richard, Joe and Amy – are exceedingly qualified, more than might be suggested by such lyrical perversions as "keeps me warm at night/she's like a fire, she's like a tire" ("Rubber Girl") and "rising from my coffin/for coffee and a muffin" ("Drive Time Blues"), while walking the high wire between classical, jazz, rap and rock. There's even an accompanied pop tune – "Believe In Love" – that sets aside the musical malfeasance in favor of an unabashedly sincere performance by Joe Bob. The addition of Amy's wickedly mischievous contributions such as "Bring To Boil" and "Fluffy's Master Plan For World Domination" show that the Bobs had better not plan on retiring any time soon.

Listen to "The Druid Song" in Real Audio.

Musical malfeasants the Bobs are simply one of the most beloved and original a cappella groups ever, writing such classics as "Slow Down Krishna," "Kill Your Television" and "Drive By Love." Not only were the Bobs acclaimed for their original material, they were also beloved for their hilarious and technically masterful renditions of cover songs including "Psycho Killer," "Helter Skelter" and "Purple Haze." Along the way they were Grammy-nominated, appeared on PBS in their own one hour special and were added to the Smithsonian Institute's Museum of American History! "Best of the Bobs" a.k.a. "Twenty Songs from Twenty Years" is an instant collector's item, with rare outtakes, twelve previously unreleased tracks in all including three brand new songs. No greatest hits re-hash, this CD takes you through dark and winding passages into the very center of the Bobs' twisted psyches, behind the scenes to the core of the Bobs' creative genius. A must have for any Bobs fan.

Listen to "A Cappella Choir In The Sky" in Real Audio.

We can only admire and appreciate the mission of the founder Walter Turnbull's Boys & Girls Choir of Harlem, which currently serves over 550 boys and girls. "God's by Design" features 12 songs, mostly originals we haven't heard—songs like "Changed," "Available to You," "Jesus Is the Light," "Trouble Waters," "Jesus is a Rock in a Weary Land," "Great Is Thy Faithfulness," the title tune, "So Many Things to be Thankful For" and others. Some light accompaniment. "God's by Design" is very nice collection by this spirited, talented Choir.

Harlem's finest, and one of America's finest boys' choirs, brings us a powerful collection of 14 authentic spirituals. The arrangements are by some of the best in the world. "Everytime I Feel the Spirit," "Go Down Moses," "Little David Play On Your Harp," "Ride On King Jesus" and "I Can Tell the World," all arranged by Moses Hogan, "Ezekiel Saw De Wheel," arranged by William Dawson, "If I Got My Ticket, Can I Ride," arranged by Robert Shaw, and a pair arranged by Howard Roberts, "Kumbaya My Lord" and "Oh Freedom," are a few of many favorites. Some light piano accompaniment, like on the lovely Don Sebesky-arranged "Amazing Grace," but mostly sweet, spirited a cappella. "Precious Lord" is inspirational and moving on many levels, given the accomplishments of Executive Producer J. Walter Turnbull and many others, molding and teaching the talented children of Harlem.

We raved over five-man, one woman BR6's debut recording, "Rio A Cappella," and have been eagerly waiting for their second. First let us praise the marvelous, Beatles-flavored graphics and photos in the liner notes, some of the best we've ever seen, and a perfect complement to the smooth, latin sound the group applies to one of our all-time favorite tunes, George Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue," medleyed with Tom Jobim's "Waters of March." Continuing with a cool "Jazz 'n' Samba," mellow and sweet "Someone to Watch Over Me," jazzy "Water to Drink," and sassy, sexy "They Can't Take That Away From Me" this is all pure enjoyment. Try to imagine faux, feline-sounding horns on "Girl from Ipanema," a surprising, bluenote faux trumpet solo on "Fascinating Rhythm," faux muted trumpets on a meandering "Forever Green," "They All Laughed," "Song of the Jet," "Love is Here to Stay"…this is all mellow, fun, jazzy, salsa-flavored stuff to be savored like musical fish tacos and margaritas on a perfect beach with the one you love!

Listen to "Jazz'n'Samba" in Real Audio.

Toronto's celebrated 4-man vocal band, Dylan, Carl, Kevin and Ross, won the tough 2003 Harmony Sweeps New York Regional (and Audience Favorite), and went on to place third here in San Rafael with a very strong set at the '03 Finals. So we were not at all surprised to see their debut CD, "frost-free," win two CARA awards. With an extensive concert and touring schedule, playing to sold-out audiences, and now with "twenty for one," it's clear to us, from their great sound, solid musicianship, finely-crafted arrangements, sense of humor and pure ability to entertain, that Cadence is simply one of the best jazz/pop vocal quartets performing today. We have 12 songs, great covers of the cool retro "Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps," popping vocal percussion and a Simonesque lead on "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover," Charles Mingus' and Joni Mitchell's classic jazz treat "The Dry Cleaner from Des Moines," Nat King Cole's crackling "Hit That Jive, Jack," the timeless "Game," the pop hit "True Colors" and a nod to Freddie Mercury of Queen on "The Things We Do For Love;" and winning originals by Dylan ("Don't Fix What's Broken," "Blues on Sunday"), Carl's sweet wedding anthem, "The Perfect Kiss," Kevin's funky "Sittin' in the Cellar" and friend Gillian Stecyk's "Sunshine." Begin with poised, perfect harmonies, add solos and scat with attitude, heartbreaking faux horns, vocal percussion that's some of the tightest and most innovative we've ever heard, and cutting edge arrangements--and you get "twenty for one," one of the best jazz-pop cds of the year!

Listen to "Hit That Jive Jack" in Real Audio.

Washington DC's 5-man, one woman a cappella sextet Cartoon Johnny, who impressed us with a strong set at the 2005 Harmony Sweeps Finals, and who released an excellent debut CD, "Face the Music," bring us "Power Up!," which features a strong combination of original material and covers. The originals, "More Like You," "Rock Your Body," "Love Will Decide," "When Will You Come Home," "Walked Away" and "What I Want," showcase the talents of Baritone Mike Henderson, who also does most of the group's arranging, mixing and editing. Earth, Wind & Fire's "Let's Groove," Sting's "If You Love Somebody," Stevie Wonder's "Signed, Sealed, Delivered" and P. Collins' "Why Can't It Wait 'Til Morning" are other favorites among these 11 cuts. Cartoon Johnny has a full, rich sound with wonderful vocal percussion, faux instruments and effects than make us check the liner notes for the reassuring "All sounds heard on this recording were generated by the human voice or body," which is of course there. Every cut here is a winner, and "Power Up!" is one of the best Contemporary recordings we've reviewed this year!

Listen to "Let's Groove" in Real Audio.

These four talented women began their musical journey in September of 1994. By their 10th anniversary they had earned 4 Regional Championships and competed six times in the Sweet Adelines International Quartet Contest, placing as high as 24th. "Keepin'" is the group's debut album, 14 spirited, personalized takes on chestnuts like "Blue Skies," "Lazy River," "Don't Break the Heart that Loves You," "It's a Good Day," "Two Tickets to Georgia" medley, "Miss Celie's Blues," "Lullabye of Birdland," "You Must Have Been A Beautiful Baby," "Your Make Me Feel So Young" and the final cut, "That's How You Jazz." An impressive debut, and some very nice Sweet Adelines harmonies and ringing chords from Chord Company.

Bay Area favorite, 4-man, 1-woman vocal jazz group Clockwork surprised a strong field with a win in the 2004 Bay Area Regional, then went on to place 2nd in the National Finals, making many friends and new fans along the way. "Teseract" is Clockwork's debut CD (on PAC Records), produced by The Bobs' Richard Bob Greene. There are 11 songs, all with cutting-edge arrangements, particularly by group member Stephen Saxon (also including Greene and group members Angie Doctor and Jim Hale). Herbie Hancock's sassy "And (So) What If I Don't," (There's some nice alto sax on this one, otherwise "Teseract" is all a cappella), a cool, jazzy "My Baby Just Cares For Me," Lennon/McCartney's classic "Blackbird" (with actual Red-winged Blackbird sounds), and a rainy-day bluesy "DC Farewell." "Donna Lee" segues perfectly from the laid-back "Back Home Indiana" to Charley Parker's scattish, driving jazz standard, Radiohead's "Creep" runs the gamut from quiet to crazed, and jazz standard "Rhode Island Is Famous For You" features a bright, upbeat lead by Doctor. Clockwork nails John Coltrane's frantic, driving "Moment's Notice," slowing down with perfect control for Richard Rogers' moody "Little Girl Blue," and then taking off on some very nice vocal riffs on "Variation #1 on (J. Williams') 'Nightwatch" and finishing up with the con man's anthem, a bluesy, appropriately smarmy original by Jim Hale, "Big Cash Deal." We loved Clockwork live, and "Teseract" is poised, confident proof of their readiness to join a cappella's vocal jazz elite!

Listen to "Rhode Island Is Famous For You" in Real Audio.

Founded in the summer of 1994 in Russia by Mark and Yuri Smirnovs, and influenced by Singers Unlimited, Take 6 and the New York Voices, the 3 man, 3 woman Cool & Jazzy has won international contests and festivals, including the Ward Swingle Award. The group sings live, dynamic and energetic music with their own arrangements in a wide assortment of languages. Their 4th CD, "A Cappella," features 11 songs, "Intro," "Bei mir bistu shein," "Katyusha," "Conte partiro," "Cheek to Cheek," "Brazasia," "Moscow," "Korobeiniki," "Ils aimment," "Hava Nagila," and, appropriately, "The End." We were thinking we had heard, for instance, "Cheek to Cheek," but never anything like this. These 6 brilliant singers take a song and make it their own. From Russia with Jazz!

Listen to "Bei Mir Bistu Shein" in Real Audio.

Born of conviction, an indictment of repression and discrimination, and a celebration of female energy and power, “American Tyranny” is unambiguous in its message and intent. Musically, it is best described as modern chant; fundamental harmonic intervals, unembellished arrangements and monophonic textures dominate, created from gut-level emotion that could be termed instinctual. “Euphemism” is a rejection of the dominant white-male paradigm, “Ay Yi” a primal lament. Produced by June Millington, the guitarist of the pioneering women's rock group Fanny.

Listen to "American Tyranny" in Real Audio.

DAP is a dynamic eight-part mixed (4 men and 4 women) a cappella ensemble that performs a wide array of musical styles--from classical to jazz to pop to gospel to folk that has been performing together for about 3 years. Every member had considerable experience in barbershop groups, choirs, bands and the like, and most of them are married or related to at least one other group member. They have been performing to a wide variety of audiences in and out of Colorado to rave reviews. 14 varied songs, from Woody Guthrie's "This Land (is Your Land)" and jazzy covers of "The Drunken Sailor" and Lennon/McCartney's "Follow the Sun" to a stunning rendition of Dvorak's 'New World" Symphony 2nd Movement." Ward Swingle's arrangement Rimsky-Korsakov's "Flight of the Bumblebee" shows the group to be in company, in terms of sheer talent, with the Swingle Singers. "That's All," "You Are the New Day," "Heartache Tonight," Phil Everly's "When Will I Be Loved," Billy Joel's "Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel)" and "Stars and Stripes Forever." This group nails them all. A surprising, recommended CD by a very talented new octet!

Listen to "The Drunken Sailor" in Real Audio.

Vocal Jazz, with a Swing specialty, is the chosen medium of these 5 artists, two baritones and three sopranos. The group got their start at Cal State University Northridge in 2003, and "Down 4 The Count" is their debut CD. There are 11 songs, favorites are "Down For The Count," "No More Blues," the funny, manic "Whirlybird" with lyrics by group member Colleen Keene, the "Train Song," "Hernando's Hideaway," the poignant "It's Not Easy Being Green," "Blame It on My Youth," the dynamic "Shut Up," and Jimi Hendrix's "Crosstown Traffic, with faux electric guitar and a very commendable Hendrix imitation. At times dissonant and moody, at times joyously powerful, "Down 4 The Count" is very good stuff, an impressive debut for this talented, attractive group!

Listen to "Til There Was You" in Real Audio.

Two man, two women Canadian Contemporary Quartet the Euphorics, blew us away winning the 1999 Harmony Sweeps Bay Area Regional and gave a great performance at the Finals. We loved their debut album "Standing Up for Love" by have been waiting patiently for its sequel, and now happily hold "Born to Sing" in our hot little hands! The wonderful harmonies and leads by Joni Bye (alto/soprano), Helen Davis (alto/soprano) and Bing Jenson (bass) are as solid and crisp as ever. There is one significant change, the fine tenor of Nathan Aswell, has been replaced by that of David Steele; but we have to say the group is sounding better than ever. "Born to Sing" has 10 songs, beginning with a Curtis Mayfield/Bob Marley medley, "People Get Ready/Three Little Birds/One Love," a very funny group reggae original, "When the Big One Comes," a sweet Lennon/McCartney medley, "Eleanor Rigby/Across the Universe," Billy Joel's "River of Dreams," Richard and Robert Sherman's "I Wanna Be Like You," a nice traditional medley, "Down to the River to Pray/I'll Fly Away/Man of Constant Sorrow," bass Bing's hit from the Sweeps, "I Sing Low," "When the Night Feels My Song," Neil Young's "After the Goldrush" and closing with Stevie Wonder's "As." Every one of these is a winner. The Euphorics have a huge, spirited sound and put on a live show as entertaining as any we have seen. Treat yourself to "Born to Sing," and enjoy!

Listen to "After The Goldrush" in Real Audio.

We have personally experienced the vocal power of Colorado-based, 7-man Face, who first began singing together in 2000, and first performed for the public in the summer of 2002--the year they won their first of three Audience Favorite awards at the Harmony Sweeps Rocky Mountain Regional. In Spring of 2005 they won the Regional and we saw them win Audience Favorite at the Harmony Sweeps National Finals, placing 2nd overall. "Forward" is exactly that, a collection of 11 covers that announce to the a cappella world that Face is ready to join the elite. Beginning with Mark Broussard's driving "Home," Tonic's brooding "If You Could Only See" and some amazing vocal sax, trumpet and keyboards on Mancini's "Pink Panther Theme;" the great song selection continues with Counting Crows' bouncy "Accidentally In Love," the BeeGees' romantic anthem "How Deep Is Your Love," The Hoodoo Gurus' Adams Familyesque "Dig It Up" and "American Passion," an incongruous medley of Bach's "Erkenne Mich, Mein Huter" and Paul Simon's "American Tune" which totally works. "Forward" is an impressive collection that moves and touches us—great stuff!

Minneapolis, MN's hot a cappella male Contemporary quartet Four Shadow brings us their 5th excellent recording, a CD/DVD combination of their live concert at Bemidji High School, recorded in March, 2006. There are 15 songs on the CD, 14 on the DVD, and it's quite interesting comparing some of the same songs, performed on the CD and the DVD where you can see the show and the interaction with the audience. The Doobie's "Joy To The World," "Wendy," Stevie Wonder's "Isn't She Lovely," and the group's feature "Trip Through Time!" which musically takes us through the decades, beginning with the Four Tops' "Can't Help Myself," the BeeGees' "Stayin' Alive," Mister Mister's "Kyrie," "Giraffe Nightengale" from the 90s and "The Time is Now" from "Da Oh's." "Breathin'," the pop hit "Barbara Ann," Simon & Garfunkel's "Me and Julio Down By The Schoolyard," and "Can't Get Next To You" finish up the program, to the delight of the screaming crowd. These four are born entertainers with great voices, harmonies and senses of humor—and we love the whole CD/DVD combo idea. See and hear why Four Shadow has been rising fast in the a cappella world!

Listen to "Giraffe Nightingale" in Real Audio.

Since they have all married and some have become fathers, the members of one of our favorite Contemporary Christian groups, all-male a cappella trio Go Fish, have released some excellent material directed at their own and other children. "Splash," "Superstar" and the new DVD, "Showtime" are all winners, and "Snooze" is no exception. We were especially impressed with originals by group member Jamie Statema, who wrote the sweet title tune, "Little Buckaroo," "You Are Mine," "You're My Little Girl" and "Awake." We also liked the traditional "SkinnaMarinkyDinkyDink" and a pair of originals by Billy Sprague, "Sail Away" and "Welcome to the World." You can see the love here in the faces of the 3 dads, feel it in their voices as they sing these touching songs, and hear it in the lyrics. "You Are Mine" is a powerful lullabye, letting a child know that they are unconditionally loved and protected as they go to sleep—a big improvement on the fairly scary concept of "If I should die before I wake." Great stuff especially for parents and children from Go Fish!

Listen to "Skinna Marinky Dinky Dink" in Real Audio.

Gotcha!, four fresh-faced guys from Southern California, are famous for their live performances, matching suits in colors that even George Zimmer wouldn't guarantee, and the longest ringing barbershop chords in the business. Working their way up from being crowned 1997 Far Western District SoCal East Divisional Champions, placing 12th at the 1999 International Quartet Contest that was held in Anaheim and finally being named 2003 SPEBSQSA International Silver Medalists. "Again" has 14 breathtaking classics, "Hooray for Love," "If I Had My Way," "Honey Medley," "At The Jazz Band Ball," "When It's Night Time in Dixie Land" and the wonderful live cut, from international competition, "What More Can A Soldier Give?" Want to know our prediction for this year's SPEBSQSA Gold? Gotcha!

Listen to "If I Had My Way" in Real Audio.

The Grunyon's say Laborantem laudat, cantatem amat dominus, or, The Lord Respects me when I work, but loves me when I sing. There is no better way to describe this group other than a bunch of guys who collectively share the same bond of love for a cappella. Since 1949, in exchange for Poker, Tuesday nights of vocal jazz mischief and mayhem were a regularly scheduled affair for the Grunyons. Albeit, an amateur effort, this collection is fabulous for those who respect a good time for good times sake! These guys always and only had fun and after 50 years of singing it is about time they showed us just how much fun they have indulged. Most famous Grunyon, Bill Gard, shows us his arranging specialty with title track "Just in Time", as well as, "Little Darlin", "Laughter in the Rain" and "This time the Dream's on Me" plus a few more. Other favorites on this loaded 19 song collection are "Beginning to See the Light" by Ellington, "This Masquerade" by Leon Russell, "Little Red Riding Hood" by The Bobs, and a Moon Medley arranged by Ed Wolff. If you like Ed Wolff, his arranging is celebrated strong here, Grunyon style. Though timeliness has never been a Grunyon factor, the final song is appropriately "This Will Be My Shining Hour" by Arlen and Mercer, arranged by Bill Gard. A Grunyon Metaphor speaketh; our lives are now at their best and will be "' til I'm with you again."

The Hi-lo's were formed in April of l953 by bass singer and arranger Gene Puerling. Their tight, close, ringing harmonies are applied to an eclectic variety of music, barbershop, folk, bossa nova etc. etc. All the songs are accompanied by a three piece combo of piano, bass, and drums except for the extremely beautiful "Down By The Sally Gardens." Aside from the title track other well known tunes are "Lazy Afternoon," "Georgia On My Mind," "Fascinatin' Rhythm" and "You Must Have Been A Beautiful Baby." On less well known tunes they rock, they jazz it up, they visit Hawaii. They are formidable!

Listen to "Life Is Just A Bowl Of Cherries" in Real Audio.

Formed in 2004, Denver-based Ignition! almost immediately stepped onto the competition stage, barely missing a wild-card invitation to the 2004 BHS Internationals, which they qualified for the following year as Rocky Mountain District Champs. They placed 21st at the 2006 Internationals, and the news flash from Denver is the group's 12th place finish at the '07 International contest. Bass Denny "Papa", Baritone Matt "the Mouth", Lead Curtis "Chopper," and Tenor Dan "The Laser" are on the fast track in the Barbershop world, as the 13 tunes on "Gettin' Started" show. Some favorites are group originals "Yo Mama!" and "Be Good to Your Mama" (written by Denny Malone), Billy Joel's "Goodnight My Angel," Irving Berlin's "What'll I Do," "I'll Fly Away," the spiritual "Mary Had A Baby," "You're Nobody Till Somebody Loves You" and "Barbara Ann." Great ringing harmonies and chords, and we always like to see original Barbershop material. An impressive debut!

Listen to "Slow Boat To China" in Real Audio.

Manhattan Transfer meets the Sons Of The Pioneers!! The incomparable Morgan Ames had produced, arranged and recorded the selections which she describes as "a group of a cappella cowboy and mountain songs based on pure historical American, plus a few strays, filtered through my jazz-based sense of harmony and four city singers." She goes on to add... "I grew up looking for home on the range, pretending to be Annie Oakley on rented horses at the Burbank Stables. But singing this music, our shared American heritage, was a gift and that’s how we offer it to you." Now, all isn’t just tradition as occasionally a new lyic or two is added, but the singers Shelby Flint, Morgan, Melissa Mackay and Michael Mishaw manage to maintain a sensibility of tradition while creating an entirely new feel, exactly as Morgan describes in her quoted comments above. Real traditional tunes such as "Home on the Range," "Old Diamond Joe," (a multi-track overdubbed recording sung entirely by Michael) and "Old Chisholm Trail" are mixed in with a leavening of newer tunes such as "Witchi Tai To," "My Real Home," and "Springtime in the Rockies." The only difficulty we face in reviewing a recording of this calibre is expressing our enthusiasm without going overboard!

Listen to "Home On The Range" in Real Audio.

With very hip and original takes on some of the best loved Christmas carols, and two Inpulse originals, this CD should not be missed. Some favorites include a beautiful contemporary take on "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen," the triumphant and soulful "O Holy Night," the impressive vocal percussion and rockin' solo in their original song "Sound of Salvation," and their soothing sound in "White Christmas." Inpulse's rich, soulful sound is sure to warm your heart this holiday season.

Listen to "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" in Real Audio.

Kay, Gina, Joanie and Jan–Winter Park, Florida's Jackpot! Quartet, has been together for over 6 years now and are the 2008 Sweet Adelines International 2nd place finalists. These 12 rock-solid Sweet Adelines standards show us what was clear to the judges–this quartet has big voices, big harmonies and the kind of wonderful, ringing chords rarely heard in a Sweet Adelines group. Favorites are "Taking a Chance on Love," "Unforgettable," "For Once in My Life," "Almost Like Being in Love," "Easy Street," "Money Medley," "I'll Take Romance" and "How Deep is the Ocean." The debut CD "Can You Hear Me Now" has the good stuff, certainly one of the best Sweet Adelines recordings we've heard in a long time, by one of Sweet Adelines' top quartets!

Listen to "That's Life!" in Real Audio.

The King Singer’s and Dame Judi Dench tell the tales we all know and love. Embrace the charm of this rare treat made for children of all ages! The Teddy Bear’s Picnic and Humpty Dumpty sitting on a wall, The merry soul, Old King Cole and Duke of York, the Grandest of them all. This old man, a dog and a bone. "Over the Hills and Far Away" for days and days alone. Walking on air or submerged in a "Yellow Submarine", or with an owl and a pussycat on a ship of pea green. Boys and girls and blackbirds four and twenty, they all diddle diddle in lavender blue fields of plenty. Wendell, the sunburned worm, an old woman’s fate with a fly, the frog he went a-courtin while we all stand together, together you and I.

Although Listen Up! has two excellent recordings, "Shimu Na" and "Al Hanisim," in our catalog, we're happy to welcome their latest CD, "Jewphoria," to the Primarily A Cappella label. Listen Up! is Rebecca Singer, Moshe Mann, Michael Mendelson and Steve Singer. Here are 12 fresh and appealing, often funny, mostly Jewish doo-wop songs: "Oy Mamme Bin Ich Farliebt," "Etz Chayim," "Tzena," "Yom Shabbaton," "Al Kol Eileh," "Tzaddik Katamar" (w/violin accompaniment), "Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen," "Under the Chuppah" (a takeoff on "Under The Boardwalk"), "Hineh Ba Hashalom," "Tum Balalaika," "Nisayon" and "Hatikvah." What comes across in all songs is a love for singing, a lot of talent and a sense of fun & celebration–an im-pressive third CD. Listen Up!–we want to hear more!

Listen to "Oy Mame Bin Leh Farliebt" in Real Audio.

One of our favorite groups on the planet from the first time we saw them on the stage of the Harmony Sweeps Finals, easily taking Audience Favorite and the National Championship, (then 5-man, now 6) jazz-pop m-pact continues to push the a cappella envelope with their unique, amazing sound. "m-pact," their 5th recording, was recorded at m-pact studios in LA, and is proudly distributed exclusively by Primarily A Cappella Records. The tagline on "m-pact," "experience the voice," refers to the pure, sumptuous tenor/soprano of Britt Quentin, whose creative arrangements, production and even engineering are evident on all 14 tracks. Especially fine are his arrangements that reinvent classics such as Cole Porter's "Night and Day," Rogers & Hammerstein's "My Favorite Things," "Over the Rainbow," Lerner & Lowe's "Almost Like Being In Love," "Bluesette," the Four Tops' "Baby I Need Your Loving," and "What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life." The opening cut is "You Need to Know," a sassy, walking-jazz original by Britt, who also shines on lead. He also wrote (or co-wrote) and sings lead on the mellow finger-snapper "I Found A Love In You" and vocal percussion gem "I Thought You Cared For Me." Trist, Marco, Jake, Rudy and Jeff and their own incredible vocal talents to a smooth, sophisticated recording that surprises and touches on many levels, that we found ourselves replaying again and again to fully appreciate—in short, a masterpiece!

Listen to "My Favorite Things" in Real Audio.

Since their formation in 1960, the Melodeers, a 125-member Sweet Adelines Chorus, have won the International Championship twice in succession (1997, 1998). Their energetic and vivacious style must also be credited to their redoubtable director, Jim Arns, who also wrote some of the arrangements. "Do You Hear What I Hear?" offers every imaginable variation (echo, contrast motion, swipes, modulation) of the familiar refrain, and sets up the grand finale with a turnaround, pushing the phrasing to make room for a zestful seventh chord and another key change. "Psalm 98/Shalom" begins on a long open note, gradually converging to the dominant; the subsequent section is a rapid fire allegro, broken by a repetitive adagio two-part interlude. Sound unconventional? It is. "Silent Night," "The Christmas Song" and "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" are among the many traditionals. The Chorus lets loose on "Jingle Bell Rock" and "Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer."

Listen to "The Christmas Song" in Real Audio.

Pride of Greendale, Wisconsin, the 58-strong men's a cappella chorus Midwest Vocal Express, brings us a nostalgic tribute to New Orleans, with a number of excellent guest quartets, Checkmate, JACKPOT!, Breaking News and Nightwatch, who blew us away more than once at the Harmony Sweepstakes Finals. Some favorites among these 16 songs are "Tin Roof Blues," the title tune (New Orleans Decoupage 'Way Down Yonder in New Orleans"), "Original Dixieland One-Step," "You'll Never Walk Alone," "Ja-Da," "Where the Southern Roses Grow," "Calypso Medley," "Alexander's Band is Back in Dixieland," "Zip-A-Dee Dooh-Dah," "Polka Medley," "I'll Fly Away," "It's Only a Paper Moon," "Teen Medley" and "Irish Blessing." But there's not a weak cut, dry eye or untagged heartstring here. "New Orleans Decoupage" is a breath of fresh, Southern air from one of the Midwest's finest men's choruses!

We will freely admit to loving LA's four Echoes, "Brothers in Harmony" Charlie, Harvey, John and Jon at first listen, almost 20 years ago. Many audience-pleasing live performances and three great CDs haven't changed our feelings as we joyously tear the annoying plastic wrap off "Cool" and treat our boombox to the Echoes' 4th collection of 15 Doo-Wop winners. Some of our favorites include an exquisitely meandering "I Only Have Eyes for You," a complex, soaring arrangement of Brian Wilson's "Good Vibrations" (that few groups would even attempt, much less nail), a rock-solid, soulful "Lean On Me," a silly, tough-talking "Daddy Cool," a richly harmonic cover of Eric Clapton's "Wonderful Tonight," a powerful "Duke of Earl," a luscious "In The Still of the Night," an incongruous but marvelous "White Christmas," and the final tune, a foot-stomping "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye." The Echoes have the tight arrangements, perfect pitch, soaring leads, deep basslines and love of singing that make "Cool" one of the best Doo Wop recordings of the year!

Listen to "Daddy Cool" in Real Audio.

We had the pleasure of seeing the manic four young men of Utah-based Moosebutter at the recent smash West Coast Summit, first in a showcase concert at Dominican College, and then, by invitation because they were so hilarious, at the Saturday night concert. There are 4 authentic young comic geniuses here, especially Tim Y. Jones, who writes, composes, adapts and arranges practically everything in this CD. There are 17 little delights here, from an ode to tile, "The Happy Tile Cleaner," "Captain Organic Vegetable Man," "Psycho: The Musical," "The Alphabet Song," the amazing "Star Wars Medley" adds words to those deathless heroic theme songs, like "Kiss a Wookiee, kick a droid, fly the Falcon through an asteroid, 'til the Princess gets annoyed," "Ghost Chickens in the Sky," the very funny "Cell Phone," "The Googies," "O Pretty Baby," "Luck o' the Irish," "Turkey Dance," "Jell-O," "He Met Her on the Stairs" and "Spew." This is funny, brilliant stuff, that wowed 'em at the Summit, with crazed sound effect samples, the kind of material that gets a group on morning shows and stages at the Harmony Sweeps Finals!

Listen to "SPAM" in Real Audio.

There they were, 4 young guys from Utah at one of the daytime West Coast Summit "showcase concerts," in white headbands, red polyester running pants and black windbreakers, singing "Captain Organic Vegetable Man" and "Star Wars." That night they were invited to do some of their set at the big Summit concert at Marin Veterans Auditorium, and the crowd went nuts. Segue to May, 2003, another Saturday night on the same stage--the Harmony Sweeps Finals, where Moosebutter came in second only because The Idea of North could have beaten a choir of angels that night. Although they're not our type, we loved Moosebutter from the beginning, and have played their 1st CD, "See Dee," until "Psycho, the Musical" sounds like Alvin & the Chipmunks. Their long-awaited 2nd CD, "udder won" is now safely installed in our boombox. 15 manic songs, like "Uncle Earl's Hairpiece," the deeply romantic "The Valentine's Day Song," "Harry Potter" (sung to the tune of Roy Orbison's "Pretty Woman"), "I Hate Mosquitoes," "Rubber Monkey," "Hicksville, parts 1 and 2," "Jon Boy Jon," a particularly crazed "Witch Doctor" and the never-ending "Squirrels" (In My Nose). "Udder won" (which we think refers to the fact that they had one "See Dee" and this, obviously, is the "udder won"), is funny, bizarre, weird, brilliant and totally bananas. Our theory centers on something in the Utah water, and we'll take a six-pack!

Individually, they are five phenomenal and distinctive vocalists: Peter Eldridge, a eclectic vocalist, composer, and member of the New York Voices; Lauren Kinhan, known for her charismatic voice, genre bending originals, and her dedicated years as a member of the New York Voices; Theo Bleckmann, the effusive German-American Meistersinger known for his brilliant collaborations with Meredith Monk; Kate McGarry, a vocal polymath at home with the folk tradition and the Big Apple bandstand; Luciana Souza, the Brazilian whose repertoire ranges from bossa novas and Elizabeth Bishop to Steely Dan. Together, they are MOSS, A vocal supergroup that intertwines jazz, classical, pop, folk, electronica, world music, and poetry into an arresting and unique sonic species of art. A typical vocal jazz record follows a formula: some up-tempo tunes, plenty of moody ballads and a vocalist reaching for the unique without leaving the familiar. The vocal dream team Moss has thrown out the old formula on their new self-titled CD. Not to be pigeon holed, these master vocalists supply their own unique originals along with a bevy of thoughtful arrangements of not so standard tunes (including pieces by Tom Waits, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell and e.e. cummings). Throughout this exceptional recording, the vocal quintet's contrapuntal harmonies, silken phrasing, and soulful improvisations, traverse and morph genres with ease and invention. “Hopefully, each song reveals the curiosity and uniqueness of each voice," Luciana Souza writes in the CD liner notes, “and the wonderful and intangible thing that happens when a group of friends blend their voices and sensibilities into one."

Listen to "Shadows And Light 1" in Real Audio.

Berlin-based Contemporary a cappella boy septet muSix's "everything" has some top-drawer arranging and cool production effects, a very fun mix of fairly unexpected covers–Jamiroquai's wonderful "Canned Heat," Terence Trent D'Arby's "Delicate," Peter Gabriel's "Sledgehammer," the Isley Bros' "(I've Got) Work to Do" and a pair by Phil Collins and Genesis, "That's Just the Way It Is" and "Land of Confusion." There's also three originals that win more musical than lyrical points, but show definite promise, especially talented arranger and innovative vocal percussionist Patrick Oliver's ominous "The Poison of Love." Tenor Lukas Teske's leads on "Delicate" and "Canned Heat" really caught our attention—the man has a world-class voice. Some of the lyrics in German, particularly on N'Sync's "I Want You Back," which appears here as "Will Dich Zurich," take something away from the edginess of the original. But for a self-produced and arranged debut CD by a group of 20-something guys, "everything" is very impressive, and turned us into fans. We're expecting big things of this talented, refreshing group, who create such a rich sound on a cut like "Land of Confusion," that they have to put the disclaimer "all sounds on this record are mouth-made, except for the seashore on 14."

Listen to "Autosong" in Real Audio.

This unique quartet has been making history for many years now. As members of the well-known Ditchfield Family Singers this father - Stephen Ditchfield - and his sons also perform as a barbershop quartet. Even when the boys were very young they started winning singing competitions and this recording marks their comeback as grown men who still retain their love of close harmony singing. Lots a great music here including some barbershop classics along with a variety of popular music from the ‘30’s, ‘40’s, and ‘50’s.

This Denver-based quartet has roots in the Denver A Cappella Project, and includes tenor George (of 1982 Gold Medal-winners Classic Collection), his son Mike, baritone, bass Mark and lead Ryan. At the 2007 Barbershop Harmony Society contest in Denver, Following the release of this, their debut recording, NeXus moved up from 27th place to 19th place in the elite top 20 in only their 3rd year of competition. We particularly appreciated the songlist in the liner notes, that included some of the group's influences: "Just A Gigolo," inspired by Classic Collection, "The Dock of the Bay" and "Stand By Me," inspired by Rockapella, and "Don't Worry Be Happy," inspired by the Blenders. Other favorites are "Orange Colored Sky," "Gospel Medley," a bluesy "Summertime," "Under the Boardwalk," and "Mean to Me." Great stuff from this popular, fast-rising, veteran quartet!

Listen to "These Foolish Things" in Real Audio.

The veteran male quartet the Nylons, who wowed the West Coast Summit audience not long ago, show us once again the innovative, driving arrangements, tight harmonies, soaring leads, rhythm and soul that has made them a favorite of ours for years! There's non-vocal percussion on just about every cut, but the emphasis remains on the amazing vocals. The song selection is typically well-chosen and fearless: Sting's "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic," Garth Mosbaugh's "Play" and "Wrong and Right," Kenny Loggins' "This Is It," the lovely Whitney Houston hit, "Feel Like Making Love," "Loving You," "Good Enough to Love," James Taylor's "Only One," "Could've Been You," "Hey There," Paul Simon's "Late in the Evening" and "One More Lonely Night." Every cut is excellent, and some, like "Late in the Evening," the guys just flat out nail! The Nylons are one of the best in the business, and "Play On" is their strongest, most soulful CD to date!

Listen to "Only One" in Real Audio.

Classic Nylons! Here we have the archetypical fabulous vocal harmony accompanied by rhythm tracks. As Happy Together was released in 1987 it can be said to be in the prime of the early Nylons. Though the best known tunes from this recording are "Happy Together" and "Kiss Him Goodbye," this reviewer finds "It's What They Call Magic," "This Island Earth" and the soaring falsetto on "Grown Man Cry" particularly memorable though perhaps less AM Radio worthy. Additional notable arrangements are "Chain Gang" and "A Touch Of Your Hand."

Listen to "Happy Together" in Real Audio.

The U of Pennsylvania's mixed-voice, 14-strong a cappella rock and pop group has been sharpening its vocal chops in various incarnations for over 20 years now, and it shows. We raved over their previous CD, "Quicksound," and it's clear from the first notes of Green Day's "Boulevard of Broken Dreams," Dido's "Don't Leave Home," Guster's "Careful" and Nelly Furtado's "Try" that the '04-'05 Loafers have a rich sound and confident professionalism far beyond their years. Strong covers of The Indigo Girls' "Mystery," Rachel Yamagata's "Worn Me Down," Coldplay's "Warning Signs," The Strokes' "12:51" and Vanessa Carlton's "White Houses" feature solid vocal percussion, sweet leads and nice background vocals. 14 songs in total, without a single weak cut. A beautiful, spirited set from one of our favorite collegiate ensembles!

The '06-'07 Penny Loafers are the University of Pennsylvania's 14-strong mixed-voice a cappella rock and pop group, and "Prophets" is their third release since their founding in 1986, following the excellent "Side A" and "Quicksound." This is a fine collection of 13 covers, some favorites are Sublime's "Waiting For My Ruca," Jamie Cullum's "All At Sea," the Yeah Yeah Yeah's powerful "Gold Lion," Evanescence's surreal "Lithium," Etta James' classic blues tune "At Last," Regina Spektor's soaring "Samson," Remy Zero's "Fair," Christine Aguilera's "Hurt," Matchbox Twenty's "Bed of Lies" and Sufjan Stevens' breathtaking "The Predatory Wasp Of The Palisades Is Out To Get Us." Strong, innovative vocal percussion, strong, spirited female and male leads, tight arrangements—this is fun stuff from one of our favorite Collegiate groups!

Listen to "Waiting for My Ruca" in Real Audio.

2002 Harmony Sweeps winners Perfect Gentlemen's 3rd CD has 20 songs; some classic barbershop like "Blue Skies," "The Good Old Days" and "Diane," and some non-traditional stuff like "Gimme Some Skin," "Ukelele Lady," "If Ever I Would Leave You," "Java Jive," "Beware My Foolish Heart" and "Room Service," Some light guitar, piano and ukelele (but the emphasis remains on the rich harmonies) on songs like "Java Jive," "Gimme Some Skin" and "Room Service," which we heard when they hosted the Sweeps Finals, where their sound reminded us of groups like the Hi-Lo's and 4 Freshmen. The Gents can make a barbershop chord ring with the best of them, but we like their tendency to try different, even accompanied stuff, like jive, swing and 50s jazz/pop. These guys are funny, versatile, flat-out great entertainers!

Listen to "Word Salad" in Real Audio.

"Busy Line" is the second excellent album by talented, mixed voice (2 men, 2 women) Vocal Jazz group R,W&M, who first came on to our radar with their wonderful set at the 2005 Harmony Sweeps Bay Area Regional. The LA-based retro quartet, who have been singing together since 2003, feature lead Caroline Mclean, alto Kate Walker, tenor Peter Neushul and bass Jim Campbell has taken the place of fellow "chord freak" Robert Clark. 15 nostalgic favorites, beginning with a "Fascinating Rhythm/Steppin' Out with My Baby" medley, the Gershwins' haunting "Shadow of Your Smile" from "The Sandpiper," Freddie Mercury's big fun Roaring 20s reprise "Seaside Rendezvous," Cole Porter's "Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye," and another nice medley, "Let's Go to Brazil/The Gift," which has some non-vocal percussion and bass, and Cahn, Chaplin & Lunceford's "Rhythm is Our Business" is big band-accompanied. Irving Berlin's upbeat "Blue Skies," Bloom & Gallup's bluesy "Maybe You'll Be There" and Leonard Bernstein's "Some Other Time" round out the program. Murray Semos and Frank Stanton's title tune has some non-vocal bass and percussion, and Mandel and Bergman's "Where Do You Start" has some bluenote Saxophone. An entertaining, authentic (even down to the vintage clothing worn by the group in the liner notes pix), sweet-harmonied trip to another era from Ready, Willing & Mabel!

Listen to "Some Other Time" in Real Audio.

"Meet Me" is an all a cappella Doo-Wop album that recreates the street corner experience of the 50s and early 60s and pays homage to the genius of Sam Cooke, Clyde McPhatter, Harvey Fuqua & the Moonglows along with other Doo-Wop pioneers. It was the brainchild of Maurice Kitchen, an award-winning Chicago musical playwright and producer who assembled an all-star group in Los Angeles, Torre Reese of New Orleans, Kwame Alexander from Memphis, Charles (Sonny) Banks from San Antonio and Anthony Snead from Newark. These 24 songs, songs like "It Don't Have to Change," the lone contemporary song on the album, "Feeling the Blow," "Sincerely," "This Magic Moment," "Money Honey," "Chain Gang," "So Much in Love," "Speedo," "Blue Moon" and the title tune, use the group's comments and recollections to create a feeling in us what it was like to harmonize great music on the street back then. Authentic early Doo-Wop harmonies from these finger-snapping, sweet-singing veterans, who are having big fun recording this, and very shortly, so are we!

Listen to "I'm Gonna Give Her All The Love I Got" in Real Audio.

Berkeley, CA's three man, three woman a cappella jazz ensemble Ro Sham Bo, who impressed us with a strong set at the '06 Harmony Sweeps Bay Area Regional (winning Best Original Arrangement and 2nd place overall), bring us this impressive debut CD of 12 songs. The salsa favorite "Mas Que Nada" starts the program, the brilliantly arranged "Nature Boy," the silly "Barney is the Devil," jazzy "Why Haven't I Heard From You," "Greasy Granny" and "It's Over," the bluenote, scattish "Anthopology," the Blues standard "God Bless the Child," the moody "Interlude" and the striking bluenote arrangement of "Ballgame," which was a special request that the group sang only one time, are favorites. "It's not over" is a beautifully selected, arranged and performed debut by this talented mixed Bay Area sextet!

Listen to "Anthropology" in Real Audio.

Not to be confused with the Collegiate ensemble USC Sirens, The Sirens were formed in New York City in the Fall of 2000, and are a Contemporary a cappella all-woman septet. "PreMusical Syndrome" is their debut CD, and it's an excellent one. 8 all-a cappella cover tunes, beginning with George Michael's "Freedom 90," Lenny Kravitz' "Fly Away," Radiohead's "High and Dry" and Amanda Marshall's "Sunday Morning After." Other winners are U2's "Pride," Blue Swede's "Hooked on a Feeling" and a very nice "TV Medley" that pushes a bunch of our nostalgia buttons. The Sirens have a fresh, clean, fun sound, we enjoyed every of "Syndrome" and we're looking forward to hearing more.

Listen to "Hooked On A Feeling" in Real Audio.

The live performances Boston's Soundstage 7, Liz, Hyoun, Andrea, Mike, Maddie and Greg, feature whatever music takes their fancy, and ours, as long as it's "fun, crazy, energetic, hip or just plain groovy, baby!" They dig '80s and '90s pop tunes, but their repertoire also includes soul, funk, Latin, folk and more. 12 tunes, some favorites are Sting's "All Four Seasons," The Cure's "The Lovecats," The Story's "Fatso," Ricky Martin's "Shake Your Bon Bon," Wild Cherry's "Play That Funky Music," Suzanne Vega's "Calypso," and an apparent live parody of Britney Spears' "Baby One More Time," that has the audience roaring with laughter. Soundstage 7 has the kind of spirit, panache and vocal talent and sense of humor that a cappella stars are made of. They have a fresh, professional sound that invites us to join in the fun. An impressive debut CD from these fast-rising a cappella stars!

This is the debut CD of Stardust, an all-male barbershop quartet from Las Vegas where "All The Way" was recorded. John, Larry, Buzz and Jim look very cool in their matching blue-flame sportcoats and sing some great harmonies in these 11 tunes. Favorites include the standards "Orange Colored Sky," "River Stay 'way From My Door," "A House With Love In It," "Margie," "Viva Las Vegas" (another clue!), "Edelweiss," "Sing, Sing, Sing (with a swing)," and "All The Way." Very good stuff, guys.

Listen to "Sing Sing Sing" in Real Audio.

As a group, Georgia-based State Line Grocery is fairly new on the Barbershop scene, having been formed in July of 2003. They immediately won the 2003 Dixie District Quartet Championship in the fall, and went on to qualify for the Barbershop Harmony Society's Internationals in Louisville in 2004. They placed 11th at the 2005 BHS International competition in Salt Lake City, and recently placed 4th at the Denver Internationals! Baritone Heath, Bass Drew, Lead Tim and Tenor Dylan, all longtime BHS veterans and district champs, are turning a lot of heads with the kind of drum-tight harmonies, sweet leads and ringing chords we find on "Paper." 14 songs, some favorites are "The Glory of Love," "Everything Old is New Again," Randy Newman's poignant "When She Loved Me," "Too Marvelous for Words," "On the Sunny Side of the Street," "His Eye is On the Sparrow" and Hank Williams' "I Saw the Light." Beautiful stuff from fast-rising, talented SLG!

Listen to "Goodbye World, Goodbye" in Real Audio.

"Breaking" is the debut album of three-woman, two-man quintet Stripped, who have performed their dynamic original vocal jazz music throughout Chicago, receiving awards at the Chicago Cultural Center Cx2 competition and at the 2004 Harmony Sweeps Regionals. Of these seven original tunes, the breathless, scattish "Strip It Down," "Flavaday," the moody, mysterious "Lullaby Moon," the funny, manic "I Don't Want to be Kissed" and the bluesy "All Good That Ends Well" are all written and composed by group member Sean Archer; "Its Time" and "Bring It, Life!" are written and composed by group member Mariama Torruella. Stripped has a wonderfully sophisticated, smooth sound with complex, sometimes dissonant harmonies that are effortlessly nailed by these talented singers. "Breaking Boundaries" is a fine debut recording, some of the best vocal jazz and original material we have heard in a long time. If you love fresh, intense vocal jazz, put on Stripped, and your seatbelt!

Listen to "Strip It Down" in Real Audio.

Elzéar Genet (c. 1470-1548) sang in the papal chapel under Pope Julius II, and thereafter in the court of the French king Louis XII. On November 5, 1513, he became the first composer to be named Master of the Papal Chapel. Working for Pope Leo X, who, in the Medici tradition, was a lavish patron of the arts, Genet's musical output became exclusively sacred. Although Genet was the first composer to publish his collected works, his music has unjustly fallen into near-oblivion. By the late 16th century, Genet's works had been replaced with newer settings by Palestrina and other composers. Sadly, there are no documented performances of his music again until the early 19th century.

Missa L'homme Arme: Sacred Music of Ludwig Senfl is the Cheese Lords' second CD, and a world premeire recording of the music of Ludwig Senfl (1486-1543). Senfl was born in Basel, Switzerland around 1486. At an early age he joined the court chapel of the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilain I, as a choirboy. In Maximilian's chapel, Senfl met and studied with the court composer Henrich Isaac, and after a brief time away from the chapel, returned as an adult singer and Isaac's principle assistant. After Maximilan's death in 1519, his chapel was disbanded and Senfl's history is less clear. Eventually, he joined the chapel of Duke Wilhelm IV of Bavaria, where he remained until his death in 1542 or 1543. Senfl was a prolific composer with an output of over 100 mass settings, 50 vespers settings, and over 100 sacred motets. The vast majority of Senfl's music is unrecorded. The Cheese Lords are proud to present this selection of Senfl's sacred work, featuring a mass based on the popular French tune L'homme arme.

The women of Sweet Adelines, like their male counterparts, represent the most jubilant, and essentially American, style of harmony singing of the 20th century. This best-of compilation is a long-overdue salute to the stars (and spangles!) of SAI and its spirited membership. Featuring both the rousing and upbeat - High Society's "Thank You World," Showtime's "Ya Gotta Know/I Can't Give You Anything But Love," Classic Edition's "Hit Me With A Hot Note" and the brand new Signature Sound track, "Mama's Gone Goodbye Medley," - as well as the exquisite ache of Ambiance's "Bundle of Old Love Letters," Panache's "Someone Like You" and Swing Street's "All Of My Life," this collection of studio cuts is the first of its kind. We think your ears will agree that it's also the finest!

Listen to "I Only Have Eyes For You" in Real Audio.

The 2003 Queens of Harmony show why they won the crowns on this new release as their amazing voices and crisp arrangements are front and center on this fine recording. Featuring a blend of both voices and nationalities (2 members live in Sweden the others in the US) this top-notch quartet sing some lesser-known gems along with a couple of classic medleys including the very clever "City Medley". The Harry Connick Jr. song "Whisper Your Name" is given a delightful rendition as is the Alan Menken gem "Little Patch of Heaven" from Disney's "Home On The Range". We particularly enjoyed the Phil Collins song "You'll Be In My Heart" and so will these talented singers once you have listened to this recording again and again.

Listen to "There I've Said It Again" in Real Audio.

Mixed Vocal Jazz quartet Syncopation represented Boston well at the recent Harmony Sweeps Finals in San Rafael, CA, winning a strong ovation from the sellout crowd for songs like the sweet, soaring "High and Dry," which is here on "Wonderful You." There are 9 songs here, our favorites are the a cappella songs, Joni Mitchell's "Both Sides Now" and the aforementioned "High and Dry." Of the others, "Invisible War," lightly piano-accompanied, is very nice, as are the more heavily accompanied songs "Breakout," "I Can Fly," the title tune (from The Big Chill), Lennon/McCartney's "Broken Wings" the Motown tune "Betcha By Golly, Wow" and "Getaway." Beautiful leads, harmonies and arrangements, but let us once again make it clear that "Wonderful You" is mostly an accompanied album.

Listen to "High And Dry" in Real Audio.

All male sextet Take 6, one of the most innovative and influential Contemporary Christian a cappella groups of all time, was formed at Oakwood College in Alabama in the early 1980s. In 1988 they released "Take 6" nationally, and won Grammies for both best Jazz and best Gospel group. After 9 groundbreaking, critically acclaimed releases, this long-awaited recording, aptly named "the standard," returns to those jazz roots, covering standards like "Sweet Georgia Brown," "Straighten Up and Fly Right" (featuring George Benson), the scattish "Seven Steps to Heaven" (featuring Jon Hendricks, Al Jarreau and Till Bronner), the moody a cappella "Windmills of Your Mind," "Someone To Watch Over Me," "A Tisket A Tasket" (featuring a sample of the original recording by Ella Fitzgerald), the whimsical "Bein' Green" (with an unexpected Obama plug at the end), the a cappella "Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans" (featuring Aaron Neville and some great faux horns), and a jazzy a cappella cover of Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On" (featuring Brian McNight). Take 6's Contemporary Christian material is also included, the autobiographical "Back to You," a bluenote a cappella "Shall We Gather at the River" and the lovely, wordless, accompanied "Grace." Wow. This recording sets "the standard" for Vocal Jazz/Contemporary Christian CD of the year. Don't miss this one, it's a soulful treat from beginning to end!

Listen to "Do you Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans" in Real Audio.

This year's Harmony Sweepstakes reminded all who participated, how magical making music can be. Now, we all can share that magic by listening to this excellent live recording. With 20 years gone by, this national competition is still going strong and bringing out the very best in a cappella singing.  This year's show had an excellent assortment of various styles, including jazz, pop, contemporary, latin and much more. There were lots of humorous moments, including the national champions, Chapter Six's original song, 7th Wheel, as well as somber/uplifting moments including the beautiful performance of Kiss From A Rose by Impulse. Of course no one could forget Clockwork's performance of Inna-Godda-Da-Vida or Vox Bop's Commercial medley . With continuous stellar performances from all eight groups, this 19 track CD is sure to keep you entertained.

Listen to "Walk The Strighter Road" in Real Audio.

The professionalism of the competing groups becomes more impressive with each passing year! Each and every ensemble that graces the stage with their talent has something special, and each group is distinct in its own way. Of course the contemporary and jazz groups are always popular - and in fact, Toxic Audio, the contemporary/jazz quintet from Florida, took first place, and another mixed jazz quintet, Bay Area favorites +4 db, were third - but, in addition, we feature the Perfect Gentlemen, a barbershop group from Los Angeles (2nd place), and the Total Experience Gospel Choir. Of course, 1999 champs, and your hosts, the contemporary Christian septet, Seven, perform two songs, and their virtuosity is undeniable. Audience favorites the Exboyfriends (who have won this category in previous New York regionals, flexing their performance muscles), swagger with Led Zeppelin's "Ramble On," while the reconstituted All Star Vocal Band (formerly the 17th Ave. All Stars) cover Journey and Stevie Wonder. Live Wire and Chapter Six represent the hot retro swing craze. It's a panoply of sound!

The sellout crowd at Marin Veterans Aud. in San Rafael, CA once again saw a dazzling Harmony Sweepstakes Final - Eight Regional winners from all over the country, giving their all in the "most exciting twelve minutes in a cappella." In this wonderfully recorded CD we hear Denver winner Eclipse's "Danny Boy" and "Look My Way," Bay Area Winner III of a Kind's incredible cover of "Man in the Mirror" and the Asian hit tune "Anak;" returning winner (Pacific NW) The Standards' "Ain't Got Nothing But Love" and heartfelt "Prayer of the Children;" Boston Winner Groove's great covers of "Anna Begins" and James Brown's classic "I Feel Good," and New York winner, the Russian group Autri, sings "Keimanchuli" and a stunning original by one of its members, "Tale of War." Los Angeles' Perfect Gentlemen's cutting edge barbershop harmony soars into "Blue Skies" and "Patty Cake." Washington, DC's Tone Rangers score with their offbeat covers of "I Need You" and Simon & Garfunkel's "Keep The Customer Satisfied." Finally, Chicago winner Chapter 6 nails Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" and finishes with a hilarious "Wizard Of Oz Medley." In the end the judges chose The Perfect Gentlemen as National Champion, (also chosen Audience Favorite) and we walked into the night, smiling and raving about one of the best a cappella shows of all time!

It always seems to us as the Harmony Sweeps celebrates another year of its existence (its 21st, in this case), that "last year's Finals were so sublime, how could this year's possibly…etc., etc."—but then we're in the sold-out, excited audience for this year's, and the first group is about to come on… what we're trying to say is somehow each Sweeps Final is better than the last. And what we love about the CDs is that they're live, 9 of the best a cappella groups in the world on one stage, singing their hearts out for 13 short minutes, for the National Championship. Last May, Mid-Atlantic's Cartoon Johnny, Boston's Firedrill, Chicago's Fiveplay, NYC's Traces, Denver's Face, Pacific NW's Groove for Thought, LA's Undivided and SF's own Moodswing were those groups. 19 songs, including "Joy to the World" and Best Original Song, "Walk the Straighter Road" by Kevin Kunz of National Champions Groove For Thought, David Lichtman Best Original Arrangement winner "Paper Moon" by Greg Murai of Moodswing, ("Moanin'" by Moodswing is also happily included), 3rd Place finishers Fiveplay sing Stevie Wonder's "Superstitious/IWish" and "I Never Knew," and runner-up and Audience Favorite Face have 3 winners, "Pink Panther Theme," "Harder To Breathe" and "Safety Dance." But let us not forget hosts Chapter 6, whose "Ode to Krispy Kreme" and "Don't You Worry 'Bout A Thing" drew standing O's, Firedrill's Motown classic "Chain of Fools," Traces' "Mary Don't You Weep," Undivided's "What's Goin' On" and Cartoon Johnny's "Crazy Love." A savory sampler from a magic night in May in San Rafael, CA!

Listen to "Isn't She Lovely" in Real Audio.

It's the first weekend in May, and the sold-out audience at Marin Veterans Auditorium in San Rafael, CA is buzzing with anticipation of seeing the Harmony Sweepstakes Finals, possibly the best live show in a cappella! 8 Regional-winning groups are backstage, having beat out as many as 8 other groups for the privilege of singing their hearts out for the National Championship. "Finals" has 16 of the best tunes from that memorable night, including Bay Area winner Clockwork's jazzy "My Baby Just Cares For Me," and wonderful cover of Radiohead's "Creep," part of an excellent set that won them 3rd place, and the award for "Best Original Arrangement." We hear Mid-Atlantic-winning Regency's "Only You" and high-energy "Jump, Jive and Wail," part of a great set that won them 2nd place. LA barbershop quartet Hi Fidelity, in "Addams Family" costume, bring us the "Addams Family" theme and a key-bending, hilarious "Blackbird," they won both Audience Favorite and the National Championship. New York Quartet 'Round Midnight's "Take the A-Train" and "Tin Roof Blues," Chicago's Elmo Thumm's "Last Train to Clarksville" and "Shooting Star," Denver's Curious Gage's "Long Train Runnin'" and "Windmills" show us how good Hi-Fidelity had to be to win. Boston's Traces sing "As" and "Wonderful World," which won Best Original Song," and the Pacific NW's Tongue Tied A Cappella give us a dynamic cover of the Starship's "We Built This City." Exciting cuts from a magic May evening in San Rafael!

Listen to "Blackbird" in Real Audio.

On a perfect May Saturday night in San Rafael, CA, the sold-out audience witnessed another unbelievable evening of unaccompanied vocal harmony singing. Eight Regional winners were up on stage, singing their hearts out for the fans and the judges, with the National Championship on the line. The best 18 songs of the night, including from local favorites the folk/world female ensemble Solstice with "Wade in the Water" and the dynamic "Kappee." A pair of songs from Audience Favorites Denver's "Face," includes the gritty, powerful rocker "Home," that won them 2nd Place. Three tracks from the evening’s winners National Champs from Los Angeles, Moira Smiley & VOCO with the folk tune "Bring Me Little Water, Silvie," "Szerelem" and the lovely, moving "Stand in that River." Other favorites are New York's The Fault Line's "Some Kind of Wonderful;" the Pacific NW's V-Chords' "Don't You Worry 'Bout a Thing”, Boston's Men in Black's "Run Around" and Chicago's Nightwatch's very funny "Defying Gravity." And let us not forget host group 2006 Champions Hi-Fidelity (hey, that's 2 in a row for L.A.!), whose "Enterprise/Sulu Medley" reminds us how brilliant and funny they can be.

Listen to "Home" in Real Audio.

Hot off the presses from our own record label comes a great collection of some of the finest barbershop quartets aptly named "Barbershop's Best".This is the first recording to feature a wide selection of both champion male and female quartets and includes some of the finest groups to ever perform in the barbershop style. These studio tracks were in great part selected by the groups themselves and represents, in their opinion, some of their finest work. Featured are cuts from Platinum, Acoustix, Ambiance, Boston Common, Bluegrass Student Union, Panache, Fred and Rumors and more. 16 great tracks.

First CD by Swedish male sextet, Vocal Six, released in 1992. Though broadly classified as contemporary, in actuality their sound, and selection of material, leans heavily towards jazz. Compact close harmony, brilliant swipes and scat breaks characterize their style, as exemplified by "Music, Music, Music," "My Baby Just Cares For Me" and a deliciously understated arrangement of "I Left My Heart In San Francisco." A poignant, piano-accompanied "My Funny Valentine," wrings out every teardrop, as does the haunting Sting cover, "Sister Moon." Vocal Six plays the dance card with the "Bad/Thriller" medley and the group’s own "Barberhouse Acid Rap," where they loosen their collars and grunt, James Brown style.

This 1994 recording shows the Swedish sextet developing their own writing skills, and singing in Swedish on five tracks. Their sound is a forceful melding of both jazz and contemporary, with neither idiom gaining the upper hand. "Sensuella Isabella" features an explosive vocal guitar, while actual guitar guests, along with harmonica, on the ambling, roadhouse "Tomma Ramar Blues." "Bohemian Rhapsody," augmented by the "Bohemian Choir," duplicates the original vocal arrangement closely, and maintains the song's energy capably throughout, with plump, thickly-textured chordal backing. Close, vertical harmonies dominate "The Way You Look Tonight' and "Their Hearts Were Full Of Spring," allowing the tonalities to blossom with rich color.

Surprise National Champs of the 2008 Harmony Sweepstakes Finals, all-male German quintet Vocaldente, appearing last after very strong sets by the previous seven Regionals winners, quickly got the crowd laughing and on their feet applauding at the end. They easily won Audience Favorite, and it was no surprise when the judges awarded them first place. The title tune of this excellent CD, Cole Porter's "Let's Misbehave," was their opening number, is beautifully done here, as is Kenny Loggins' "Footloose," the group's encore performance. Other winning covers are Vanessa Carlton's "A Thousand Miles," George Michaels' "Faith," the Rat Pack favorite "Everybody Loves Somebody" (here mimicking Dean Martin's rendition of the song), Freddie Mercury's "Don't Stop Me Now," a silly faux-ukelele version of Dion's "The Wanderer," and a tongue-in-cheek spoof of Abba's deathless "Mama Mia." Vocaldente sings all these songs (with the exception of "3-Tage Bart," which is in German) in very good English, but their strength is in their innocent, non self-conscious humor, which is not at all harmed by their unexpected and charming German accents. The sweet, pure falsettos, faux horns, strings and other instruments, comic asides and samples (like one from Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" at the end of "Mama Mia") combined with their totally deadpan posing and pretending to play their faux instruments, are all, quite simply, hilarious. While we're laughing at this, we're noticing that their stuff is amazingly arranged (by group members Tobias and Oliver) and that they are top-drawer professional singers and vocal percussionists. From seeing them live, it's also clear that they are having big fun up there, and so are we. Two kinds of genius come together here, comic and musical, to award-winning effect!

Listen to "Mamma Mia" in Real Audio.

Arising from an artist-in-residency program under Grammy-nominee Phil Mattson, who recorded their debut CD with them, "Is God a Three-Letter Word for Love?," and now self-directed, "Distilled" is Vocalogy's 3rd excellent CD. "Distilled" is an all jazz-band accompanied collection of 13 jazz standards and originals, some favorites: Charles Mingus/Joni Mitchell's tongue-in-cheek "Dry Cleaner from Des Moines," smoky-jazz arrangements of Lennon/McCartney's "Oh Darlin'," and Leonard Bernstein's "Some Other Time," a latin treatment of "Just Friends," two Jimmy Van Heusen classics, "It Could Happen to You" and "I Thought About You," Rachmaninoff's "Piano Concerto #2" turned into a bluenote lament, a sassy, upbeat "Groove Merchant," a stark arrangement of Paul Simon's "Old Friends," and, despite our interest in the local Giants, David Frishberg's "Dodger Blue." As we've noticed in a number of cases, Phil Mattson's musical progeny are unfailingly outstanding, and vocally, all accompaniment aside, Vocalogy is right up there with the best in jazz!

Listen to "It Could Happen To You" in Real Audio.

Three men, three women sextet Vocation was formed in 1999 at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm, Sweden,and were helped by conductor Lone Larsen in shaping their unique sound. Reviewers have compared them to a heady list - the Real Group, Take 6, Manhattan Transfer and the New York Voices. Playing regularily on Swedish radio and TV, Vocation won "Choice of the Audience Award" at the International Vocal Group Fest in Tilburg, Holland in 2002. Eleven songs, a few accompanied by jazz band, eight in English: Duke Ellington's "It Don't Mean a Thing," "Without a Song," Johnny Mercer's "I Remember You" and "Come Rain or Come Shine," "Gee Baby ain't I Good to You?," plus the a cappella "Almost Like Being in Love," "Not Like This" and "Nature Boy." There's also three very nice pieces in Swedish, particularly "Nar Charlie ar fudd," with music by Hoagy Carmichael, we would guess that "Charlie" refers to jazz great Charlie Parker. The sound is bright and hot, the English flawless, and Vocation swims easily in the company of MT, NY Voices, Real Group and other big fishes in the vocal jazz school. A very impressive and enjoyable debut CD!

Listen to "Almost Like Being In Love" in Real Audio.

Derric Johnson is the director of the 'Voices Of Liberty,' the ten-voice ensemble that performs at Walt Disney World. This collection, featuring the Voices themselves, is as unabashedly and straightforwardly patriotic as it is possible to be, with songs such as 'This Land Is Your Land,' 'America, The Beautiful' and 'Battle Hymn Of The Republic' on the set list. The CD's opener, 'Golden Dream,' is the musical equivalent of a twelve-gun salute, if for nothing other than its finale, which climbs up the scale chromatically to dizzying heights. The challenging arrangements and the virtuosity of the performances - excellent across the board - are a complement to the sometimes grave lyrical content, which emphasizes all-American values with unmitigated confidence. Whatever one's opinions on that score, musically 'A Cappella Americana' is great.

'A Slice of A Cappella' is a patriotic classic, from 'Give Me Your Tired,' the timeless words from the Statue of Liberty, 'Yankee Doodle,' 'God Bless The USA,' and 'The Red, White and Blue' medley, to the 'Songs of the West' medley, 'Rockytop,' 'Kentucky Babe,' 'Back Home In Indiana' and 'Old Man River,' it's all-American great stuff! Derric Johnson's direction is once again flawless, and these 8 talented voices effortlessly nail every song. A celebration of our country and freedom–a real feel-good CD!

The 30 talented women of Vox Femina LA, directed by Dr. Iris S. Levine, went into the recording studio in July, 2002 to record repertoire from their first 5 seasons, showcasing two new commissions: "The Tolerance Project" and "Alarcon Madrigals, Book II." Founded in 1997, VFLA is a women's choral ensemble dedicated to the performance of quality choral literature with an emphasis on music by women composers. They are a family of diverse women who are lesbian, bisexual and heterosexual. This CD is in 3 parts, 8 songs from "Miniatures of Kin," 11 songs in "Alarcon Madrigals, Book II, and 3 from "The Tolerance Project," based on the poetry of LA high school students. All songs are lightly piano accompanied. Particularly nice are the opening cut, "The Gathering," the traditional "The Water is Wide," the Serbian folk tune "Niska Banja," "Wood River," "Both Page and Pen," "Another Language," "Totally Exposed," "Warrior," Holly Near's "Simply Love," "I Come From Good People," and "I Love A Rainbow." The extensive liner notes include all the touching, poignant and joyous lyrics. "Simply…" is a gift.

Listen to "Warrior" in Real Audio.

Maryland-based Wheelhouse are relatively new to the barbershop scene, forming in January of 2002, but all of the members have deep roots in barbershop, as well as a cappella in general— Bass Mike Kelly, for instance, sings with a cappella jazz quintet "High Five," and Tenor Brandon has another a cappella quartet, "Crossroads." That feeling, that ring, that magical place where 4 voices become one, and the intensity of sound becomes greater than the sum of its parts—that's what these guys love, and from this strong, confident debut CD, and from their 8th place finish in the 2004 International Finals, it's what's lifting them steadily to the ranks of SPEBSQSA's elite. 14 classics, "Anytime," "In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning," "There Goes My Heart," "How High the Moon," "All Alone," "The Old Folks at Home," "You're Nobody 'til Somebody Loves You" and "When I Leave the World Behind"—we've heard them all before, but never quite like this. In baseball, your "wheelhouse" means a pitch is right where you like it, where you can just nail it, like Wheelhouse nails these tunes. Watch out for these guys!

Listen to "A Wink and a Smile" in Real Audio.

The 14 Whiffenpoofs of 2004, all Senior men, present a strong collection of 20 tunes, including two live cuts: "Aj, Lucka, Lucka, Siroka," and their trademark "Whiffenpoofs Song." We really see and appreciate the group's harmonic power on the jazzy Count Basie tune "Little Pony," "Something Like The Blues," Bob Marley's "Waiting in Vain," "On Broadway," "14th Street," "Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most," "Midnight Train to Georgia," "Mad World," "Down By the Salley Gardens," Duke Ellington's "Cottontail," Yalie Cole Porter's "Too Darn Hot," and the WWII anthem "I'll Be Seeing You." "Subtly" proves that the oldest collegiate a cappella ensemble in the U.S. is also one of the best!

Ines, Nicole, Sylvia and Marina are members of the fast-rising new Austrian a cappella quartet WO'xang, and One is, appropriately enough, their first release. These talented, beautiful young women have a fresh, avant-garde sound with elements of Folk, Jazz, Pop, and Choral with many original arrangements, compositions and lyrics that catch and hold our attention. Favorites are "Sweet Temptation," with lyrics by Nicole added to a Venezuelan traditional melody (with some non-vocal percussion); "Sunday," "I don't know" and "Just for Yourself," with music and lyrics by Marina, the powerful "Black Dog" and "Tickles" by Nicole Weiser; and "Supervibe" with music and lyrics by Sylvia. Strong covers of Judie Tzuke's "For You," Tori Amos' "Leather," Joni Mitchell's "Shadows and Light" and George Michaels' "Father Figure" mesh perfectly with the original material. The final cut, "Kyrie," joins the music of Marina with Nicole's lyrics, and is guitar accompanied. All songs are in English. Beautiful voices that stand alone and harmonize effortlessly, wonderful, provocative lyrics—"One" impresses and moves us in so many ways—one of the best debut CDs of the year!

Listen to "Leather" in Real Audio.

Founder of legendary Boston-based Vocal Jazz group Vox One, Yumiko has always been one of our favorite vocalists and arrangers. She has two excellent collections of arrangements in the PAC catalog, "Collection Vol. 1" and "Collection Vol. 2." The Anthology "To Every Thing" is her first solo album, and it includes a piece Yumiko wrote for acoustic guitar for some friends' wedding, "Tsubasa," her arrangement of Billy Joel's "And So It Goes," performed by the Western Wind with Yumiko, and her marvelous arrangements of the English Traditional tunes "Scarborough Fair," "Black is the Color" and the title tune, performed by Boston Jazz Voices. The Western Wind also shines on Yumiko's arrangements of Lionel Bart's "Where Is Love" and Lennon/McCartney's "Eleanor Rigby." Yumiko's classically accompanied arrangement of Dylan's "Blowin' In The Wind," her lovely arrangement of Joanie Mitchell's "Both Sides Now," performed by Syncopation; and the Scottish Traditional "Skye Boat Song," performed by Yumiko with the women of the Cerddorion Vocal Ensemble, are all favorites. "To Every Thing" is a remarkable collection, highlighting the tremendous vocal, arranging and composing talents of Vocal Jazz master Yumiko!

Listen to "Where Is Love?" in Real Audio.