1997 Harmony Sweeps Winners, and one of our favorite soulful Aftro-Latin World/Jazz groups, Oakland-based SoVoSo celebrates the December, 2004 addition of a fifth member, veteran Bay Area vocalist Zoe Ellis, with their new CD, "Crack the Nut!" The innovative mixed-voice group, which cut their a cappella teeth performing with Bobby McFerrin, follows the Swingles off in an exciting new direction here, performing some of the best works of Tchaikovsky's beloved Nutcracker Suite. But where Ward Swingle's focus was generally replacing instruments with voices on classical music, SoVoSo employs the considerable arranging talents of David Worm, Bryan Dyer, Sunshine Becker and Joey Blake, and some surprising vocal percussion and faux electric guitar riffs to transform these songs into something quite their own. 9 songs: the moody "Reed Pipes" (which segues into an African chant), "Skaters and Jugglers" (which becomes a surreal reggae piece), "Spanish Dance" and "Mother Gigogne" (bright, folkish waltzes), "Russian Dance" (a very Swinglish cover), "Arabian Dance" (which becomes a rock anthem with screaming "guitars"), "Waltz of the Flowers" (a jazzy, scattish romp), "Sugar Plum Fairy" (with a Led Zeppelin flavor and a "Hernando's Hideaway" sample), finishing with the lovely ethereal, breezy "Finale Waltz." In our opinion, "Crack the Nut!" is on track to win SoVoSo another CARA award, and to create many more fans for this exceptionally talented group!