In Celebration of the Human Voice - The Essential Musical Instrument
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"Contemporary" is an a cappella umbrella term that loosely translates into "a dash of this, a pinch of that, a smidgen of this, a taste of that, throw it all into the blender and out comes groups that usually at home in any musical style, and sound terrific doing it." It doesn’t matter if it's men’s, women's or mixed groups you're looking for, arrangements or songbooks, DVDs or even just sitting back and watching our Video channel, we've got everything the contemporary a cappella fan and performer wants, and to make your search just that little bit easier for you, we've gathered it all together right here. Talk about door-to-door service!
A cappella has been enjoying great popular interest in recent years which in turn has help create a new genre of vocal music known as contemporary a cappella. Modern pop songs are given a new twist with unaccompanied arrangements that can often sound like the band with vocal instrumentation and vocal percussion adding a full sound. Fun for younger performers and audiences alike.
The "contemporary" umbrella is a wide one, encompassing Rock, Pop, R&B, Soul, plus those styles that simply defy description. Most a cappella fans, when they think of contemporary a cappella, think of men's groups. Well, those fans might well be wrong, because there are some kickin' women's groups out there that have to be heard to be believed! Singing both covers and originals, these women from around the world know how to rock out, deliver sultry tones, and generally put on an auditory show that is most definitely worth the listen.
Rockin', rollin', soulful and sounding terrific; take a little pop, color it with doo-wop, add a jazzy taste, throw in rock, some R&B, maybe a little rap or country - we've got contemporary a cappella by some of the finest men's groups on the planet. Some of the amazing albums listed below have radio-ready work that will fool even the most discerning ear into asking "that's a cappella?!" Others have a more traditional, organic sound. Some have original work, others the covers we all know & love. But they have a few things in common - great voices, great arrangements, and a fun, appealing sound. This is the sound that drew so many of us into a cappella fandom in the first place!
Men's groups have their advantages. Women's groups have theirs, too. But the great thing about mixed groups is that they combine the best of both words, and have their own unique beauty. Rocking, jazzy, soulful, they've got it all, and like most contemporary groups, they cross genres, dabbling, exploring and offering multiple sounds and styles in each fun package. This is your opportunity to hear some of the most innovative and exciting versions of favorites, and charming and appealing originals. Don't miss this chance!
Many a cappella groups are noted for their live performance and an evening at an a cappella concert is most often very entertaining. These DVDs of popular contemporary a cappella groups are sure to please and entertain you for years to come.
Click, sit back and enjoy the video stream featuring the latest and greatest videos from top contemporary a cappella artists from around the world. We are always adding new releases to the Contemporary A Cappella Channel.
Are you one of those people who get a kick out of it when someone blows stereotypes all out of the water? Good. So are we. And that’s why we get such a thrill out of our women’s contemporary groups – they challenge the stereotypes and throw them out on their ear, proving you don’t need a Y chromosome to rock the house and deliver a ballad with a punch. Heck, you don’t even need one for a floor-clearing bass line! Contemporary women’s groups are holding their own with the men’s groups out there – if you don’t believe us, take a listen!
“Contemporary” a cappella is a broad term, and some contemporary groups are like a good recipe – a pinch of this (rock), a dash of that (pop), just a little shake of that (doo-wop), a teaspoon of this (R&B), a dollop of something spicy (jazz), mix it up in the blender for three minutes, and voila – a contemporary a cappella group! Whether your taste is a little more old-fashioned, four voices alone singing old favorites, or you like the hard-hitting, radio-ready sound of a vocal band doing original tunes, we’ve got the men’s groups doing that work, and particularly, men's groups doing that work well.
We’ve said it before, we’ll say it again – mixed groups have all the advantages, and really are the best of both worlds. They can have a sound that hits the stratosphere and the basement all at once, and their blend conveys that little tingle to the listener that a single-gender group just can’t give. If you like the contemporary sound, and enjoy either male or female groups, we dare you to give our mixed groups a listen – you’ll find something (or quite a few somethings) to write home about, we promise!
While we love the traditions and history of a cappella music we especially enjoy the new explorations of vocal harmony that is exemplified by these talented arrangers of what is called contemporary a cappella. Modern songs arranged for harmony voices.
Having a recording of an arrangement is a very valuable tool for choirs and groups to hear exactly the song they are learning. A Showtrax CD includes a full performance of the published voicings plus an accompaniment only backing track.
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