November 19, 2009

Alti & Bassi - Medley

Alti & Bassi are five debonair-looking, fun-and-Western-music-loving Italian men whose "Medley" is exactly that, a 32-song medley. Or more correctly, a medley comprised of seven medleys, beginning with 8 heavily-accented Disney chestnuts ("Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf," "Heigh Ho," Bibbidi Bobbity Bu" and others); a masterful 4-song Platters medley ("My Prayer," "Sixteen Tons," "Only You" and "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes"); a jazzy "West Side Story" medley ("Maria," "Tonight" and an apropos "America"); an "I Love America" Broadway medley ("Singin' In The Rain," "Cheek To Cheek," "Night and Day" and "New York, New York"); a seven song Beatles medley "A&B Road" ("Abbey Road," get it? It includes "Sgt. Pepper's," "If I Fell," "Norwegian Wood," "Help," "All You Need Is Love" and other favorites); a "Canto Libero" medley of Italian favorites ("Fiori Rosa Fiori Di Pesco," "Il Mio Canto Libero" and "Con Il Nastro Rosa") and finally the "A&B G's" medley (The Bee Gees of course, "(Saturday) Night Fever," "How Deep Is Your Love" and "Stayin' Alive"). These guys have loved and listened to a lot of records, cassette tapes and CDs to sound as much like these groups as they do. We love all this music, too, and Andrea, Alberto, Paolo, Diego and Filippo have the a cappella chops to do it justice. Listen to the yummy bass lead on "Sixteen Tons" (which we seem to remember as a Tennessee Ernie Ford hit, rather than the Platters, but no matter), and to the falsetto lead on "Saturday Night Fever"—these guys may come across as somewhat silly at times (we prefer "fun-loving") but they can really sing, and they give us a sweet taste of 32 wonderful songs here. Which we think you will enjoy, as we did! 5879 CD 15.95
Listen to "Bibbidi Bobbidi Bu

Posted by acapnews at 11:22 PM

November 11, 2009

Straight No Chaser - Christmas Cheers

Since their posting of a 10-year-old video in 2007 of a live cut of their version of the "12 Days of Christmas" on YouTube garnered over 10 million hits, these 10 male alums of Indiana University have gotten back together, recorded the best-selling "Holiday Spirit," and have been on one long reunion tour! "Christmas Cheers" is Christmas collection #2, and we have to say that the guys have not been sitting under the mistletoe, munching fruitcake. The arrangements on these 15 songs are sharp, innovative and funny, the leads and background harmonies recall groups like Rockapella, the Blenders and The House Jacks. Listen to the hilarious "Christmas Can-Can," the hot arrangement of "We Three Kings," the brilliant parody "Donde Esta Santa Claus," a wonderfully raucous Rockabilly "Hey, Santa," one of the sleaziest "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch" we've ever heard, a priceless overweight Elvis lead on "Santa Claus is Back in Town," a crazed "Jingle Bells," a drunken "Who Spiked the Eggnog" and finally hear the guys absolutely nail the song that caused all the gefuffle, "The 12 Days of Christmas." None of these songs is left alone, every one has unexpected surprises, samples, segueways, asides, faux horns and kazoos, you name it. It just goes to show--creativity, humor and great a cappella are stone winners now, and will be winners 10 years from now. "Cheers" to one of the best Christmas albums of the year! 2365 CD 16.95
Listen to "Hey Santa!

Posted by acapnews at 12:00 AM

November 10, 2009

Pust - Kry

"Pust" means breath in Norwegian. It also means to take a break, to breathe. Pust is Oslo-based, comprised of three men and three women singers with lots of vocal experience in various ensembles, who find their musical inspiration somewhere between Folk, Jazz and Ethnic vocal music. The 12 songs on "kry" include songs composed by members of the group, and all the lyrics are in Norwegian. Some favorites are "Lukk meg inn," the delicate "Innunder blae himmelrand," the spirited folk song "En reell halling," the gentle "Gate," the dramatic "Kolera-vise," the melodic "Farao pa ferie," the sweet "Trassvisa hennes Tora" and others. Beautiful sounds from Norway's best! 5874 CD 15.95
Listen to "Trassvisa hennes Tora

Posted by acapnews at 12:00 AM

November 6, 2009

Cosmos - Turbulence

Latvian vocal group Cosmos' debut album in 2003, the first year of their existence, went platinum after winning an award as the best pop album of the year. They have released three wonderful albums since then and are greatly loved by audiences in many countries for their distinctive a cappella style and charismatic concert performances. There are 10 cuts here, all but two, "destination: heaven" and the bonus track "unintended," are in Latvian ("aptieka," "maskava," "parasta/neparasta diena," "vindo," "tu ka, es ka," trejdevini slepens," "vienreiz" and "pasaules galins"), but you really need to buy and listen to "Turbulence" to truly appreciate the creative power of the human voice, specifically the voices of these six young men. We don't understand most of the words, but their bright, delicious collection of flawless falsetto leads, faux horns, vocal percussion, chocolaty harmonies and sounds-that-couldn't-be-all-made-by-the-human-voice, but are; have filled our headphones and made us shake our heads with wonder. To hear "Turbulence" is to become a fan. Beautiful, colorful liner notes in Latvian tell us nothing and everything—the essence of great art. Exciting, manic, humorous, surprising, unbelievable, Queen-like—all these are decent attempts to describe Cosmos. But the fact is you should simply buy "Turbulence," put on some good headphones and savor it, then thank us. You will be very welcome!". 5872 CD 15.95
Listen to "Tu Ka, Es Ka

Posted by acapnews at 12:00 AM

November 5, 2009

Fork - Helsinki

Two men and two women, 3 actors and a policeman from Finland, first got together in 1996, lacking the instrumental talent to form a rock band, but discovered that they were all powerful singers. Since then they have been doing their own arrangements of rock and pop songs, performing live like rock divas (complete with their own alter egos) and creating an a cappella "wall of sound" with rock solid vocal percussion and background vocals that blows the minds of audiences and reviewers like ourselves alike! There are 13 dynamic cuts here, some re-covers of cuts they performed on "Cover To Cover," their debut album: the rock/pop medley "Can't A Loop," "You Oughta Know," the rhythmic gem "Kids," the manic "Smooth Criminal" and very fine "Beautiful Day." Other favorites are the driving rock anthem "Taiva Lyo Tulta/Over The Hills," "My Sin," the lovely "Circle Round the Sun," the haunting "Try To Forget Me" and the dreamlike "Common State of Mind." We love that Fork has turned themselves into rock stars with names like Chiq LaDesire and Winston Chill, we love that they can blow away a stadium with just their voices, and we love "Helsinki," an unbelievably entertaining collection of their best stuff. Enough said! 5870 CD 15.95
Listen to "My Sin

Posted by acapnews at 11:55 PM