This highly-awaited release captures the Artistic License joy we've all seen in their live shows and lets you bring it home with you. This rising quartet has one of the most listenable sounds around and their attention to music detail is refreshing. It features lots of fresh arrangements by some of the very best young arrangers in the Society and the foursome treats each song like it's a gem. One of the neat things about this album is that each song is unique - it's not more and more of the same. Songs that stand out include: Sixteen Tons, where bass Jason Dyer lays down the law; Let's Just Stay In, a newish jazz tune that just says "comfortable love" all over it, I Can Only Imagine, where tenor Todd Kidder raises the (very high) roof; Everybody Wants to be a Cat, where the quartet combines Disney and barbershop and somehow turns it into an outrageous, swingin' party; and the closing Parting Glass, a traditional Irish tune that gets a lovely and thoughtful treatment. This is a very engaging group and this CD is a great addition to any a cappella lover's collection. |
