"Cecilia" - This playful Simon and Garfunkle standard is perfect for a cappella with the tenors sharing the original's harmony. Bass and bari weave counter melodies and driving background parts built entirely around the lyrics. No vocal percussion necessary - lots of rhythmic intensity built into the background parts. One of the most popular and requested male arrangements originally sung by the Beelzebubs of Tufts University. "I Can't Tell You Why" - A lush, delicately textured rendering of the Eagles classic. A high tenor solo floats above a sextet of light overlapping lines and a rich bass line, forming a warm bed of sound not unlike a synthesizer or string section. Perfect for a talented octet, or a male chorus. "I Only Have Eyes for You" - This 60's classic made famous by the Flamingos, and then later recorded by Art Garfunkle, is one of the best loved doo-wop tunes of all time. This version maintains the doo-wop styling during the verse and shifts into a rich, close harmony ballad in the chorus. "Rock The Boat" - One of the most infectiously catchy pop/R & B songs to come out of the 70's (made popular by "The Hues Corporation"), this arrangement will make your singers want to get up and dance. Very melodic background lines, plenty of syncopation. Vocal percussion optional.

Songlist: Cecilia, I Can't Tell You Why, I Only Have Eyes for You, Rock The Boat

The nine-strong, mixed-voice American River College Vocal Jazz Ensemble, under the able direction (and production) of Dr. Art LaPierre, brings us the kind of Jazz album that won the group multiple Downbeat magazine awards, including Best Jazz Vocal Group in 2003 and 2004, and solo Collegiate Female Jazz Vocalist awards for two members. Accompanied on most songs by piano, drums & percussion, bass, tenor sax and trumpet, the ARCVJE cooks throughout "Milestones," which refers to the winning new direction the American River College Vocal Jazz Program had taken 7 years before, under Dr. LaPierre. Our favorites among these 10 tunes are Paquito D'Rivera's "Snow Samba," a bluesy a cappella take on Richard Rodgers' "My Romance," Antonio Carlos Jobim's "Desafinado," Earle Hagen's noir, downbeat "Harlem Nocturne," Harry Edison's upbeat "Centerpiece" and Duke Ellington's hip, hot "Bli Blip." Great stuff, and especially amazing because these are all college students!

Songlist: Snow Samba, Walk Between Raindrops, Desafinado, My Romance, Milestones, Harlem Nocturne, Centerpiece, Bli Blip, Cecilia, Virou Areia

Paul Simon is certainly one of America's finest contemporary songwriters and his songs with Art Garfunkel are pop classics. This recording is a wonderful choral setting of some of the best of these songs as performed by this top-notch vocal ensemble.

Songlist: The Sound Of Silence, Scarborough Fair Part 1, Scarborough Fair Part 2, The Boxer, Bridge Over Troubled Water, Mrs. Robinson, April Come She Will, (What A) Wonderful World, Bright Eyes, El Condor Pasa, Still Crazy After All These Years, Cecilia, Crying In The Rain, Feelin' Groovy (The 59th Street Bridge Song)

1987 International Champions, the Rivals placed sixth in 1984, third in '85, and moved to second before topping the charts, so to speak. That they were the second youngest quartet ever to win the championship would seem to imply a lack of experience, but when they won they had 45 years barbershop singing among the four. Each of the Interstate Rivals went on to win another quartet championship, Joe Connelly with Keepsake in l992, Kip Buckner with the Gas House Gang in 1993, while Jay Hawkins and Paul Gilman were half of the 1995 Champions, Marquis. What a history! In their selection of a dozen songs they stick to beautiful barbershop singing only hamming it up a bit on "Cecilia."

Songlist: We'll SIng All We Know Tonight, Mammy O'Mine, The Little Boy, My Baby Just Cares For Me, You Keep Coming Back Like a Song, Applause, Applause, Mistakes, Strike Up the Band, Cecilia, The Little White Cloud That Cried, Baby Medley, What a Wonderful World

In the 1940s, in comparison to the rest of the world, Americans had it all-nylons, chewing gum and harmony groups like the Merry Macs, Modernaires and the Pied Pipers. Originally an octet when first hired by Tommy Dorsey, they were fired when his sponsors disapproved of "Hold Tight-Want Some Sea Food Mama" as unsuitable broadcast material (this is the first we've ever heard of this-possibly it had a hidden sexual connotation?). In any case, they reduced to a quartet and were on the verge of disbanding when they were hired back by Dorsey to join his new solo vocalist Frank Sinatra. With Sinatra the Pipers recorded quite a few hits including "I'll Never Smile Again," which was the very first #1 record on Billboard's Best Selling record chart, which began in 1940. The group's Jo Stafford also had solo hits, including "Yes Indeed." After an argument with Dorsey the group left for Hollywood and signed to newly-formed Capital Records. "Deacon Jones/Pistol Packin' Mama" was the first of a string of hits on their own and with Johnny Mercer and other solo artists, including "Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate The Positive," "Personality," "Winter Wonderland," "The Trolley Song," "In The Moon Mist," "My Happiness" and "Dream." All songs are Swing-band accompanied. This is one of those 2-CD, 50-song collections we love so well because they are such a bargain and have so much great music. The Pipers were one of the most popular harmony groups of the Swing Era, and this is their "greatest hits" collection. What a treat from one of our favorite eras in American music!

Songlist: Pistol Packin' Mama, Doin' What Comes Natur'lly, Dream, In The Middle Of May, Girl of My Dreams, Cecilia, Watcha Know Joe?, You've Got Me This Way, What A Deal, There's Good Blues Tonight, Mairzy Doats, My Happiness, My! My!, The Freedom Train, Sweet Potatoe Piper, Old Man River, On the Sunny Side of the Street, Nine Old Men, You And Your Love, You Won't Be Satisfied, I Love It So, I've Got the Sun In the Morning, It's Only A Paper Moon, Linger In My Arms, I'll Buy That Dream, Easy Street, Gotta Be This Or That, Jamboree Jones, Isn't That Just Like Love, Embraceable You, and more

Tonic Sol-fa : By Request   

One of our favorite Contemporary groups, Greg, Shaun, Mark and Jared have been coming up with great CDs since 1996's "Left Turns"-particularly fine are 1997's Christmas album, "Carol," 2001's "Style," 2002's "Sugarue" and 2003's "Red Vinyl." We look at "By Request" as yet another showpiece of why Tonic is one of the most dynamic a cappella groups in the world, and why they need to be recognized as major stars! The 10-song songlist in the liner notes is presented as a Top 40 Radio Requests list, with five new songs, "Chances," Chips' "At The Dark End of the Street," "Until Forever's Gone," Josh Turner's "Long Black Train," and Willie Dixon's smoking "29 Ways to My Baby's Door." The guys simply nail "29," one of the best songs we've heard this year. The other five, Simon & Garfunkle's "Cecelia," Van Morrison's "Brown Eyed Girl," the manic country hit "Sold," Marty Robbins' western classic "El Paso," and "Scooby Doo, Where Are You?" have appeared on other CDs, but they are well-chosen hits, surely some of group's best stuff. Top-drawer arrangements, and a depth of sound amazing for a quartet-"By Request" is another impressive winner for Tonic Sol-Fa!

Songlist: 29 Ways to My Baby's Door, Cecilia, Brown Eyed Girl, Chances, At the Dark End of the Street, Sold (The Grundy County Auction Incident), El Paso, Until Forever's Gone, Scooby Doo, Where Are You? (remix), Long Black Train