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I've been a big fan of A Cappella for some time, so coming across clips of Straight No Chaser on YouTube last year was a delight. Fast forward to November, and finding a promotional trailer for their first official CD. Their first endeavor -- quite wisely chosen -- timeless holiday classics! Not one lacklustre track on THIS disc! The 10 men from Indiana U master sharp, refreshing takes of the traditional ("Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" melting into "Angels We Have Heard On High") to '60s faves (Beach Boys' "Little Saint Nick" and Darlene Love's "Christmas-Baby Please Come Home") to the whimsical ("Santa Claus is Coming To Town" and their original distracted version of "The 12 Days of Christmas"). There's no orchestral back-up. This is purely 10 strong, gifted voices aside from - gasp! -- bells or a tambourine on a couple of tracks. Now this is talent! So, whether you like or love the bare essence of A Cappella...or maybe you'd just like a break from some of the over-processed Top 40 Technopop...I strongly recommend this innovative, original disc. Perfect music to unwind by Christmas Eve or Christmas Day!Read full review
Saw them on CNN and thought they sounded good, so I got the CD. What a pleasant surprise. The spot on CNN didn't do them justice. They have a wonderful smooth harmony on the traditional carols and some very innovative arrangements on a couple of chestnuts, including "The 12 Days of Christmas." These are 10 amateur singers with first-rate voices who have done their own arrangements and have created a very professional sound. I highly recommend this album to everyone who remembers the good old days when groups had to be able to sing and harmonize before they could get a recording contract. There are no instrumentals on the album: "a capella" means "without accompaniment." The singers create their own bass line and vocalized instrumentals. Very impressive. Loved it. They also do a terrific imitation of the Beach Boys, only better, on "Little St. Nick." If they come to my area (Gulf Coast) to one of the casinos, I'll definitely want to see them live.Read full review
Heard them years ago on a television show called 'Chicago Tonight' here in Chicagoland. Was so impressed that ten young men could sing so beautifully and perform together over a long period of time. The performance included the '12 Days of Christmas Song' which was wonderful! Wrote down their names, printed off all their website information and sat on it for a while. Just heard and saw their NYC Concert and decided to order a CD for my Mom and fior me...listened to it in the car through New Year's Day and a bit beyond....Wish they would do a standard album for all year round...they have an overall feeling for the music they choose and the arrangements are mostly really engaging....
I have been a huge fan of college acapella for years. I saw the YOUTUBE video of "12 Days of Christmas" last year with 8 million other people. The video became an instant classic and I knew I had to own the CD when I saw it released this year. The group has returned with all of the original members from 12 years ago and do an outstanding job on their versions of several classic favorites. My favorites are "This Christmas", "Indiana Christmas" and "Christmas Wish." I recommend this album to any person who is a fan of acapella music and Christmas music in general. Great addition to any collection.
The CD is worth it even if just for their take on the Twelve Days of Christmas!
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