Coming to Terms is an absolutely brilliant, emotional showcase of music. If you leave RARB now to go listen top to bottom, that's just fine with me.

Don't come back for a while, because I have an assignment for you. Go back and listen to TAG's 2012 release Tag This, because it's a convenient ten-year timespan between that album and Coming to Terms. We don't need you back yet, because I also want you to listen to 2015's Bright (group trivia: the couple on the cover of Bright is the same couple on Coming to Terms, but all grown up now). So, do you hear it, too? Do you hear a perfectly documented history of high school a cappella, from the bubblegum pop years with easy arrangements and light production, to a full-on glamorous, sophisticated experience that's harder to execute than any teenager should be able to accomplish? Because that's what I'm hearing. And I'm so happy that TAG ended up historians for our genre.

Are you back now? Coming to Terms starts with a strut-across-the-stage vocal jazz piece before making a sharp transition into some pretty heavy and complex fare. Hallelujah begins as an intimate, vulnerable conversation before boldly showcasing its empowering message. It's catchy and impossible not to sing along with. Also, the song showcases another area of this album that's also leveled-up in complexity from the past: the lyrics. Hallelujah opens with a captivating "I heard it on the radio, on my way back home, that I'm gonna be someone." Following these words comes the album's absolute triumph, Sword of Damocles. The first words here are "I waste my words on someone who doesn't care", sung by songwriter-poet Keeley Sawyer who floats in from a world we don't see much of from high school singers. And this is the first of three originals here; Sword of Damocles follows up with an original from Kristen Noble, which is definitely not simple in its concept of two loves overlapping. I'm telling you, what was impossible ten years ago has been easily done on Coming to Terms

Back to some strong vocal jazz for the mid-album numbers with I'm Fine (spoiler: the lead's character is not fine), with a very strong showing from Abby Corcoran. And then there's Brighter, whose soloist Makayla Sawyer takes a lot of liberties with her melody and style, and it just burns the page with skill and grace. Fancy, fancy, fancy.

There's still a lot to go, buckle in. Till Forever Falls Apart: I've never heard the source song, and I didn't see this duet coming. This is a relationship song that unfolds like a play on stage. I absolutely love it, especially: "If the tide takes California, I'm so glad I got to know you." And good luck with your emotions on Under Our Bridge, an original song by TAG singers Jairelys Fuentes & Prabh Saini, who both solo on it while Saini also handles the vp and the arrangement! This album just ticks off every box for a cappella fans. Again, TAG walks up to complicated feelings with Bad Friend, a self-reflective piece about falling short. If you think too long about the artists — teenagers coming out the other side of a pandemic — it really stings in ways that are hard to mitigate, and I'm proud of the growth TAG exhibits here.

The last two pieces, in an otherwise stellar album, perhaps could have used more thought. The relentless pounding of Treat People With Kindness doesn't sit quite right after the nuances of everything coming before. And I'm still not a huge fan of a bookend reprise/tag in a digital landscape. If it feels right and complete to the group to end this way, you do you, but we're here for your stunning innovation.

I'd be remiss to not state very specifically that these arrangements are so dense and lush that you'll need many listens to hear and revel in everything, courtesy of primary group arranger Tom Anderson. Liquid 5th offers some of its finest work yet with the production, and group director Gary Stroh continues to offer his students a world-class music experience. Coming to Terms, in its grand collaboration of ideas, features some of the best a cappella you'll hear this year.

When I reviewed TAG's last album, Six Feet Apart, in late 2020, I noted that over half of the group's roster in the 2019-20 school year was seniors. Coming to Terms was recorded in June 2021, and the turnover in the group has made an impact on TAG's overall sound: this album just isn't quite as polished, cohesive, and compelling as the group's other recent releases.

Don't get me wrong: this album is still very, very good. Listeners will find some of TAG's greatest strengths here. There are three original songs on Coming to Terms; my favorite of the three is Sword of Damocles. Soloist and songwriter Keeley Sawyer's voice floats effortlessly over the group, and every run and note is just spot-on. Tom Anderson's arrangement sounds great here (Anderson arranged most of this album, and that cohesiveness certainly shows). Kristen Noble's Simple Math is also great, especially the second half.

The arrangement and delivery of Treat People With Kindness is absolutely perfect; it's probably my favorite non-original song on the album. Colin Smith sounds great on the solo, and there's just so much energy and momentum here. The arrangement is interesting throughout, and the group sounds as though it's having so much fun singing it.

But despite the obvious talent in the group, there are just some moments on Coming to Terms that fall a bit flat. There's a stark difference between the verses and choruses on Hallelujah (not that Hallelujah; this one is originally performed by Oh Wonder): the choruses are excellent, booming, and complex, while the verses just seem simplistic and thin. That contrast weakens the song, making the group seem timid in the verses and confident during the choruses. Bad Friend has some long, sustained notes that drag down the energy of the song, while Till Forever Falls Apart just feels very chord-chord-chord: the harmonies between the two soloists are lovely, but that only goes so far against backs that seem oversimplified.

For the most part, Coming to Terms is a lovely listen in the moment: these singers are talented, the soloists sound great, and the songs are really pleasant. It may not be quite as powerful as some of the group's previous releases, but it's still an enjoyable, strong album.

One of my favorite things about contemporary a cappella is hearing a group's identity. Over the past decade or so, there has been this huge revelation of how groups express themselves. Groups have embraced dark and edgy sounds, complex jazz, highly theatrical, or even embraced technology to sound exceptionally digital. The A Cappella Group (TAG) is one of these groups that has really worked to establish its own sound. These high schoolers have embraced a personality that is rhythmically intriguing but sonically accessible. Their sound is incredibly polished while accessible to all listeners, and a welcome addition to any a cappella collection.

The first piece of the album sets the tone for the album perfectly. The Other Side is an explosion of infectious fun. Tom Anderson's arrangement does a really good job of having rhythms that are earworms in their own right, but fitting phenomenally inside a larger tapestry. Soloists Jairelys Fuentes, Ricky Bocanegra, and Amanda Johnson do a really good job of working together while all having their own individual voices throughout the track. The group identity is absolutely oozing from the speakers from the first second and it's a perfect way to prepare the listener for what's to come.

Once we get near the end of the album, we get to my favorite track of the album, Under Our Bridge. While much of the album is very rhythmic, this track feels more centered around colorful chords and gorgeous solos. The album liner explains this discrepancy perfectly, as it's the only track that's arranged by a different person. However, what's more important is that this track is written and arranged by members of this group. Jairelys Fuentes and Prabh Saini wrote the words, Saini penned the arrangement, and then the writers took the lead and sang the duet. There is something special about this song. It's so easy to tell that this song means so much to these kids, as the energy and passion is plain as day in this piece. You could have told me that seasoned professional a cappella vocalists wrote and performed this piece and I would have believed you. The fact that this is the product of high school students is amazing, and I can't wait to see where they go in the future as musicians.

If there's one flaw with this album, it's just how discrepant and underperforming the last two tracks feel relative to all others. Treat People With Kindness feels very reminiscent of fun pop pieces of the 1980s. The music is bouncy, but lacks many of the colorful chords and multi-rhythm interactions that much of the album has before it. The Other Side TAG is a reprise of the opening number of the album, but doesn't do anything special to establish itself as a standalone track, much less be the last piece. There are no sour moments, but these numbers feel so overshadowed by the other songs to the point that it is noticeable by the listener.

Coming to Terms perfectly encapsulates why I love the high school a cappella scene. Teenage musicians are using their scholastic years to grow both musically and emotionally. There may be a few missteps, but the emotions are palpable and you can hear students develop not only their abilities, but their appreciation for music as a whole. The result is a product that is musically and emotionally complex, and an excellent album. Give it a listen.