I wanted to review GOLA because of the track list; knowing the Crosbys have a reputation for all-out wailing really sealed the deal.

I can't help comparing GOLA to the last submission we received from the Crosbys, 2016's A Cosmic Voyage, where I stated, "The Crosbys definitely have their wheelhouse." Fans will notice a lot of similarities: track selection (the classic rock songs are still the best songs); perhaps an overuse of comedy bits (perhaps); and the production soundscape and overall feel. This is quite nearly a Part II of 2016's release, and I'm here for it because collegiate a cappella is supposed to be fun and weird, and that's just who the Crosbys are.

"My recommendation: buy the fast and wild first two tracks and go nuts with joy." That's another bit of my 2016 review, and still spot-on here. Panama starts GOLA like a SpaceX rocket: boom-pow into the sky, with unmeasurable energy throttling the whole project up and away. If there's a hashtag, it's #stacattofever. The only thing better on GOLA is track two, Come Together. Goosebumps when the lead drops, and the gritty feel is electrifying. And that guitar bridge — get out of here, too perfect. The Crosbys bring these first two tracks so hard you'll need a recovery nap.

The rest of the release has its moments, but also a few lulls. Do You Wanna Do Nothing with Me? has a much lighter delivery approach, almost bubble gum pop. Lover, Please Stay falls into a similar category; I get that it's a tender piece with vulnerability, but the backs feel a little loud and full for the intention. I do like the high impact transition around 2:20, though. The Crosbys certainly can handle a simpler vibe with authenticity, as demonstrated by Rich Girl. This approach is a street corner hand-snapper, and it's really lovely. But oh, when they highlight moods and personalities! How about Scream (Funk My Life Up)? I'll tell you about it: the bass's role and presence in this song is everything. And the group's personality and punch is on full display for I Wish — we're right back to #staccatofever! still feel. sounds different from other collegiate renditions, and I appreciate that — there's more texture here, and it works out pretty well. Writing's On The Wall is hauntingly gorgeous; I think the Crosbys could have jacked it up to more boom-pow, but you'll like it. Lovely Day is a more ambitious closer than first appearances: it has more sections and note work and overall length to dress up, and the Crosbys are audibly enjoying themselves. So this just leaves us with the mid-album interlude, Safe Travels, a 35-second inside joke between two group members. I can't love it as a music critic, but as previously stated, college is weird and fun and I understand.

I like the Crosbys because they always give you a good time without any reservations. See how GOLA works for you.

When the Crosbys last submitted a review back in 2016, I was critical of the "goofiness" across the album like nonsense lyrics, seeing that as a sign that they weren't taking recording an album as seriously as maybe I would have. Looking back on that, it was a bit harsh on my part, as it's clear that this goofiness is what makes the Crosbys who they are, and I should be applauding instead. What is undeniable, on display both on A Cosmic Voyage and GOLA, is that these guys can flat out sing. Whether it's Sam Smith or Van Halen, the Crosbys do not hold back in delivering a well-executed performance.

Yes, you read that right: Van Halen. Like the previous release, GOLA has a great balance of covering the classics, such as Hall & Oates's Rich Girl and Stevie Wonder's I Wish, along with more current indie tracks like Paolo Nutini's Scream. But it's the aforementioned Van Halen that kicks off the album, with the boys absolutely crushing Panama from the opening chord. The balance between the solo and backgrounds is spot on, and it's absolutely impossible to sit still. I'm also a huge fan of Scream (Funk My Life Up), which I had never heard before and took a listen to the original right after listening to the Crosbys' cover. While Nutini's version is much more of an upbeat funk feel (as the title of the track may indicate — think recent Bruno Mars), that's not what the Crosbys do; they slow the tempo down just enough to more of a soul/jazz feel that you start snapping along to. It's incredibly smooth, and the playing of dynamics is very well done across the track — again showing the incredible skill that everyone in the group has. The boys also do Stevie justice with a great rendition of I Wish, and it's here the Crosbys show off a bit of their lighter side, adding some fun lyrics within the walking bass line and other backgrounds. It's hard to pick out exactly what they are singing over the solo, but at the end of the day GOLA is their album, and the references are more for them than anyone else.

That said, take the high energy away, and the quality tapers off a touch. Sam Smith's Writing's On The Wall is one of the few ballads on the album, and I just don't get the same impact on this track as the uptempo numbers. It's not that there are any wrong notes, or anything's out of tune; it's just that the energy drops off in the backs to where it feels like they are singing the notes off the sheet music. That's something the Crosbys will need to work on moving forward. It's easy to get into the music and have that come through to the audience on an uptempo rock song; it's much harder and requires more focus when conveying that same kind of emotion on a slower number, and I have the confidence that the guys will get there.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to return to Panama.

Maintaining musical momentum over the course of a project is one of the greatest challenges that causes an a cappella group to struggle. The X factor most commonly missing is consistent energy and intensity. GOLA, on the other hand, elicits the opposite assessment: The Binghamton Crosbys bring an amazing level of fun and excitement with their voices. It's the lack of fine detail work that builds up and tears at this otherwise amazing foundation.

Panama is an absolutely perfect opener for this album because of its pure reliance on this high-octane energy. Ripping choruses, percussive singing at every turn, and a mixing choice to electrify the group's voices all make sense with a solo that makes you just wanna exclaim, "Hell yeah!" the whole time.

Over time, however, the initial shock factor of this energy starts to die down. With an opener like Panama, the group needs to demonstrate that they can control the energy by the second or third song, but that never really happens. So while Panama sounds exciting, Come Together sounds exciting and maybe a bit too loud. Do You Wanna Do Nothing with Me? then sounds loud but not as exciting.

It's at this point where the flaws in the detail work start tearing at the fabric of the project as well. Do You Wanna Do Nothing with Me? has some balance issues in the background vocals where the wrong harmonies are overpowering the group's sound in various spots. The group then sings, "Time for jazz!", but the following clunky (and honestly, not that jazzy) instrumental isn't enough to salvage that too-on-the-nose prep line. This could maybe be excused if it were just a one-time issue, but then it happens again in the same song! Thankfully, the charming and flirtatious solo still makes the song quite enjoyable despite these missteps.

This pattern of loudness with mounting flaws in the details continues. Scream (Funk My Life Up) has a solid core sound but mostly stays the same for its full duration after the first minute. Rich Girl is a hair too aggressive-sounding in the background vocals, and the All Star insert feels awkward — as if it was designed to create new interest but mostly comes across as cheesy. Lover, Please Stay is a great song choice for GOLA but ultimately, by being too loud too often, doesn't have enough of a delicate touch to create the vulnerability needed for its lyric.

I Wish highlights the Crosbys' strengths almost as well as Panama, but at this point in the album it isn't what is needed to regain a sense of momentum or arc. That being said, it's still a great track and one of my other favorites on the album. Interlude: Safe Travels is just awkward. I respect the hell out of groups willing to have fun with spoken interlude sketches on an a cappella album, but they need to be accessible or make sense in the context of someone not in the group itself. I'm sure this sketch was amusing to those writing it, but as an outside listener I'm simply left out. Back to the musical tracks, still feel. is inconsistent — once again, the track should have a lot of energy, but instead at this point it just comes across as loud. This is accented by the peculiar harmonic changes made to the bridges and choruses (especially in the basses) that make them sound far less grounded and way more messy than the original song.

The final two tracks are exact opposites in what they're doing wrong. On one hand, Sam Smith's Writing's On The Wall is fundamentally a questionable song choice — the original song is plagued with repetitiveness and constantly halted momentum that loses my interest after the first verse and chorus. The Crosbys don't fix this issue in their cover, and so instead the track serves as a microcosm of the album's greater problems. That being said, the Crosbys do sing the quiet and gentler parts of the song with a lot of finesse, and that makes me still enjoy the track overall. Lovely Day, on the other hand, is such a perfect song choice to close GOLA. It's got an optimistic closing vibe that matches the Crosbys' fun factor, background vocals that do actually dial down the loudness factor for the most part and create a gentle warming aura, and even a small spoken word interlude that's executed extremely well. This all falls apart, however, with the poorly balanced choruses. I'm unsure if it's a production or arrangement issue, but whereas the original Bill Withers classic gracefully navigates minor-major modal mixture to create a complex but uplifting sound, this version's choruses sound cluttered and grating. It's a subtle layer that unfortunately undoes so much of the good on this track.

Contrast is arguably the fundamental building block of all musicality. Most detail work musicians practice — rhythmic accent, texture, color, dynamics, style, etc. — are all in service of contrasting moments to create enough interest to last a whole project. The Crosbys coast on their high energy and fun factor for much of GOLA, and that creates a ton of early momentum. Ultimately, however, the lack of nuance and finer detail work results in the lack of contrast to maintain that momentum. The next step for the Crosbys, therefore, is to further examine opportunities for musical excellence on the micro level. And of course, they should never lose sight of that fiery energy at the heart of the group. Many groups struggle to acquire that even after decades of singing, but it's second nature to the Crosbys.