This latest recording by S#arp Attitude is a gloriously mixed bag of excellence. There are several moments of transcendence and just as many synapse misfires on display in Hallucinate. All in all, the album is a solid recording that hints at sustainable longevity regarding the quality of performance in the group's future endeavors.

The first thing to highlight is the sound. Corey Slutsky of Voices Only Productions is the mastermind behind this recording, and he is incredibly adept at showcasing female or upper voices. There is richness across the palette of sound. Actually, what attracted me the most upon initial listening was the warmth of the basses/A2 as it is warm and solid with a robustness that serves well as the foundation for all of the tracks and arrangements. Conversely, there is never a fear of launching into the upper register when necessary, both highlighting and masterfully blending the pristine notes into the overall soundscape.

The major detriment of the album is a disparity between some of the arrangements and production. The group hired Matt Goldstein to pen the three best tracks on the album. His deft craftsmanship is on display with Daddy Lessons, God is a Woman and my favorite track on the album, Hallucinate. Goldstein has created an amazing framework on which S#arp Attitude hangs its talent. That's not to say that the other arrangements are terrible. They aren't by any stretch of the imagination. Unfortunately, there are moments in other tracks that overemphasize chunky downbeats which saps life and vim from songs, readily apparent on Fallingwater. Continual pocket creation and highlighting the backbeat and syncopation within the background would extend the groove on these tracks and really make them into something spectacular. Lindsay Barrett's percussion has a hand in both the positive and negative aspects here. Barrett on Rhiannon especially sounds a bit programmatic and robotic on the cymbals on the "phish" which helps emphasize the conventional rhythmic patterns in the backs. Elsewhere the percussion is on point.

The soloists are the standouts on the album, though. These performers are strong storytellers, with effective use of register shifts, tonal color, and emotional connectivity. Bella Donovan in particular has a mature quality about her singing that is enchanting. Her God is a Woman is subtle and sleek and all-around fine singing. But my heart goes out to Anahita Nimbalkar and her turn on Hallucinate. She is engaging from the first breath that you hear until her final note peters out. She's got something she needs to get off her chest and we hear it and understand. And what appears to be her dueting with herself (based on how it sounds to me) is fantastic with satisfying and stupefying rifts in her upper register. If it isn't Anahita, my apologies, you are also definitely a force to be reckoned with.

Hallucinate is a great album. It is full of majestic singing, stellar production, and some awesome arrangements. I feel like the group is just going to keep getting better over the years.

New to RARB but not new to making music that fans swoon over, S#arp Attitude presents an album of pronounced strengths but noticeable weaknesses with Hallucinate.

Kickass stuff first. There are three tracks on here that are considerably elevated above the rest of the material, so much so that if they were repacked as an EP I'd have a really different scoring and feedback outlook. These songs, Daddy Lessons, God is a Woman, and Hallucinate, share one distinct factor: they're arranged by Matt Goldstein. The vibe of the opener Daddy Lessons is so strong we may as well call it a cappella cabaret — like a swingy, snappy dinner party, complete with party sounds and the kind of joy we'd all like to be amongst. Title track Hallucinate is the coolest offering here, a complete journey of a song that takes us through different tempos, keys, styles, and moods. It's also the only track on Hallucinate with a dramatic wallop of intensity; something for S#arp Attitude to consider for future releases. And, though we've all heard God is a Woman a cappella covers before, Goldstein adds his personal flair that makes it special. The other big high on S#arp Attitude is the leads, all of whom add magic, but Bella Donovan (Did It To Myself, God is a Woman) is simply jaw-dropping in the control of her instrument.

Repetitive arranging and over-produced percussion bring down the other five tracks. I'd consider Lindsey Barrett a heck of a drummer if she has the stamina to spit out this whole album when performed live, but we don't get any sense of Barrett's color or techniques on the record as it sounds wholly machine-produced. Against the lush musical ensemble, hearing very loud, generated percussion plopped right on top of all these delicate lines gets frustrating, and is especially distracting on nuanced Rhiannon. Something else to think about for future releases: what's the right balance between technology and natural talent? What overall sound does the group want associated with S#arp Attitude, and how do the musicians best enhance it?

Hallucinate gives a cappella listeners a lot to think about, with a trio of tracks easy to love. If you enjoy strong female-identifying a cappella, there's something for you.

This might be the most torn I've been about an album in a very long time. While not the group's first studio production, this is the first RARB review for S#arp Attitude and a great introduction for us. Hallucinate is a showcase of incredibly clean musicianship. However, there is overall minimal musical impact. The result is a release that could be so much more, but falls just short of excellence.

The technique displayed throughout this album is quite impressive. Start at the top with Daddy Lessons. This piece is an ever-changing tapestry of rhythms intermingling with each other while still retaining all the musical traits such as balance and blend that every musician has heard since the dawn of time. Rhiannon near the middle of the album follows very similarly, with a large number of small rhythms that permeate the periphery. It really speaks to the abilities of each individual member to make that possible. It is music like this that makes me want to continue unpacking all the small tidbits interlaced throughout the music.

However, across Hallucinate, there's one glaring flaw. The dynamics of this album are incredibly muted. Take a look at tracks like Hallucinate. This song can stand alone based on the talents of the group and Anahita Nimbalkar's solo. However, the dynamics could take this track from good to great, and they don't. The opening half of the piece is a dark and haunting wave operating at roughly what I consider a mezzo-piano dynamic. The second half changes the energy to more uptempo and fills the sound with more frills and flirtations of rhythms. However, the dynamic moves to only about a mezzo-forte. This leaves so much room for improvement, as there should be a huge expansion of dynamic range — like using microdynamics across individual notes and phrases and a larger explosion of sound when getting to the key change at the end of the piece. It's hard to tell if this is the group keeping some level of restraint or the final production from the studio shrinking the overall impact, but it leaves something desired either way.

When it comes to the overall album, I want to love it so much more than I do. There are so many opportunities for larger musical impact that force the listener to pay attention that never fully manifest themselves. However, Hallucinate is incredibly well-presented with crisp and clean vocals, strong soloists, and an array of very impressive arranging. The result is a product that is so close to a "5" album, but comes up just short to me across the board. Take a listen and see if you agree.