If you like Christian-oriented music, dense harmonies and incredible leads, Take 6 is legendary. They are a group of profound talent; but they are also a style, a confluence of tone color, studio sound, and ridiculous lead skills. The fantastic Naturally 7's very existence seems unlikely without Take 6, and the same can be said for the incredible talents of 7th Element. With grace and agility, these singers ably carry the Christian a cappella baton for another very enjoyable lap.

On Vol 2 the men of 7E take gems from some of the 20th Century's heavy hitters (Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Burt Bacharach, Peter Cetera, to name a few) and serve them up as harmonically dense, deliciously produced, soulful, gospel-ly a cappella. It's a familiar and very satisfying formula. (In fact, you even get to hear Take 6's David Thomas featured on Keep Movin'!)

Each part excels at its tasks from bass to countertenor. The production is perfection. The arrangements are top-notch. Tasty chords and soulful licks abound. And while so many of the tracks have impressive moments, Marc Dwyer's take on What The World Needs Now Is Love is a true arranging standout among this already impressive field.

Yes, purists: it's true that tracks 4, 6, 7, 9, 10, 12, 14 also feature instruments — some (gasp) solely instrumental! But don't let that stop you. 7E keeps harmony front and center for almost the entire album, and you can skip the few tracks that don't. This is a release that absolutely delivers on its core premise of Christian a cappella. The fact that a few tracks wander towards the "isn't this a cool jam?" or "remember when we performed this song earlier?" are just choices easily remedied by the listener's own playlist creation ability.

From a thousand-foot view, there's a kind of artistic relaxation here, a sense that the musical style is already right where it should be. Vol. 2 doesn't ask that the listener go someplace wildly unexpected or uncomfortable, and that is a way to respect and honor this genre with new and wonderful material. But one can only imagine if such well-endowed talents felt called to challenge listeners. Musings of unexplored musical paths combined with exceptional talent whet the appetite for future releases.

But if you are ready to get your praise on right now, if you're ready for more of that soulfully smooth Take 6-inspired sound, you'll definitely enjoy 7E's Vol 2.

Here is a partnership of two reviews. Depending on how you, the reader, answer this question determines which of the lines you should follow (sure, a slight Choose Your Own Adventure thought):

Do you like listening to Take 6?

If you answered "Yes, they are my everything", "24/7", or "I am Evan Sanders of Accent", then you probably already own this album by 7th Element, and what I say in this review won't really matter as it simply reiterates what you already think or feel about the recording/group. 7th Element is not derivative of that group, but the stylistic influence is unmistakable. This influence and similar sound is one that can be expected considering that Mark Kibble, David Thomas, and Khristian Dentley of Take 6 all have some sort of hand in the making of Vol. 2: Covered.

If your answer more aligns with the general populace in a cappella, then you should definitely give the group a listen and read this part of my review.

Given 7th Element's 20-year history, I'm a bit surprised that not only is this just the group's second album, but I'd not heard of them before. Not that I know every a cappella group in existence, but this one is right up my alley, and I used to listen to gospel-tinged vocal jazz religiously. HOW DID I MISS OUT ON THEM?!

Upon first listening to the album, this summation sentence tells you all that you need to know: Vol. 2, Covered is an album that would be right at home at a "grown and sexy" party or my parents' "grown folk" party back in the '70s and '80s. It has a laid-back attitude and a vibe that can best be described as chilled. While not overly religious music, I Believe, Simply Redeemed, and I'm a Witness are definitively gospel-infused jazz and rhythm and blues.

Before going any further, let it be known that a little less than half of the tracks have instrumental accompaniment. So just like Take 6's similar foray with the aptly titled Join the Band, the vocals are still the shining point on all of the tracks. So if you are a so-called purist, skip Keep Movin', I'm a Witness, Fredism, Simply Redeemed, I Promise You, Give Thanks, and Higher Ground. This will be a shame (but understandable), as Keep Movin' and Higher Ground are two of the best tracks on the album.

A lot of the music is magical. Some of it is just good. All of it is moving. These are seasoned performers who have sung together for years, which you can tell from the blend and phrasing on the tracks. Rarely is there a wasted chord or unexamined beat. The arrangements highlight the voices extremely well, and the overall musicianship is top-notch. You can have fun, be captivated, and be awe-inspired by the sounds they make. Taken from its website, the name of the group comes from its magical music making: "7th Element's slogan, 'It's all about the 7th Element', says it all. These six men have accomplished much in their own right, but it's the Seventh member, the 'unseen' one, that is the focal point of the group's music."

If you are an old soul, this is the album for you. Especially on a lazy Sunday afternoon. If need be, you can un-click the instrumented tracks and just enjoy the a cappella-ness. You'll miss some great work, but not by much — 7th Element has got you covered.

Six-member vocal band 7th Element, whose seventh member according to their website is the "unseen one", delivers a thick inspirational album clearly geared towards praise-oriented music in Vol. 2: Covered. While the overall musical effectiveness of each track is somewhat inconsistent, the group's immense talents and jazz vocal harmonies are on full display throughout the album.

It is worth noting that nearly half of the tracks on this album contain an element that did not originate from the human voice, ranging from percussion instruments and synthesized accompaniment all the way to a piano instrumental that takes the lead, such as in Give Thanks. As a reviewer for RARB, nominally specific to recorded a cappella music, it would be a lie for me to say that did not factor into my scoring. The ways in which the voice interacts with other voices versus pure instrumental tracks is a different animal sonically and energetically, and as the vast majority of groups that submit here do not take that liberty, it stands to reason that my rubric should reflect that difference.

That said, some of the group's strongest tracks are those in which they present fully a cappella, including I Believe, There's Something About That Name, and You Raise Me Up. The method by which the group's dense vocal jazz harmonies lead the way and transform pop songs into covers that are uniquely its own is a testament to both the group's arranging and performing abilities. Listeners are drawn into the core of the singers' soulful sound, such that the lack of vocal percussion is nothing short of an afterthought.

The tracks that are less effective either don't move the needle from the original much as a cover, as in the case of You're The Inspiration, or fall flat due to repetitive non-vocal tracking and seemingly copy-paste handling of repetitive vocal material, such as in Keep Movin'. The dynamicism of the group's stronger tracks sets a high bar that causes the more stagnant tracks to stick out.

It is clear that 7th Element is an excellent group from this album's highs. If you're a fan of praise and inspirational music or a connoiseur of vocal jazz, be sure to give this album a listen as soon as possible.