Possibly alluding to that famous Carolina alumnus Thomas Wolfe, The Tarpeggios from the University of North Carolina — Chapel Hill look Homeward to create a recording full of angelic tunes that take us to Heaven. As the saying goes, "There's a reason God made the sky Carolina blue" and it's pretty evident with the talent flowing forth singing on this album. The recording will take you there and bring you back again. While there are several falls from grace, overall, this heavenly endeavor is worth your eleven minutes of time.

What is heavenly is pretty much everything on this recording. The soloists are outstanding with Will Fangmann being the standout once again with his turn on the EP closer, Kiss The Sky. His voice, especially near the end of the track, has twists and turns that defy gravity and hit stratospheric. But he's not the only vocal blessing on this album. I'm completely smitten with Grace Wissink and Gayathri Raghavendra. Their duet on Golden Slumbers / Carry That Weight is righteous. The weight of their voices gives a gravitas to the track that evokes every emotional string that your mind can imagine or your heart can bear. It's on the train to being my favorite track of the year.

The production team of Colin Egan and Bill Hare are on top of their game with the mixing and mastering on this one. That heavenly quality mentioned earlier is achieved through the atmospheric soundscape these two envelop the singers in on each of the tracks. This production is just as much a performing member of the group as the humans. The four-member arranging team does an excellent job of playing to the strengths of the group as a whole and the soloists in particular, creating pockets of perfection throughout the recording. Kapil Ramanarayanan's percussion walks the line between being overindulgent and absolute genius. There are moments that I simply cannot not listen to what is happening; it doesn't take away from the overall track at all but makes me stop to appreciate the talent that is being displayed in that particular artform.

So what keeps this album from being a "5"? For me, it's the two interludes that come across as almost unnecessary. I say almost because You Take My Breath Away does set up the tonal quality of the recording, but as a track itself is basic. And The End should be at the end of the recording, right? Maybe it's a simple misnomer and the group could have written two originals that accomplished the same thing, just better. Neither of these tracks can stand on their own, so, unfortunately, take away the overall effectiveness of the EP.

The Tarpeggios continue to craft some excellent music. You won't go wrong listening to Homeward.

Homeward? Try Skyward, because that's where the Tarpeggios are going with their latest release. This album is full of little nuggets of awesome for the listener to discover during every play of the EP, while at the same time executing the necessary elements of blend and dynamic contrast masterfully.

Before we dive into the individual tracks, let's talk about some of those consistent themes throughout Homeward. First, the vocal percussion and bass combo is solid throughout the whole record, which is essentially one continuous track instead of five separate tracks (think of it as a competition set). Kapil Ramanarayanan balanced both being the bedrock that all of the group's arrangements were built on while also showing off his tremendous skill level and personal flair. The standout is the beginning of Kiss The Sky, which is where the full synthesizer sound effects are showcased. I can only imagine how an audience reacts to the breakdown live.

While we're on the subject of Kiss The Sky, Will Fangmann channels his inner Jason Derulo and absolutely brings the house down. His range is incredibly impressive, with a seamless transition from head voice to falsetto that doesn't seem to have an upper limit. The baritone in me hears Fangmann hit the high A# at the very end of the chorus and is just in awe. But more so than just the skill, there's an energy and swagger that you can hear in his voice that's not just a vocalist singing words on a page. It's simply infectious and you'll want to listen to this track over and over again.

That said, don't just get drawn into the final track. Grace Wissink and Gayathri Raghavendra blend beautifully together throughout Golden Slumbers / Carry That Weight, and the background vocals are fully committed to the emotion of the track and the varying dynamic levels, which is the byproduct of smart arranging that allows for each part to have their own moment. Both the opening number You Take My Breath Away and The End, while both short and essentially "filler" tracks, are smartly arranged too, as a mix of global cultures join the fray with a combination of pop rock and a classical Indian flair. I'm not sure it was entirely necessary to include the fillers on the album, although I do understand it in the live sense and showcasing the immense range of the talented performers in the Tarpeggios.

Sanctify is the one track that I want more from. It is sung well, and Tre Smith and Rebekah Glover have a wonderful vocal chemistry that is great for duets like this. That said, I expected the vocal to have a little more of an edge, and it is sung almost too pretty for my liking. And with the energy down just a bit, the background vocals lose the ability to grow and contrast like they are able to in Kiss The Sky.

Homeward is quickly joining my a cappella rotation, with Kiss The Sky certainly on any future playlist moving forward. I can't wait for the Tarpeggios to release a full album ... I need it badly.

This is a release that has been a long time coming for the Tarpeggios. Looking at the number of tracks and the overall length of the album, I was curious if this was a competition set. Sure enough, this was their recorded set from the 2019-2020 scholastic year. The result was a runner-up finish at the semifinal level and a collective a cappella EGOT (outstanding solo, vocal percussion, arranging, and choreography awards) before the season was cut short. It's been three years since this music last graced a stage, but it was worth the wait.

Sanctify is the first full track on Homeward and truly sets the tone for what this album is going to be: a slow-burning, theatrical performance. The background vocals are arranged to be interesting, but not individually impactful. Every dynamic feels intentionally muted. Even the climax of the piece doesn't feel overly impactful. The overall performance seems too mechanical in what it is attempting to accomplish. Tre Smith and Rebekah Glover's performances balance each other perfectly to be hauntingly powerful. While my own personal tastes wish that there was more dynamic range between the highest and lowest point of the arrangement, it is incredibly well-designed to do the intended job.

Golden Slumbers / Carry That Weight transitions to the emotional side of the performance. This is a delightful reimagining of the two Beatles' classic pieces. This song at times feels just as calculated as its predecessor but with less success. Soloists Grace Wissink and Gayathri Raghavendra are incredibly powerful soloists and deliver emotion-packed phrases. However, there is constantly so much happening across all of the backgrounds that at times the emotion becomes swallowed by a wall of sound. This is by all intents and purposes a power ballad, but misses the mark the soloists are trying to sell.

Kiss The Sky is the climax of this album, and it doesn't disappoint. Arrangers Abigail McNaughton, Garathir Raghavendra, Kamil Ramanarayanan, and Madeline Yara penned some phenomenal moments across Homeward, but this track is a natural culmination of all those choices. This piece is driven by a bass and Ramanrayanan's vocal percussion groove that refuses to relent. Will Fangmann's solo is dripping with swagger and acts as the perfect focal point for everything. The high notes at the end are sheer perfection. This track explodes off the speakers and gives a perfect send-off to the piece and the overall performance.

This music is complex and calculated, and hits all its marks when it matters. The sounds in between those big moments is what really makes reviewing Homeward a challenge. There are musical interludes that help set the scene, but offer minimal standalone value and add more to the soundscape than the overall performance of the individual pieces. I can see how there would be concerns that the lack of small moments might dampen the overall of individual pieces. However, the overall impact of Homeward is undeniable and I'm certainly a fan. Give this album a listen.