I've been listening to music by the Loreleis from UNC (my alma mater) for almost 35 years. That is a ton of music to experience, analyze and criticize. The group's recording legacy places them just slightly below Sweet Honey in the Rock in my overall adoration of their musical oeuvre. Somewhere Between, the latest release from the Las, is in the upper tier from my perspective — a treble perspective, a collegiate perspective, and a musician perspective.

If you know me, I'd suspect that you'd agree that in general I'm of the "too much is never enough" camp when it comes to great music-making ability and performance unless we hit the self-indulgent mark. That is never the case here. In fact, there are several moments on each of the five tracks where more umpf would have taken the songs to the upper echelon of greatness.

The intro to Flesh & Bone gave me pause right from the start. The vocal percussion countoff was a bit pedestrian with its block and basic nature. Once the song gets going, it complements the style well but as a mood-setter it doesn't do its job of drawing one into the song. On the flip side, If You Leave is the complete opposite. The intro can leave you a bit slackjawed, especially the entrancing A2 line. When the rhythm section drops in and the tempo increases, you are ready for the joyous ride. But it is over pretty quickly and peters out instead of having a solid button. Wouldn't Come Back has a perfectly blended trio of performers — each singing their line as if it were a solo and working like magic. It brings up fond memories of Dolly, Linda and Emmy Lou, as well as early The Chicks, and Landslide-era Destiny's Child. The track that I would have named the EP after, Worth It, answers the reviewer's question with a "Yes!" The track itself just never jumps off the page, though. It's solid and satisfying, but safe. And I'm completely fascinated by the arrangement of the closing track. There are little hooks and nuggets throughout that just are so purposefully placed and impeccable. There's just that heldback quality again when you can hear the Florence And The Machine wail wanting to explode from the speaker.

This EP is a great addition to your listening rotation as it lies somewhere between good and godlike.

I'd love to start this review with an overarching statement about the Loreleis or Somewhere Between, but I have to dive right into the song Wouldn't Come Back. It's perfect. It's one of the best recordings I've heard from this group (and they've delivered a number of stunning recordings over the years). It's the perfect tempo; the Loreleis aren't afraid to drift along at a measured pace. The trio of soloists are stunning together; I really can't tell where one voice begins and another one ends. And the arrangement (by Elliana Alexander) just floats by like a cloud. The slow, melancholy break-up tune fits this iteration of the Loreleis like a glove, and I. Am. Here. For. It.

But wait — there are more shining moments on the rest of this EP. Too Much Is Never Enough has that same unhurried pace but has a gloriously subtle crescendo that grows throughout the song. If You Leave starts slowly but adds in persistent vocal percussion that gives the track momentum; meanwhile Alexander's arrangement of Worth It adds some fantastic texture in the backs with another uptempo(ish) number.

There was a time when all-upper-register a cappella had to be "angry, loud, belty breakup songs". I'm glad we're past that, because the Loreleis' mid-tempo mood music suits their voices perfectly and makes this EP a real joy to listen to. If you've only got time for one song, go directly to Wouldn't Come Back. If you've got twenty minutes, give the whole thing a spin.

I want to love this album so much more than I do. The Loreleis grace our speakers again with another album absolutely dripping with soul. Somewhere Between is a release that is solid from top to bottom, but some songs have such a high ceiling that others feel almost boring by comparison.

Let's start with my favorites. If You Leave is such a cool track. Through the magic of a recording studio, Elliana Alexander is both the soloist and vocal percussionist. The solo is powerful and pleading. The emotion is palpable through the speakers, and I love every second of it. Ellis Riggsbee penned an arrangement that is driving and filled with so many colorful and dense chords. It's a flowing tapestry that supports the solo while being interesting in its own right. It's a balance that makes this piece so striking. Alexander then tries their hand at arranging with Wouldn't Come Back. This piece is headlined by a trio of soloists in Abigail Paquin, Sophie Cho, and Annah Ndirangu that blend together flawlessly. The climax of this piece gives me chills. The use of clusters both within the trio and the background are so well placed and emotional. It's flawless.

However, the rest of the album feels so muted in comparison. These tracks are incredibly solid. However, the impacts are muted and the chords are less dense. Flesh & Bone is a perfectly respectable piece of music. Marie McCoy has a great solo that plays wonderfully along all of the different riffs and frills in the track. However, the driving force guiding towards a climax is missing. Some of this is the material of the Sammie Rae original, but some is also on the group. The song will build towards a large moment and then be subverted into a new idea. However, the moments that need to be big feel muted and the large dynamic changes are too subtle. With a track that is longer in length, the listener needs moments to hold on to, otherwise the track seems to just flow by and becomes less committed to memory. This song has many moments that could be grasped, but aren't memorable enough. What could be great becomes just a fuzzy memory shortly after.

With some great moments versus moments I easily forget, it sometimes makes me hate listening fully through Somewhere Between. While there are no bad tracks, the best of the album is so good that the still respectable tracks are viewed in a lesser light by comparison. Would individual listens change my review over time? Either way, there are some absolute gems here and a solid album overall. Take a listen and enjoy.