South Creek Revival's Midnight Reverie is a powerhouse of an EP. Oh, Caroline featuring Tyler Huk's emotional tenor crests atop the chill-inducing swells of Josh Carter's irresistable arranging. And while wonderful new leads take the baton with each song, the unending waves of talent, intricacy, and ebullience are nothing short of a joyous vocal tsunami.

Lead talent and arranging skill are an unbeatable combo for SCR. That tenors Kyle Tobin and Tyler Huk should both find themselves in one group seems patently unfair. That's more than double the tenor-osity of even most supergroups. Where Huk brought us to our feet, Tobin makes sure we don't even think of sitting down. Tobin memorably delivers the goods in Rain — no easy feat with the singular Ben Platt as a comparison point. SCR's opening 1-2 punch shows programming savvy. They put the big guns first. So by the time we meet the rest of the alluring, impressive leads, we're already primed to luxuriate in their textures, takes and tones. And with talents like Julia Vaccaro's vulnerable, acrobatic alto, Josh Carter's storytelling lyric tones, Aline Wintermantel's Disney princess floaty intimacy, and Julia Anne Cordani's coquettish belt, there's quite a lot to enjoy.

SCR claims they aren't bound by one genre, but that's input, not output. The album has a signature sound and even a dominant genre: alt pop with a synth edge. Speaking of "synth"… practically all contemporary a cappella owes a debt to the bells and whistles of the modern studio. South Creek Revival practically defines itself as a studio-based group. In their words, "Our voices are simply a tool to create soundscapes and atmosphere". On Midnight Reverie, that soundscape includes not only the fantastically sung backs, realistic, driving vp (thanks to Mike Alessi), and resonant bass that has become scène à faire for the contemporary a cappella sound, but also a good number of vocally derived synthy sounds that, because of their processing, might as well be actual synths. Whether it's synth string patches (Wishing Well, Saint Honesty, Punisher), the haunting, muted synth sounds of The Postal Service's Such Great Heights (Punisher) or the elctronica/harmonizer effects (Tropic Morning News), these and other production choices by tracker/editor/mixer Josh Carter give SRC's tracks a full sound and a pop sheen. But at times, these sounds also leave listeners with the impression of a vocal group, rather than an a cappella group. Probably irrelevant for most casual listeners, and simultaneously the subject of a life-or-death knife fight/heated debate for aca-nerds.

This reviewer's wishlist: let the production expose your leads, because they really are great. That means keeping them a little higher in the mix at times, with a touch less reverb and delay — again, at times. And be careful of the introduction of slight distortion in sibilant frequencies. It's nitpicky but small changes could have a big impact. Also, a few moments of actual silence to just breathe in the incredibly sung moments of these arrangements. Give us a chance to say wow. And as alluded to above, consider maybe keeping a tiny touch of recognizable humanity in the synthy vocal sounds.

Most important of all, here's to many more releases from this impressive, Buffalo-based septet!

The album from South Creek Revival may be called Midnight Reverie, but it could also reasonably called South Creek Revival Sings and Josh Carter Does Almost Everything Else.

That's not to diminish the contributions of the other six members of the group, but Carter is credited with having tracked, edited, and mixed all seven selections here, and he is the sole credited arranger on all of them as well. Plus he has one of the solos to boot! (Indeed, other than the group's very capable vp, Mike Alessi, every member very neatly gets a solo and one song is solo-less.)

Now my typical feelings about albums that are filtered through the artistic prism of one person so thoroughly are well-documented in my reviews of other albums that fall into this category, but Midnight Reverie is an exception on the front — at least vis a vis its arranging. Whereas I've heard many an album that became repetitive because the same arranger had limitations in their ability to be inventive and keep things fresh from song to song — often resulting in a handful of really terrific offerings and a larger handful of more "phoned in" or less sophisticated selections — Carter has a seemingly endless bag of tricks, both on the page and in the studio, and he manages to always be trying something new and intriguing in each arrangement as one moves through the album.

A bag of tricks is only as good as how it's deployed, however, and this is where Carter stumbles a little bit. Sometimes, too much is too much, as it is on Rain, which feels like it changes grooves roughly every eight bars. "Feel" is actually the right verb too, because that's the secret sauce that is decidedly missing from Tropic Morning News (Carter's solo), which eschews the angst of the original and lives in either a super-peppy or super-emotive (or both), borderline musical theatre tone at times that doesn't take full measure of what is being sung about. Punisher is guilty of the same — singing the words but not connecting the lyrics, and introducing a backbeat that is jarringly out of place before the song gets bigger and louder, as is the group's (unfortunate) wont in the back-half of most of the songs featured here.

As a producer, Carter also has an enviable bag of tricks and these are shown off to mostly very good advantage — the synth-like arpeggios in Oh, Caroline are a personal fave. The "mostly" comes from an uncertainty as to whether it's the group that doesn't seem to do piano/pianissimo terribly well or whether it's the mixing that renders those attempts at quieter moments far too loudly. Tough to know. What is clear is that Carter's tendency to bring all of the voices very far forward — backgrounds included — doesn't help the songs that need a more delicate, nuanced touch. Saint Honesty is terrifically sung by Julia Vaccaro, but she spends a fair amount of the song exploring the rich low end of her register and is forced to compete with backgrounds that are in danger of swallowing her at every turn, including when they are singing homophonic harmony with her.

I do realize that much of this may read as damning with faint praise and/or a "yes, but" sort of review. The fact is that the scores should make it clear to you that this is quality work, even if I have more than a few artistic and interpretive quibbles. I had not heard of this group before listening to this release and in all honesty, I was wonderfully surprised. They are talented singers and Carter has already clearly had a major influence on helping them become as good as they already are. With a little more care, and craft, and the occasional "less is more" mentality, they absolutely have all the ingredients to become truly great.

I enjoy the advancements that contemporary a cappella has made with sound production. Music, like other arts, must progress with the times in order to maintain appeal. Midnight Reverie is a well-constructed album that prioritizes sound production and the latest in studio effects, offering listeners polished vocals. It is in the production choices that I find myself grappling with whether or not one can have too much of a good thing.

South Creek Revival's latest album truly packs an audible punch.

Oh, Caroline gives listeners a hybrid of both fun energy and harrowing emotions, with a solo that feels both refreshing and captivating. Collectively, the performance is well-balanced, especially when the backing group and percussion are rocking out rhythmically. There are one-off moments where the sound goes a bit awry, as production seems a bit heavy on some of the backing parts, including the bass, which can come off as robotic. It is not needed to achieve what much of the song already does a good job of establishing musically.

Punisher is a track that does many things right. A gentle, yet commanding lead, a backing group that adds a great deal of forward movement to the song, and a clean sound that just feels cozy. Its biggest caveat is incorporating more moments of pause or finality for greater impact.

Tropic Morning News has a heavy '80s vibe. The lead is big on theatrics, the song's effects feel sci-fi-esque, and the pacing is extremely quick. This particular track challenges me to consider my preference for vocal effects. On the one hand, the production when the lead and backing group are singing feels overdone. On the other hand, I enjoy the production choices near the song's end when only the backing sound is present.

The best moments on the album come on Rain and Saint Honesty. Rain is the perfect blend of ethereal and modern music, contributed heavily by South Creek Revival's wonderful experimentation with rhythm. The pulse of the song is built slowly over the entire track, beautifully articulated with careful production, before going into overdrive in the bridge. To top it off, the lead vocals are incredibly fitting for the song, displaying phenomenal range.

Saint Honesty is the gem of Midnight Reverie. I have not heard a better lead vocal delivery in quite some time. The soulful resonance that exudes from the soloist's voice is breathtaking. Her runs are smooth, and her vocalizations after the bridge nearly have me falling over. The backing parts also help to establish an incredible pace for the song, allowing the lead to take her time and give the song a sense of journey. This is an early contender for song of the year!

Midnight Reverie is an album that sounds good and also feels appropriate for the current state of contemporary a cappella. There are a few loose ends that need tending to, but there is no doubt that more than a few tracks will move listeners.