It's been almost four years since I've had the opportunity to take in an album from the gents of On The Rocks and the passing of time — and several graduating classes — means that some things have changed and some remain the same.

Once again, the group employs the services of professional arrangers, but it's for barely half the album — with members of the group taking on the arranging duties for the remainder. Perhaps predictably, the results are a mixed bag.

To be fair, some of the issue is in repertoire selection. Outer Space, to my ear, is a pretty monotonous, relatively uninspiring song to begin with, and even the efforts to expand the rhythmic and harmonic palette of the tune by David Fowler and Charlie Arthur (as co-arrangers) can't make it terribly interesting. I have little doubt group member Bryce Harvey has a personal connection to and/or love for My Old Man, but it's as straightforward and simple country tune as one is likely to find, and his arrangement (and solo) here is much the same. And then there is group member Nate Rasmussen, who shows a particular affinity for relentlessly repetitive original material — in Get By and Sexy Villain. And to his credit, his interpretations show meaningful creativity, bordering on re-invention at times. But ultimately, a fuller sound, an extra rhythmic layer, and/or an unexpected tempo change aren't enough to elevate these songs from well-rendered to truly exciting.

Unsurprisingly, the arranging work from the pros is on another level. Fowler, who also recorded and co-edited the album, may have gotten bogged down in Outer Space, but he shows a nimbler touch with the quirky Blu (not a song I would have expected to hear altogether on an a cappella album), and a tasteful hand with Movement. Matt Goldstein's sole arranging contribution is the terrific opener, Skate, which is slick and tight thanks also to the mixing of ever-brilliant Ed Boyer. If I'm being honest, instead of, or in addition to the mostly homophonic backs, I wished for one more layer of rhythmic complexity, or perhaps just a little more development/variation in the existing arrangement as it moved into the second verse and chorus. But gosh, I do love those congas that get sprinkled in now and again.

Speaking of development and variation, no one who has read my reviews for any meaningful length of time (it's 25 years this year — yikes!) will be surprised to hear me single out arranger extraordinaire Tom Anderson for his two arranging contributions here. I'll go further and admit that as soon as I saw a Vulfpeck tune listed on the album, I said a silent prayer that they gave it to Tom to arrange, as very few folks working in professional or collegiate a cappella handle that kind of material as well as he can. And the result meets all expectations. Anyone who thinks Rutman-esque or Chakrabarti-esque aca-syllables are dead would be well-served to listen and note how effective they can still be when deployed tastefully. Anyone who wants a primer in how to position and configure background voices to work in tandem with the rhythm section of bass and vp — rather than sitting on top of them and sometimes actually diminishing their effectiveness — should have a listen to this track. And anyone who wants a lesson in a cappella bass line writing would also be well-served to check it out.

Actually, if you want a lesson in bass line writing, you might opt for How Deep Is Your Love — Tom's other arrangement here — instead. I really can't say enough about this arrangement and how fond I am of it. Listen to what Tom does with the bass in the sparse opening, where it's the line that's carrying the opening. He then lets it recede to something a bit more conventional as the other voices come in, only to build it up again in the chorus, adding some of the connecting tones that aren't in the original song and occasionally "funkifying" it with some deviation from the source material. In the same vein, listen to the use of re-harms — just a sprinkle early in the song in a couple of transitions between chords, then expanding in the final chorus that leads to the coda. And about that final chorus coda: listen to how well the arrangement of the background voices works even when the bass and vp drop out entirely. Not the effect of the choice itself, but how well the backs stand on their own. If you want to road-test your arranging, it's not the worst thing to try now and again. If the backs stand up even without the rhythm section, then your rhythm section should only enhance and make the whole effort more effective.

I've spent a ton of time on arrangements and said very little about the group itself, but I will let the scores speak for themselves. On The Rocks has a longstanding tradition of talented and dedicated male singers who consistently deliver enjoyable a cappella, with a slight predilection for mainstream material and/or nostalgia. The former continues to be true here, while the latter may be less true here than it has been in the past. But it's also not a bad thing. The group's performance and production credentials remain first rate. If the singers want to move away from a reliance on professional arrangements, however, they still have a little ways to go.

The University of Oregon group On The Rocks has been making music for 25 years using their voices in so many majestic ways. Their latest release, In The Groove, is an amazing continuation of the history of magical musicianship. The group literally hits a groove of silky smooth sounds over a multitude of genres and styles. Overall, it is a feast for the mind as well as the ears.

A lot a collegiate a cappella is cheesy — especially in all-male groups. We here at RARB have waxed philosophically about this peculiar quirk for nearly 30 years. The more you groan the greater the goodness. Well, that is when it's a live performance. The recorded Silk Sonic Intro wrought on the audience here isn't the ticket. There are moments of slight smiles because the background is excellent.

The first half of the album does not entice me the same way the second half does. None of the tracks from Skate to My Old Man are bad — far from it — but there are none that really lock into the memory bank. I'm digging the song while listening to it in real time, but as soon as the album moves to the next track, I've forgotten it. That is, except Movement. I don't know if it is Nate Rasmussen's vocal coloring and dexterity or David Fowler's arrangement and the way the rest of the band attacks every passage with commitment and gusto, but it makes magic.

Conversely though, all of the tracks highlight how there was much more attention placed on dynamics rather than blend with this recording. That's not a bad thing in this world of homogenous-sounding groups, but it's also a bit jarring until you get used to the aesthetic; then it becomes endearing and refreshing.

Get By is the best arrangement and execution of a song on the album. And of course it's sung by Mr. Rasmussen. LOL. I certainly have a vocal preference on this album. He does double duty here as the arranger as well. Good job, please keep putting more out into the universe like this. The full-throated interpolation of Shake It into the second verse is genius. It made me think of those ADHD quizzes on TikTok® where you can hear two distinct songs playing concurrently. I do, and it's great here because the two fit seamlessly together while retaining a sense of uniqueness.

No track hits the smooth groove or the silky smoothness of possibly the best track on the album. How Deep Is Your Love is simply fantastic as its simplicity is also the key to its majesty.

The major missed opportunity with the album is the fact that they don't include a cover of Madonna's Into the Groove. Like how do you not do that? Considering that Lady Gaga's Bad Romance is probably the group's most well-known performance, video and recording (and that Gaga is a derivative of Madge), it's a tad bit perplexing. These guys would have knocked it out of the park.

You won't go wrong picking up a copy of In The Groove.

After diving into classic rock with 2020's Evergreen, University of Oregon's On The Rocks is back to its (mostly) modern pop/rock repertoire with In The Groove. It's a sound that's the group's wheelhouse, and so In The Groove is overall pleasant to listen to on the surface, but once you dig a little deeper, some of the songs are a bit of a mixed bag.

The songs that land are great: Movement is a true highlight of this album; Nate Rasmussen sounds absolutely haunting on the solo, and David Fowler's arrangement has the right ebb and flow to complement the lead. Outer Space is another memorable track; the bass anchors this song, and the group harmonizes on this arrangement in a lovely, lilting way (it's certainly a welcome departure from most collegiate a cappella to have a song without a soloist). Then the album-closing Move Me is a nice surprise at the end, with a great arrangement (Raul Patel with editing by Rasmussen) that alternates between bouncy verses and angelic choruses that just float over the speakers.

But there are some moments here that should've been cut: Silk Sonic Intro would be fun and anticipation-building in a live show, but it just delays momentum on the album. How Deep Is Your Love is well-performed, but this kind of old soft-rock just doesn't fit with the rest of the album (that said: the group doesn't credit its bass on this song, but holy cow, he's got his groove on and absolutely keeps this song on track). Similarly, the country vibe of My Old Man feels incongruous with the rest of the album.

It's interesting looking back at track lists of On The Rocks albums of the past, because the group has always had a mish-mash of songs on their records — their spectacular A Fifth, which included that viral Bad Romance cover, also featured Earth, Wind, & Fire and CSNY. What's different now is twofold. First, we listen to albums differently than we did in 2010: CDs are less common, and on streaming sites like Spotify, it's much easier to pick from a menu of songs or just listen as a playlist or radio-style shuffle. Second, even the best moments on In The Groove — while quite good — aren't the attention-grabbing splash hit that Bad Romance was. Maybe it's the arrangements, maybe it's the singers, or maybe it's the group's ability to really shoot for the moon, but On The Rocks hasn't found its "wow" moment on In The Groove. It's still a good album with some compelling songs, but I'd love to hear this group take a big risk and really go for it: On The Rocks has always shined brightest when they sound truly fearless, and they didn't hit that peak here.