The Michigan G-Men are arguably one of the most musically versatile groups in collegiate a cappella. Perhaps I am too captivated by the astonishing production of A Gentleman’s Affair, but even if true, it requires a highly capable group to make any of this possible. If you are a person who craves music that leaves a lasting impression, be it charged vocals or a heartbreaking ballad, look no further.

If you are a fan of grand vocal feats demonstrating range and power, A Gentleman’s Affair has that to offer. 

Somebody to Love and Superhuman are tracks that demonstrate the G-Men’s vocal prowess. Somebody to Love (by Justin Bieber) takes a second to warm up, but once it does, it is full steam ahead with tantalizing energy and range by both the lead and group. While the song opens with an air of heaviness, the fast-paced groove is established with swift drumming and agile singing. In terms of execution and balance, this is one of the album’s best. 

Superhuman is the G-Men at their best. The effects feel futuristic, the groove is smooth, and the G-Men’s backing singers are undeniably polished, performing at an elite level. What I enjoy most is the confidence in Owen Lawrence’s lead vocals. He not only has the style to command your attention but also little by little presents his impressive talent as the song proceeds. It is the confidence of Lawrence and the G-Men that makes this song.

The metal-heavy Uneasy Hearts Weigh the Most is an authentic display of rock that deserves awards consideration. The emulation of an early 2000s rock vibe by the G-Men is astounding. The track’s exhilarating lead and high energy make it a fun experience.

Candyman is tremendously imaginative. The track is cool, big on soul, and is originally from a musical! To flip this track and make it sound like 2000s R&B is unbelievable!

My favorite track is undoubtedly Heart of Gold. The track is an absolute tear-jerker with its sentimentality, group cohesion, and general warmth. The G-Men know how to hold a moment, which bodes well on a track that requires tenderness and intensity. Luke Pace deserves his flowers — he shines staying in control of a solo that is laden with emotional weight until the very end.

A Gentleman’s Affair does the finest of tightrope walking when it comes to receiving a rating of a “4” or “5”. While much of the album is superb, one or two more extremely polished tracks would have garnered a “5”. The struggle with a project featuring only seven tracks is that everything is more noticeable. I needed a little more creatively or vocally from either I2I or Blow to get the album over that hump.

A Gentleman’s Affair wins thanks in part to the collective effort of the entire G-Men team: singers, studio techs, and anyone else who had a hand in its production. It is diverse, ethereal, and all passion. Add it to your playlist now.

If you've ever listened to anything by the G-Men, there's one thing you have to remember: prepare for weirdness. This group is known for unique song selections and executions, and A Gentleman's Affair is no different. This album is weird and wonderful.

Let's look at Blow. This Kesha original uses the original source mostly just as source for the solo melody. Everything else is filled with whatever arranger Max Crandell could think of. This includes overtone singing, mid-chorus chord modulations, well-placed digital effects, and even a bridge that is filled with a number of early 2010's club hits. There is no earthly way this sounds at face value like it should work. However, not only does this work, it excels. The track is constantly growing and evolving, leaving the listener wondering what's next.

To counteract tracks that have so many different parts, Heart of Gold is the opposite. This is a piece that lets soloist Luke Pace tell their story, and the story is incredibly heartfelt and sincere. The song features what I would call weaponized silence. Some moments are accented not by the parts that are being sung, but rather what's not. There are moments of silence to let the piece breathe with just the soloist filling the space. The dramatic effect is perfect. There are also some wonderfully colorful chords woven into the piece to accent the moments. Heart of Gold is the perfect downtempo piece to round out the craziness of the album.

The only time A Gentleman's Affair doesn't win is when the crazy feels forced. Somebody to Love is a bit of an uncomfortable ending to the album. This piece feels incomplete to me. Rather than finish out the musical ideas in the final chorus, the song ends with a key change and a transition back to the opening piece. I was loving the fun but familiar style the group established, which could have finished with a huge triumphant moment, but the switch just feels one step too far. This might have worked better if the two pieces were more similar initially. However, this track instead just feels like an incomplete thought, which is a terrible way to make a final statement to an album.

For all the weight that I put on the final moments, this is still a fantastic release. This album has twists and turns that will keep you guessing and pleasantly surprised the entire time. The song selections are unique, and the arranging styles will have you believe that they are either G-Men originals or designed just for them. Take a listen and find something new to enjoy.

The Michigan G-Men's repertoire is rarely what you expect: reinterpretations of familiar hits, indie gems, or songs spanning unlike genres. Their latest album, A Gentleman's Affair, does mostly align with that characterization: a K-pop group's single, a hardcore band's hit, a singer-songwriter ballad, and an animated film's banger comprise four of the seven tracks. And yet, there is a stylistic flattening in most of the arrangements, all written by Max Crandell, which makes most of them sound vaguely R&B/pop no matter the context.

Take Superhuman by K-pop group NCT 127: in addition to the group creating its own English translation of the mostly Korean text, the heavy, synthesized bass is more R&B, the rap section becomes sung, and the electronic background sounds are sublimated for an electronic shimmer on the background singers while they sing lyrics. However, vp Andrew Chou still creates a plethora of distinct beat structures without ever distracting from the singing, and soloist Owen Lawrence has an incredibly powerful voice. But the track overall sounds more like Bruno Mars than K-pop and I'm not sure that's intentional. Candyman similarly becomes more R&B than EDM in the arrangement and vp, except for the astounding final section.

In contrast, the arrangement of Blow works superbly by "blowing up" the original song and taking only the melody and a few other pieces as starting points for a dynamic new creation. This chart is led capably by soloist Leo Kupferberg through all of the styles and tempos. Heart of Gold, by a cappella alum Mario Jose, stands out as the only true ballad on the album and for the stripped down arrangement that allows soloist Luke Pace to bare all of the emotions. Uneasy Hearts Weigh the Most also displays a very different vibe, alternative angst, especially in the vp, overdrive effects, and soloist Derek Johnson's middle register, though I was less sold by Johnson's high register singing that fell more into head/mix rather than the full-voiced hardcore style. I also expected another high-octane chorus instead of the low-energy chorus ending abruptly that we got (but I'm thankful there was no scream-o section).

The G-Men benefit from choosing songs with less familiarity partially because they can more easily put their own spin on them. The more well-known final two numbers, Tevin Campbell's I2I and Justin Bieber's Somebody to Love, both feature solid quality singing. But because they're not reimagined in the same way that Blow is, for example, they're less impactful. Moreover, cutting off the ending of Somebody to Love that you've been building to, only to go back to a repeat of Superhuman's final phrase, is anticlimactic and ineffective.

Let's be clear: the G-Men's not-quite-as-good tracks are ones that many groups would be thrilled to have on their albums and to sing at their gigs. And at no point is there ever bad singing, a note out of place, or blend/balance issues. But given the creative successes of some of the tracks, the uneven attention paid to the others stands out.