The first track, As It Was, kicks off with dynamically static held notes and each entrance on a strong beat, and faintly one can imagine the metronome that surely ticked by during the tracking process. There is seldom an ebb or flow; there are but transcribed elements from the original that plod along to a clearly premeditated tempo. Such is what plagues Hint of Lime, the debut EP from Limelight Vocal Productions: the human elements and creative opportunities in covering pop tunes in the a cappella medium are predominantly absent.

Where the group does get more inventive and takes more creative license is the second track, All Time Low. The choices, however, feel random and not supported by each other, such as sharp and loud background punctuations in conflict with the tone of the melody line. The song is not inherently a medley, and it could be seen as novel to add snippets of other Jon Bellion songs throughout, such as the line from '80s Films that appears toward the end of the track. But as a listener, I struggle to answer a simple question here as well as throughout: why? Device and purpose do not seem to align to make a strong case for its inclusion, and the question itself could be a launching point for future ideas.

And such dissonance plagues uptempo, energetic tracks like It's Not All About You. While I love to see Lawrence covered by all voices, the exuberant and snappy original sets an extremely high bar for tone and intensity, and a near-transcription performed a half-step lower will almost always fall flat unless a group can interpret the tune so intentionally that it becomes their own. And while I quite appreciate LVP's multi-spoken line precursor, the song itself does not present as particularly innovative. Sharper and more emotionally-driven articulations, crunchier harmonies, and frankly, more fun in the moving instrumental lines could all push covers in this style to the next level.

The second half of the EP begins significantly stronger, with tasteful filters and substantially more dynamic intensity included in still feel. The arrangement sets up moments of excitement and the background voices are in concert with the ebb and flow of the solo. These facets are also true of the arrangement in Smile, but in the foreground, the tone quality of the solo interpretation does not match the tone of the lyrics, once again creating discord at a fundamental level.

There is not a note or chord out of place throughout the EP, and while that tunefulness is a positive, perhaps that sanitized feeling is also part of the difficulty with Hint of Lime. It is no small feat to record an EP, and kudos to Limelight Vocal Productions for a fully pitch-sound offering. There are quite a few strong ideas featured here as well, and in future releases I hope the group will strive to center around its creativity with a unified and focused approach to express it.

Hint of Lime is an oddly refreshing debut EP from Limelight Vocal Productions. It doesn't reinvent the wheel or break boundaries — something one shouldn't need to expect from a debut, of course. What it does provide, however, is a consistent ease of listening combined with some surprisingly nuanced and clever arranging choices.

The first thing to note about the EP is how tightly it's produced. NorthShore Studios did an excellent job on this release creating a sound that is consistently easy to listen to, highlighting the solid blend and clarity of tone of Limelight Vocal Productions. The production is usually not the first thing that catches my ear, even when it's particularly excellent, but here it stands out to me because of how many moving parts are in the group's sound without that sound ever becoming "noisy". The focal point of the music always seems to be exactly where it needs to be at any one time while defaulting on the lead vocals. And while the solos on here can be quite strong — my favorites being Marisa Canova's delicate precision in As It Was and Ryan Fujimoto's agile bravado on still feel. — they are not my favorite part of this EP. It's the unsung heroes in the background that really have me coming back for more.

The highlight of Hint of Lime is how the background vocals are used. They're not unnecessarily flashy, and they do not distract focus away from the soloist, but they're subtly effective exactly as they need to be. Sometimes it's through giving just enough spirit and energy into the "instrumental" sections of songs, such the trademark synthesizer section of As It Was or the incredibly smooth repeated "ooh" runs in It's Not All About You. Other times it's the interspersed homophonic harmonies providing just the right amount of spice to sections you don't expect, which can be found in virtually every song on the project. It also comes through in all of the lyrical echoes, melodic "extensions" (segments of background vocals singing their own complementing melodies offsetting the lead vocals), and other blink-and-you'll-miss-it flourishes. It's extra fun to find a bell chord on lyrics that I only noticed on my fifth time listening to a given track. Maybe it's the barbershopper in me, but I have a soft-spot for creative and frequent (but not overdone) background lyrical embellishments in a cappella. The fabric of the background vocals should stay reasonably consistent and the lead vocals should remain the default center of attention, but this balance can be maintained without the background becoming boring. And Limelight Vocal Productions's background vocals are definitely not boring or distracting.

There are still areas of improvement for Hint of Lime, of course. There are sections where background vocals singing longer pad notes can stagnate in their momentum, such as the very intro of As It Was. There should be just as much sustained interest and intensity when the notes don't move as there is when they do. As a nitpick, there are a few one-off sections where the arrangements "mash in" choices from other songs to create variety — those are distracting, cheesy, and frankly unnecessary when the group is finding plenty of creative embellishment opportunities in other areas. Regarding song ordering, I don't think Smile was the best choice for closing the Hint of Lime — it's a solid track, but is the weakest track of the bunch for me and is also a bit less consistent in how it delivers on the aforementioned strengths of the EP. And finally, despite having some of the stagnating pad notes I mentioned, tiny things is an absolutely gorgeous track that I wish was just a tad longer or ended slightly less abruptly. I know it's meant to mirror the original song, but when adapting to a cappella, there can be some slight liberties taken to ensure it makes the transition in styles most effectively.

One more thing, unrelated to the sound or score for Hint of Lime, is a comment about liner notes: the album credits original performers rather than the original credited songwriters. It is not necessary to do the former, but absolutely essential to do the latter. With a project of this strength, it is expected, and so I hope to see better in the future.

Hint of Lime is a fun and pleasant listen the first time through. Its real strengths, however, aren't the things that stick out at first, but rather come as pleasant surprises on continued and repeat listens. These are the virtues that motivate the listener to keep coming back for more, which I can definitely see myself doing even after writing this review. I look forward to hearing more of Limelight Vocal Productions in the future — they've got an excellent start here and even more room to grow.

Covering songs everyone knows is a double-edged sword. They're popular with audiences and can invigorate a set. But these songs also can become dime-a-dozen in a cappella, so you need to add your own zest to them. Hint of Lime, the debut EP of the Connecticut-based semi-pro group Limelight Vocal Productions, unfortunately suffers from the weight of trying to manage these dueling expectations, and the arrangements and musicality could have done with a stronger heaping of creative flavor.

Too often in Hint of Lime, the singers are holding notes without singing through them to create a line and direction to the music. Take the monotonous version of As It Was that only changes dynamic levels through an artificial fade-out at the track's end. What I would have given for a crescendo! Perhaps because the singers were new to recording and adhered too closely to the click track, the result is a technically correct, soulless, indistinguishable version of Harry Styles's bop. Smile similarly sounds one-note, not helped by soloists who are relying on a head voice-heavy mix rather than one with a bit more chest/belt in the placement, which would give them more dynamic range and power to match the song.

Adding in other songs does not an original arrangement make, and it's a compositional device relied on several times on this album: a blink-and-you-miss-it quotation of Sia's Chandelier in As It Was; layering other songs from Jon Bellion's catalogue such that the melody of All Time Low becomes obscured. Instead, I urge arrangers to consider other methods for innovating or creating originality in a chart: how are your background voices creating the fabric of the song? How are you shaping the arc of the song? How are you showcasing your group's strengths?

Not to re-litigate the debates of 2000s a cappella, but I still want to hear the human aspect of voices. The many effects added in post-production on this album are more distracting than aesthetically-enhancing, especially on the background voices of It's Not All About You, still feel., and Smile. On still feel., the choices and moments seem more intentional, but it was nonetheless overwhelming as a listener and unfortunately detracts from Ryan Fujimoto's strong performance on a tough half•alive solo. Tiny things would probably be lovely if the filters were taken off. Don't rely on those effects to create layers to your arrangement: use vocables, dynamics, tone, rhythm, and all the other compositional tools at your disposal to help the audience understand where to turn our attention. If you can't, then your arrangement is probably cluttered. Moreover, the group's over-reliance on "post" obscures the blend: after listening to this album, I don't know how to describe the group sound.

I know how difficult it is to craft arrangements and produce an album. I offer my review to be constructive and give the group ideas about how to make their future albums that much better.