I really don't know life at all. I've looked at both sides of it. Illusion and reality. Thank you, Hyannis Sound, for giving us one more Max Pinson solo on a studio album. Both Sides Now is just it.

The latest blessing from the gents on the Cape is somewhat of a mixed bag for me as a recording. ETA feels like a long album even though it only has thirteen (my favorite number) tracks on it, with the project clocking in at around 53 minutes. Less than an hour of great music shouldn't feel that way. There are a few tracks that I don't particularly care for; sometimes it's the song itself or the interpretation by the group. But to say that ETA is not one of the best albums of the year would be an abject falsehood. And we have enough fake news elsewhere.

As always, the arrangements are spectacular. Layers of intrigue and interest permeate the album. There is an infusion of energy even during the most basic background parts. I'm especially drawn to the work of Raymond Ortiz and Earl McBride III. Especially with McBride's massive output, his style is very evident and extremely opulent. I look forward to seeing what his future holds in the community. Ortiz is responsible or at least co-responsible for two of the songs in my quartet of favorites on the album, Jolene and the aforementioned Both Sides Now. The way lyrical passages interweave and wrap the soloist in absolutely incredible soundscapes just have to be experienced. I don't know the intentionality, but in Jolene that briefest of what sounds like a phrase and chord progression from Beggin' as a thematic inclusion is just brilliant. As a singer, those moments of performative joy must be magical.

As mentioned, I have a quartet of favorites on the album that stick on my soul (and hopefully for other audience members) with a cement-like adhesion: Both Sides Now, Jolene, Cry Me a River, and Total Praise. Each one shifts the essence in the atmosphere every time you hear it.

How do you make Jolene into a banger? Well, unless you are Divide and Kreate what you do is have Raymond Ortiz and Jerick Rose lay their crazy hands on some arranging software and go bladow! Then you add Bailey Jackson Reese's ridiculousness and we have something in the running for song of the century.

I've been researching the muscular and vocal skills needed to be a modern-day crooner. Rory Latham (Cry Me a River) is just that. He has the skills and the sophisticated swagger to propel him beyond merely a song's singer. He exemplifies the essence of the song. As well, this didn't feel like a "typical" sounding Hyannis song.

To close the album with Total Praise is breathtakingly awe-inducing. I've not kept up with contemporary gospel music these past four decades, so it was a new song to me until last year when I sang it for a church's anniversary. And I've been smitten since. This version is transcendent. I feel the joy and conviction that these men seemingly experienced when recording the song. I can only imagine what an audience feels hearing it live. This is soul-uplifting at its finest. Regardless of religious affiliation, this song evokes the spirit of joy, something needed in these times of trouble.

Sometimes when we practice music, some say that the destination is to achieve perfection even though being perfect is never achievable. But as evidenced by ETA, Hyannis Sound proves once again that perfection is always about the journey.

It's a bright, shiny new day in Cape Cod. As I was reading through the liner notes for ETA, I noticed something interesting: every arrangement was done by a current member of the group. In an era where more and more skilled external arrangers exist, it's not uncommon for groups to utilize these arrangers to pad the repertoire. When many highly sought after arrangers are group alumni, it almost becomes an expectation. While the result every year was a strong product, each new Hyannis Sound album felt simultaneously like the group copying the past but trying to out-do themselves.ETA goes back to the basics and focuses on what's important: strong individuals and an even stronger group dynamic.

Ain't Nobody is about as solid of an opener as you can get. It's sonically satisfying not only listening to the well-placed digital effects, but also noting all the different layers the group creates in this track. Arranger Earl McBride III has created a masterful soundscape that I would happily spend hours in. Xavier Cornell's solo fits perfectly on top of everything; it's perfectly magnetic to bring listeners in, and controlled and powerful enough to blow them away.

As we get to the middle of the album, there's a stretch of tracks that sound great but tend to lose their overall sense of direction. Much like its titular waterway, Cry Me a River mostly meanders. The chords are incredibly crisp. However, there is a lack of impact at the biggest moments. Roman Newhouse is the captivating front man, and the group acts as a jazz big band. The big hits in the bridge are crucial to support the soloist, but the voicings in the chords are dangerously similar to the rest of the track. This song needs to live in the microdynamics, constantly swelling and decaying, but there are no moments that truly draw the listener's attention. Without those big moments, it sits in a dangerously consistent medium dynamic range. All it takes is a couple of chords where the voices spread to simulate the range of a big band to really open up those biggest moments and expand the dynamic range. It's a small change that would lead to drastic improvement.

The closing tracks of the album feel far more akin to the fusion of explosive energy and creativity that truly sets Hyannis Sound apart from other groups. Jolene is otherworldly. I could spend hours studying the score. All the parts mingle together beautifully. Serious props to Raymond Ortiz and Jerick Rose for penning this truly hauntingly beautiful arrangement. Bailey Jackson Reese's solo takes it to the next level. The bass notes in the middle of the piece scratch an itch in my brain that I didn't even know I had. For an original that is so iconic, this song feels so seamless and unique as a Hyannis Sound performance. It's everything I've come to know from this group, and a song I imagine I'll enjoy for years to come.

ETA is all the fun you've come to know and love about Hyannis Sound. The soloists are still spectacular across the board, and the energy is infectious. While there are missteps, they're overall minor. The result is some absolutely incredible tracks that I will listen to again and again, and others I won't actively seek out but probably won't skip over while listening to the album either. There's a new wave of interesting ideas coming out of this Cape Cod summer group, and I can't wait to hear what Hyannis Sound comes up with next.

ETA raises the question, "How much of a good thing is too much?" The answer is: when Don't Stop Believin' stops feeling hype, even on a Hyannis Sound album. But is that a problem when that's only within the album's context, rather than as an individual track (where it still sounds incredible)? Or is that the problem, and how big of a problem is that?

There are so many examples of Hyannis Sound living up to its gold standard on every facet of ETA, that it is near impossible to concisely touch upon them all in this review. The opening tracks are one place to start. Ain't Nobody and Let's Hear it for the Boy are high octane bangers with plenty of interesting arranging choices to reharmonization, background vocal embellishments, and exposed diva moments for their soloists. End of the Road is a lot more subtle with its risk-taking, where Earl McBride's evolving vocal delivery and nuance in how his arrangement changes and evolves without getting out of control took me several listens to fully appreciate. Life is a Highway, for its sheer power and matching the group's dynamic perfectly, may be my favorite track on the album. Later, I'm Still Standing and Take Me To The River really astound me back-to-back. They contrast each other in style in a way that makes them feel diverse and a refreshing re-centering of the album.

Then there are the two songs that don't measure up. Cry Me a River has a more middling energy level without much development that feels lackluster in comparison to what comes prior. Total Praise as a closer is confusing — the religious tune feels completely out-of-place both sonically and lyrically at the very end, and doesn't justify itself with particularly outstanding delivery.

But the tracks that were toughest to evaluate were the rest: the tracks in the back half of the album that suffer a bit from the incredibly high nonstop energy levels from the opening half of the album that refuse to settle down. I'm particularly conflicted about Both Sides Now — so much of this track is absolutely stunning and does feel like the tension-easing energy that was needed after the previous two tracks. But then the track progresses into being a power ballad with the group's trademark solo energy. It feels unnecessary — like the group was insecure in letting the beautiful song be its beautiful self and thought that it needed more flair.

I listened to the track on its own, out of the context of the album, and all of these qualms washed away. It was like a near-perfect a cappella experience. Then I listened to the whole album again and the qualms came back.

There's a joke in here about looking at Both Sides Now from both sides now.

The same happened with Jolene. On my first few listens, Jolene was one of my least favorite tracks. To paraphrase the iconic lyric, please don't add all this unnecessary fluff and extravagance to this classic song just because you can. This track initially felt eye-rolling in how extra and extravagant it was, even for Hyannis Sound's standard. Later, listening to it on its own, it was incredible! I was astounded by how creative it was in so many facets, and it felt like it had taken an army to craft this track. Then, listening in sequence again, it was once again a bit too much.

The trend continues with And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going and Don't Stop Believin'. Once more, these would be two of the best, most interesting, most vocally impressive tracks you could find on most other a cappella albums. But here, when listening to them in an album listen-through, I felt desensitized rather than wowed, even after revisiting them. On solo listening I felt wowed again, especially with Don't Stop Believin'.

The saving grace that still has me giving this album the highest overall score is that while perhaps far too many tracks feel like the group playing with its food, at the very least, they take such different approaches to that end. The sheer diversity, rather than executing formulaically, is so impressive. I usually bias prioritizing album construction over individual track construction, and this is the first time in a while I've overruled that bias because the isolated tracks are just that dang good. For constructing a better album, I recommend a bit more commitment to the songs that take a step back in tempo, such as For All We Know and the gentler parts of Both Sides Now.

As a usual aside: liner notes need to credit original songwriters, not the original performers. It's disrespectful and questionable in legality to only do the latter.

I must have written three or four drafts of this review. It says a lot about Hyannis Sound's caliber that the group's own amazing talents and skills can interfere with the construction of a cohesive project. While this is a relatively negative-sounding yet highly positive review, it is important to ring these alarm bells while also still highly recommending ETA.