Total time: 62:22, 17 songs
Recorded May 1996 — February 1997
Women's a cappella groups take note — the Chattertocks are women to look up to. This album has a lot of things to recommend it, and the few weaker spots seem to result mostly from lack of focus and not any major flaws that need correcting.
To begin with, this album is great in terms of its liner notes and the obvious thought that went into song order. For each song we get the names of the soloist, arranger, and any other significant parts that stand out (e.g. the strato-sax in Mad About You, trio in As I Lay Me Down, and even regular harmony parts). This is really nice because you can really see who does what in the group. The insert has a group shot, candids, and individual pictures of each member. This seems minor, but it's really helpful when you're trying to get a feel for the group as a whole. As far as the song order, the first 12 tracks are pop songs of the '80s and '90s (and they're really varied ones from various genres), and the last five (really four) songs are a more eclectic group of older tunes and more choral arrangements. This works so much better than if the oddball songs were interspersed among the others, and of course it helps that they do a good job on pretty much every type of tune. The high quality, in the end, is what really makes the album a cohesive whole.
There are really not any significantly weak areas within the Chattertocks, but there are several especially strong spots. The alto II's are a terrific asset — their range goes quite low which allows the group as a whole a larger range as well. There are only three of them, but they make their presence known, in the arrangements, solos, and bass sound. In addition, this is a group that takes advantage of their size (16 members) to do a bang-up job with percussion. On at least one song (where I was counting) there were three people on percussion parts, and they regularly used two on a lot of tracks. Plenty of male and co-ed groups could learn a lesson from the Chattertocks here. And the percussion was really interesting! They know how to mix it up for greatest effect.
They also have a great degree of versatility. The tracks on this
album are really varied, and in every case they carried it off. This
includes quality soloists, of which they have many. This said, where
the Chattertocks really excel are in the more R&B-oriented,
soulful songs — Alphabet Street,
Thriller, One More
Try, Give Me One Reason.
They have the soul to do these songs really well, unlike a
lot of a cappella groups. In any case, this album is really high
quality — the sound, the recording, the whole package.
Rating: 8 (7.2)
This disc is a fine collection of sometimes tasty and almost always
tastefully done covers. The Chattertocks are putting out better
material than their male counterparts,
The Jabberwocks. The
percussion is solid and the group is blessed with a rather good bass
section for a women's group. At their worst, they turn out a dull
song or two. But they never actually get BAD. At their
best, they can turn rather plain song into a truly emotional
experience (such as One More Try and
Open Arms.) My main complaint is that
the Chattertocks should be doing more upbeat material — they tend to
find their own niche when doing upbeat and bouncy tunes like
Alphabet Street or at least brightly
sung arrangements like their cover of Human
Nature. The album seems to be calling out for more fun and
fresh material.
Rating: 8 (7.3)
Low voices, low voices, low voices. This is the outstanding,
unbelievable element of the Chattertocks which sets them apart from
all other all-female a cappella groups that I've ever heard (including
my own group!). The group has a huge range of notes which they
utilize in many of the songs, and when backing up a strong solo voice,
they run off with a great end result of a full sound and use of the 18
voices on the CD. They also have some really creative percussion lines
that set solid rhythms and a good ground to the song (as in
As I Lay Me Down). However, there are
two basic problems with this album. The syllable "ah" is used too
excessively, and if it were a good syllable for them, I'd let it
slide. But, it is the root of many pitch problems (they never go
sharp, only flat) and it adds heaviness to many pieces. They have an
eclectic choice of songs without any extremely upbeat ones, but the
bulk is contemporary '90s tunes. Even though there are some low scores,
this is a well-recorded album with some great soloists, some good
soloists, but no bad ones. The order of songs should've been
different, because the second half (after track 10)
is all slow.
Rating: 7 (6.5)
the chattertocks are one of the best female a cappella groups around.
their group is fortunate enough to have several real musicians heavily
involved, arranging, soloing, music directing. and they have soloists of
many different varieties, the pop stuff, the opera stuff, the more rockin
stuff. the arrangements are uniformly good, some better than others but
there's a modicum of quality throughout; mostly full and interesting and
complementary to the usually high quality soloist. the selection of tunes
on this album is excellent as well, surveying the pop music world from
sting to sarah mclachlan to prince to the cranberries to the fugees to
billy joel, etc. they also throw in a couple tunes toward the end which i
thought were some of the best, an old '50s rocker and an andrew lloyd
webber operatic version of pie jesu. very very nice
stuff, and very well performed. this group is cool. they've got
style, they're their own thing, and they sing real good. party down.
yes sir. go buy it and take some lessons.
Rating: 7 (6.2)
The Chattertocks have a great blend for a group of 18 voices. With a
powerhouse low alto section, not once did I find myself wishing they
had a guy to sing bass. The percussion, though frequent, was both
tastefully done and — like the rest of the album — mixed to what felt
like an appropriate volume. Nice production work — levels, effects,
and reverb were all utilized sparingly. Although the choice of
material was pretty predictable (some of these, like
No More I Love You's,
Elsewhere, and As I
Lay Me Down seem to be almost standards for this year's
female college groups), the arrangements fit the group, and most were
performed quite well. I only noticed a few tuning problems on the
whole album, and most of the soloists had a good feel for each
particular song and style. Occasionally the group falls into a style
which is more "churchy", where they seem to lose the feel and the
emotional "oomph" when striving for great tuning, and a couple of the
voices are obviously younger singers who need another year or two
under the belt to hold their own with the other voices. The
upper-class voices are strong, and their arrangements are skillful, so
that points to a good future for the group — provided, of course, that
they pass on some tidbits before they graduate!
Rating: 7 (6.8)
This track is a good example of what's to come.
The Chattertocks create a wall of sound, broken up by some interesting
moving parts that create some variety. The solo is appropriate and high
quality, and though it doesn't really sound like Annie Lennox, this just
adds to the overall effect. The well-done low-alto/"bass" part and
percussion, which stand out throughout the album, work well here.
Rating: 8
Well, I'm not sick of hearing covers of this song. Not yet anyway. I
am, however, sick of seeing liner notes that credit this song to Annie
Lennox. This is NOT an Annie Lennox tune! The whole
POINT of Medusa was that it was nothing but cover songs!
Credit the original artist! Anyway, pet peeves aside, This is a good
spin on the tune. The backing vocals do tend to be a bit too prim and
baroque (they're very deliberately going for that sound) but the
little girl's spoken word voice overs are cool. I suspect some of the
other reviewers might not like the spoken section, but even if you're
the sort of person to be bugged by that sort of thing, you still can't
argue with the little laugh she has.
Rating: 7
Here's a song that already doesn't do wonders for me. It's too overdone
by female (and mixed) a cappella groups, so it already puts a heavy weight
on how well it's performed. The introduction percussion is pretty good, but
the recording quality sounds like they're singing into a blanket. Great
soloist except for occasionally going flat. Some of the chord changes
aren't smoothed out between parts, (with moving "ah" syllables out of tune)
and I think the repetition in the song isn't a great starter for a CD.
Rating: 6
this is ok. some of the best percussion i've heard from a female group in
a long time, not cheesy somehow, actually sounds like percussion rather
than "doom doom doom" at a really high pitch. there're some wrong chords
in this arrangement, there's a really really strange interlude where
somebody comes in and talks over the group, there's a lot of pitchiness all
over the track, and the lead is a little broadway for my taste. overall
however, the arrangement is interesting and the song sounds pretty good.
Rating: 5
A nice opener — nice solo, good blend, well-mixed levels, and pretty
good tuning. Julie Maurin '98 does a remarkable job with the solo;
she's got a great feeling for the song, and she presents it with
conviction. I did notice a few tuning problems with the background
voices, but only in a couple spots. The spoken elements in the bridge
were a nice touch, too.
Rating: 7
This is a Sting song I've never heard the original of.
The arrangement is busy but not too busy, probably because everyone is
crisp so it doesn't get muddy. The strato-sax instrumental part adds a lot
of interest to the tune, because otherwise the verses pretty much follow
one after the other without much variation from one another. The soloist
has a nice voice, but pretty much follows in the pattern of the verses. To
say it plods along is too harsh for something with an otherwise cool sound,
but it's more repetitive than a lot of the tracks on the album.
Rating: 7
The percussion sounds a little tinny when it first comes in, but it's
quickly fleshed out by some fresh throaty sounds (the effect is
somewhere between a bongo and wood blocks). It helps keep this
stagnant Sting tune interesting to listen to. That and the nice alto
leads. Gwooosh . . .
Rating: 7
This song has an incredibly clean beginning until the high soprano comes
in. The syllable chosen doesn't match the song at all! She sounds like
she's trying to sing an aria over the Sting tune, and even if it's in the
original, it's way too squeaky. I really like the percussion in this song,
but at times it's too "in your face" and I'd like to hear the chord changes
more. Then again, the chords aren't that smooth, so maybe it's better this
way. Soloist has a nice quality to her voice, but she's boring to listen to.
Rating: 6
excellent percussion on this one, little 808 toms all over the place,
really nice. a couple rhythm problems here and there, and i'm not a huge
fan of this soloist, but the arrangement is also very nice; interesting
parts that could've been made much more interesting by the use of some
syllables besides doo, bah, bop, and ah. the soprano sax solo also leaves
much to be desired (i would've either arranged it for the group or ditched
it altogether), not much you can do with it by giving it to one person and
leaving them to struggle alone...
Rating: 7
A nice arrangement, though I think the percussionists could have
either tried some other sounds or just been mixed a tiny bit lower.
The soloist here ('99) carries the song well and will be a strong
voice in the group for the next couple years. I go back and forth on
the "strato-saxophone" solo: usually I really like it, but at times
(about one out of five listens) it's a bit much. A nice tune, and
thanks to the group for realizing that arrangements don't need to
include the chorus again and again.
Rating: 7
Ok, so my favorite musical artist is
Rating: 9
Much like the original song, the lead vocals stay so close to the
backing sounds that they sound like they're trying to hide. The leads
aren't getting lost. They're just tend to be extremely laid back.
When they do get passionate, they are tightly tied to harmony
sections. Either way, the focus stays on the song, not the singer.
And they harmonies are grabbing, so it all works out in the end.
Rating: 8
Great dissonant chords for the intro in this song, and each person holds
pitch very well. The soloist sounds a lot like Sarah McLachlan which is a
good thing, but she needs a little more expression. Amazing bass line in
the song, and it's hard to believe this is an all female group, because
there is a heavy richness to this tune. There are some spaces where
everyone breathes which need to be filled, even though some are intentional.
A few minor rhythmic adjustments in the percussion are rough, but the moving
"ah" chords move more smoothly than the previous tunes.
Rating: 8
good pitch on this one, and amanda's solo and arrangement are really really
good. again the percussion works for me. the alto ii's in this song are
basically baritones. it's pretty intense.
Rating: 7
Nice opening chords! Lovely treatment of the solo — great feeling and
a nice job switching between mellow and gutsy emotions. Percussion is
thankfully subtle, and the background chords are tuned nicely. A nice
arrangement that is carried completely by the soloist. Very pretty.
Rating: 8
The percussion intro to this was really cool. At the
beginning, some of the background parts seem almost a little too square for
the funkiness of the song, but they ease into the groove. In contrast, the
solo seemed almost a little too affected at times, but I bet it comes off
better live. It's a fun song though, which is something that seems to be a
priority for the Chattertocks — musical integrity with a good dose of fun.
Rating: 7
This is what the Chattertocks are all about. This Prince song is the
perfect song choice for them. It's up-beat and alternative and
playful. It makes you kinda wish there were more upbeat songs on
this disc. (Top Secret Note to Chattertocks — Art-stay istening-lay
o-tay a-ay oup-gray alled-cay "Oi-pay Og-day Ondering-pay".
Articularly-pay eir-thay irst-fay oo-tay iscs-day. Our-yay up-cay
of-ay ea-tay: art-smay, beat-offay, nd-aay beat-upay.)
Rating: 10
The first time I listened to this I was so bored. Then, the second time
I really, really liked this song. The arrangement is far from typical for
an all female a cappella group. The beginning percussion is some of the
best stuff on the album. Simply put — it has a great beat and an even better
"kick" to it. Once again, the basses (or alto II section) amaze me. The
"yeah yeah's" move really well, and the bah bahs (even though I don't like
the syllable) keep great rhythm with the simple high hat.
Rating: 9
this is a sweet little arrangement with tons of nice percussion, it also
features some syllables other than doo, which is a welcome change. yeahs,
wohs, etc. leave it to prince to give you a lot to work with for your
arrangement. the solo's alright, coulda been a little more intense for my
taste. this anitra brooks does some nice arranging, i gotta say, and
that's what makes this track.
Rating: 7
This one reminds me of The Blenders, with its "yeah, yeah" backups and
well-planned percussion. I could've used more of the quirky Prince
soul from the soloist, however — I find myself enjoying the alto
basslines, backup rhythms, and "come on" into the chorus more than the
solo itself.
Rating: 6
Oh yeah! It takes a lot of guts and an unconventional mindset
to do this song, and the Chattertocks just take it on and don't look back.
I can only imagine them live, singing and doing the monster dance moves
from the video (so if they don't do this, please don't tell me and ruin my
mental image!). This is a song of epic proportions, and just because of its
length a few problems slip in, but not enough to make a difference in the
enjoyment of the song. The biggest one is a quite noticeable flattening
during the Vincent Price part. But that speaking part is enough to make up
for it — pulling off a convincing spoken-word part is hard to do but Anitra
does it with style. Overshadows the soloist actually, who has a few of the
problems of being overly affected as seen in the last song, but not enough
to detract from the fun. Well, they were Prince and Michael Jackson songs
to begin with, so maybe I should cut them some slack.
Rating: 8
This took real balls to do. The original was corny and bombastic.
They run the serious risk of unintentionally exposing this song as the
goofy affair that it is. And for the most part, they manage to avoid
looking foolish. You also have to give them points for doing the
whole song, Vincent Price "rap" included. Not only does it not spoil
the song, it actually comes off well. A noteworthy feat considering
that most groups can't do the spoken bits of songs without sounding
like really bad high school actors. Anitra Brooks, who does most of
the spoken bits on this disc, gets a bit goofy and over the top at the
end, but she's got a great evil laugh.
Rating: 7
The "owwwwws" of the ghosts in this song get a little carried away in the
beginning, and they start to sound like warm-up exercises. The bass line
once again dominates, and the chorus of "thrillers" sound really great.
Where was the little "bridge" to the song? They just skipped it. The
backup during the "Vincent Price" solo goes way out of tune. Way out. The
biggest problem with this song? The soloist. She has a really nice voice,
and I don't want to criticize the method of choosing soloists for songs, but
she has no sense of "thriller" or terror in her voice. It's too pretty for
this song, and she sounds like she needs to swallow or something. The style
of this Michael Jackson classic was attempted with the background, but she
(even though she sings in tune and well) sounds nothing like the rest
of the piece.
Rating: 4
some pitch problems at the start, and some strange rhythmic problems
throughout. alto ii's (basses) rock this one. again not a huge fan of the
soloist, but diggin' the arrangement. it's filled with all the good stuff,
all the cool little lines from the jackson version. somehow the
chattertocks are the only female group that's figured out how not to sound
lame doing percussion. i was really liking the production, too (all the
effects and reverbs and screams and stuff), until i got to the vincent
price section when i felt like i heard an EDIT! aagh! this section also
falls quite flat (pitch-wise) and where's the bridge? "night creatures
crawling..."? that's my favorite part, and it was completely left out of
the chattertocks' arrangement.
Rating: 4
Nice percussion, and a great use of the low altos on bass. Although
the soloist seems to have mastered Michael's little quirky vocal
effects, it's obvious that she's one of the younger voices in the
group. Nice tuning, but simply a young voice without the "let it rip"
approach this song needs. And those are by far the nicest, cutest
sounding ghouls I have ever heard! Too sweet overall, not scary
enough. But a pretty darn good Vincent Price laugh at the end...
Rating: 5
They follow up such a unique thing with this Sophie
B. tune, which every a cappella group seems to want to do a version of. The
parts of this version that stand out from the others are the stellar
percussion and the cool chorus where the group drops out, leaving the
percussion under the soloist and a trio of harmonists (have I mentioned I
like their percussion? And is harmonist a word?) Aside from having heard
this tune a few too many times, this is a pretty good version of it.
Rating: 7
Here's how to tell this version apart from other covers in a blind taste test:
The beginning chords aren't settled, but once into the chorus, it sounds
much better. The deep percussion gives a "laying down to sleep" which I
really like. On the chorus the root of the chord is missing, and even
though this is often acceptable in an arrangement, here it leaves the sound
very hollow and empty. The Chattertocks like using "ah" for moving chords,
but they don't seem to realize that specific vowels pulls their pitch down
almost every time. Switching from "doo" to "ah" makes it more interesting,
but the backup in this song needs more dynamic variation and forward motion.
The chords just sit and sometimes overpower the solo.
Rating: 5
more nice percussion, but unfortunately it's on one of the most overdone
songs in women's collegiate a cappella. for the most part i've been
enjoying the chattertocks' selections, good variety and pretty much in one
direction, the poppy thang. competent solo, but i have to take exception
to this one. it's a bored tune. the arrangement's got some good moments,
but most of these are taken from the original recording. there's a problem
in the percussion, sometimes it's swung, sometimes not, and there's some
really bad pitchy moments once we reach about halfway and thereafter.
Rating: 5
This one gets a bit too high for the soloist at times, but for the
most part she does a pretty good job. Another apparent "song of the
year" for female collegiate groups to perform; the arrangement is
pretty straightforward and uneventful. A couple minor tuning
problems, but nice dynamics and "I got hope"s.
Rating: 6
This is a pretty imitative version of this song, down
to a dead-on Dolores O'Riordan impression by the soloist. The arrangement
is a big sea of "doo"s, with a few "ah"s thrown in for good measure. I could
have used more of something like the diy-yi-diy-yi-diy-yi part (most
noticeable leading into each verse but it continues throughout most of it,
pretty much covered up in the choruses) to break things up a bit. Instead
they add a few weird rhythms into the "doo"s toward the end which are just
distracting more than anything.
Rating: 6
It's breathy and unassuming. It ought to be bold and arresting.
Rating: 6
I'm picky about beginnings, and I have no idea what happened to their
first chord! At first I thought it was just the percussion, but soon
realized that it's a mess. The soloist has mastered the vowels for the lead
singer of the Cranberries (can't remember her name) but it's done very well.
The infamous "doo"s and "ah"s are back. Come on girls, you are a creative
group, so do something new. This isn't a great song to do a cappella
because it's so repetitive. The best part about this song is the range of
pitch. There is an excellent balance of low, middle, and high voice
blending, even though the descant line of the sopranos sticks out a little
bit.
Rating: 5
that cranberries tune where she talks about how her father "liked" her or
something. the soloist is a little weak in parts, faltering on pitches and
strength, but does the little irish cranberry crack thing pretty well and
in general has a pleasant sound. a nice arrangment with too many "doo"s and
too many pitch problems.
Rating: 5
An adventurous choice, to cover a tune that relies mainly on the
Delores O'Riordan's little vocal flip. There really doesn't seem to
be much else to the song itself, so it would be hard to make it very
gripping. A couple tuning problems between soloist and backup (mostly
when it's low in her range), but nice light percussion and dynamics.
Rating: 6
For a group with so many good-to-excellent soloists, this
one really stands out. Anitra (of Vincent Price fame) has a really warm,
rich, great low alto sound, and makes this solo her own. The arrangement
seems more soulful than the original, ex-Wham English-guy sound of George
Michael. I'm only a little distracted by some breathing issues in the
background "ooh"s — I can hear people drop out and come back in when they're
trying to create a continuous sound. But the background really showcases
the solo (oh look! — Anitra arranged it herself. Hmm...) with enough
variety to keep it interesting and some strategically placed echo/harmony
parts. This is a really long song (over six minutes!), but sort of like
sitting through the English Patient, you don't really notice until you look
at your watch right near the end.
Rating: 8
It's by George Michael — the one about the "teacher". A good song
choice for the group. The lead singer (alto Anitra Brooks) comes at
this with a the sort of passionate solo normally reserved for "Natural
Women". passionate solo. She deserves a CARA nomination for her work
on this song.
Rating: 9
This has to be the woman in the group who does all the amazing bass
lines, because her low C is incredibly solid. She sings this song with a
great deal of emotion and holds the simple harmonies in the right direction.
I really enjoy listening to her voice, because it has a lot of character to
it in such a basic arrangement. Since the song is percussion and voices
shifting chords together (and not much else) they need to be more confident
and in tune with the chord changes. I wish that they hadn't switched to
"ahs" because it weighted down the song and brought the pitch down.
However, other than the few unsettled chords, this is a strong piece for the
Chattertocks.
Rating: 8
here's anitra brooks' swan song, it seems. this girl has got it goin'.
there aren't too many singers in college a cappella that i give two shits
about. their solos, while they might be good, aren't the kind that you'd
ever want to hear again and again and which could survive on the radio.
anitra's got one of those voices. it's a voice that's a. really good,
pitchwise and all that, b. has a unique personality, and c. has a real
passion, a real range, real love. in addition to that, her arrangement is
at once beautiful, moving, and an excellent backdrop to her powerful lead.
unfortunately i feel that the group wavers around a really solid pitch
center throughout, and isn't as big and thick as they could have been
recorded. but i didn't really care, 'cause anitra rocks. anitra! you
rock. thanks.
Rating: 8
One of the strongest voices in the group, Anitra Brooks '97, does a
fantastic job with this solo. The reverb and levels on the backup
give the piece a nice far away sound, and the bass line is carried
nicely too. Good use of dynamics overall, and even a couple little
issues (tuning? vowels?) in the chorus don't make a dent in the
quality of the soloist's delivery.
Rating: 8
This tune uses the appropriately
funky percussion that we've come to expect from the Chattertocks. They use
their numbers to create a gospel choir-y sound in the harmonies which can
get really full, notably on the la la part during the bridge. There's a
nice cycle to the song, with the solo singing alone over the percussion
during the verses, then filling in the background sound on the choruses,
then going back to the sparser sound. This is a group that is not in a
hurry but takes their time and gets into a groove. Several of their songs
are pretty long (over 5 minutes), and I don't really notice because they
always get where they're going in a cool way.
Rating: 9
I heard the other day that this song isn't by Roberta Flack. Flack
was covering another artist. Which makes the Fugees version a cover
of a cover song. And this version then becomes a cover of a cover of
a cover. Anyway, this version is one of the better versions based on
the Fugees. It's got an inviting intro that they follow up with some
smooth spoken stuff over the percussion. It sounds a bit thin when
they put the lead vocalist out there with no harmony but lots of
percussion under her. And the group harmonies on the "la" syllable
sound a bit silly even though the chords are effective. Other than
that, this is well done.
Rating: 7
Here come the great low voices again, especially for the speaking in the
beginning of the song. The chords underneath the "strumming my pain" part
sound like there are some fundamental notes missing. The balance isn't very
clear, and here they have a very odd sound to the recording quality. It
becomes apparent who is standing in front of what mic, or where they are
located. It doesn't blend. When they all sing on the words, it sounds too
much like an all female chorus and not a '90s rap tune; they need a darker
vowel scheme and overall sound, which they have done on other songs. The
percussion is very solid. But, kudos to the group for picking a song that I
would think would really challenge an all female group.
Rating: 5
the fugees version. expecting to hate this: so far so good, nice
percussion, again. a really strong solo by janice patacsil (music director
'96'97), especially in the bridge, she totally turns it up at that point.
another strong soloist second only so far to the inimitable anitra. the
little backup things (one time, two times) get a little tiresome, but
amazingly aren't terribly cheesy as i would've expected. of course, the
little guitar thing that opens the verses is kind of obnoxious, but i'm not
sure how i'd've approached that in order to avoid the cheese... the
performance by the group is pretty tight on this one. diggin it. nice
simple arrangement.
Rating: 7
Hip-hop is a different approach than is found on the rest of the CD,
so that's a nice change in itself. A pretty adept version of the
Fugees' version of the song. Nice work by the soloist; it's a good
melody for her, and she does a great job with it. There's a nit for
me to pick with the liner notes — look it up, ladies. The Fugees did
not write this song. I know you're doing their version, but I hate to
see anymore people confused by this one and where it came from.
Rating: 7
This is one of the more repetitive songs on this album,
each verse pretty much going where the last one did and in the same way.
The most interesting and varied sound is in the chorus, but each time it
comes up it is pretty much the same. The solo is nice, and the ending is
pretty cool — they seem to be pretty good at putting a convincing and
memorable stopping point to each song. But otherwise this one doesn't
really stand out.
Rating: 6
This is a Much smarter song choice than Thriller. The percussion is
soft, all brushes and shakers, and the tight vocals are high and
sweet. It all ads up to a great overall sound.
Rating: 9
Two Michael Jackson songs — I think they should have stuck to one, because
a bulk of the album is '90s tunes, which both of these aren't. However, here
the soloist has a much better song in comparison to the original, and it's
not important to always match the quality of the original performer,
especially if that is not what the group is aiming for. Finally, a really
great syllable for the group: "zap". I'm really impressed with the
"za-za-do" line that the soprano does, because it blends right into the rest
of the background.
Rating: 9
bad pitch opens this one. the shaker gets a little abrasive after a little
while. a good arrangement with some jazz syllables (zop, bah-e-ya) in
there. the backups seem to drown the soloist in the choruses, but the
performance by the group is solid and huge. definitely dig the end as all
the parts slowly disappear, but this track seems to lack the overall
chillin' groove of the original, which is unfortunate. taking it a little
slower might've helped it affect a little more powerfully.
Rating: 6
A strong soloist, original arrangement, and interesting yet tactful
percussion make this one really work well. The soloist does a great
job carrying the tune, and she's supported well by the rest of the
group. If you wanted to get super-critical, you could listen intently
for the first soprano line and try to figure out if it's slightly
sharp or slightly flat, but I enjoyed the song too much to do that,
and you probably will too.
Rating: 8
I'm not really sure why anyone would want to sing a version of this
song. I mean, I owned my share of Journey records as a kid, but I
don't really talk too much about it publicly. It's a nice enough
arrangement, it actually may be as good an arrangement as you might
find of this song, and yet it still doesn't interest me. That and a
few weird harmonies that I can't quite figure out whether they were
written that way or whether it's a tuning thing (I'm guessing it's the
former, since they're consistently in pretty good tune, but it still
doesn't fit) make this my least favorite track on this album.
Rating: 5
A guys group would have killed this. (Hell, guys groups HAVE killed
this.) Journey was good, but they are corny in retrospect. But the
soloist comes at this material with a light touch and a very sincere
and credible performance that instantly de-stigmatizes the song.
There are no dramatic changes, but the lead (Janice Patacsil) still
makes it seem like a whole new song.
Rating: 9
What a slow, boring song for an a cappella group to do, and they slow the
tempo down even more! The "ah"s definitely don't do justice to a woman who
has a great solo voice for this song. With such a lack of rhythm in this
song (compared to the others on the album), it gets really old to listen to
after one verse. They do make some changes from one chorus to another, but
the changes don't make the piece any more exciting. The things that prevent
this from getting a very low score are a good soloist and the fact
that they are relatively in tune during the entire song.
Rating: 4
the old journey power ballad. what a fucking great tune. janice, again,
really strong and strident on the solo. i can't explain to you enough how
strongly i feel that an a cappella group just cannot rise above mediocrity
without strong soloists. the group's got to be made of virtually nothing
but. anyway... janice arranged this as well, and it's a competent
arrangement, but leaves a little to be desired in terms of building
intensity at the big parts and mellowing out in the small parts. but shit!
janice doesn't graduate 'til '99. she's got time. we've got time.
Rating: 7
Quite a good solo, even though it's a Journey tune! A choral
arrangement, but hey — what else could you do with it? The effect,
though, is similar to that of the King's Singers doing Beatles tunes -
you have to wonder if the style gets in the way of the piece itself.
Rating: 7
There are a lot of cool things about this arrangement. The song is
just 12-bar blues, and done too close to the original it could easily
slip into repetition. Luckily, the Chattertocks do lots of fun stuff
here. First of all, the percussion uses all the funny sounds you liked
to make as a kid — pops, ahs, tsts, and that cool clicking sound you
make pulling your tongue down from the roof of your mouth. The
background parts get changed every verse or two so you don't get
bored, and they never come too far forward, leaving the relatively
sparse open sound of the original intact. There is a guitar
interlude, but it works because it's evoking a guitar sound more
than trying to imitate one. The only thing that grates on my nerves
a little after a while is the guitar-y syllables that go throughout
(sort of bearn-bearn-nearn). As long as enough other stuff is going
on it's ok.
Rating: 8
Cool percussion. Great soloist (Anitra Brooks again.) But guitar
impersonation only reminds you that you're not listening to real blues
musicians, just some college kids.
Rating: 6
Great, great introduction to this song, and it gets even better as soon
as the soloist comes in with her rich, voice. Ah, the same woman from "One
More Try". She is a great asset to this group and brings her songs to life.
The "beeaw" syllable in the background emulates a guitar really well, and
the light "oohs" that come in give the song fullness. Again, they switch to
an "ah" sound, and I think the group hasn't realized how many times they use
this, and how many times it pulls the pitch and sound of a song down. Solid
percussion that is well balanced with the rest of the singers, and the
guitar solo, even though a little rushed, are great.
Rating: 8
anitra sings the solo, she's bad to the bone, although when she lands at
the ends of her phrases on the root and vibratos out, it's kinda weird and
broadway-ey. but she's also the only reason that i didn't get bored by the
end; the arrangement is fine, but needed some kind of change, some kind of
building, something different to carry us from verse to verse to verse to
motherfuckingverse. the only way to succeed with a repetitive blues tune,
in my mind, is to go nuts with the arrangement, and this is pretty staid.
Rating: 6
Anitra is back with another well-sung solo, on top of a great
arrangement. The percussion is interesting, but the fills between
verses drew my ear away from whatever else was going on. Even though
I cringed when I saw "guitar solo" in the liner notes, it was done
well and just long enough. The soloist does a nice job dealing with a
song that basically is in ABABABABABAB format.
Rating: 8
Here begins the "Now for something completely
different" portion of the album. This is a King's Singers arrangement of a
Billy Joel song. It shows off the versatility of the group pretty well -
they're very tight here, very crisp on their entrances and cutoffs.
Dynamics and dramatic pauses are used to good effect. Interestingly, the
solos here didn't seem to measure up to the more choral aspects of the
song. And they went flat, but I didn't notice until I tracked back to the
beginning and heard the original key, so I don't see it as too significant.
Rating: 7
This works best when it's a choral arrangement. When the various
soloists come in, the rest of the group shifts into a less than
exciting "oooo" mode of singing. It doesn't exactly flatter the
soloists either. But listen to it for the choral work (and check out
the phat "bass" lurking in the mix!)
Rating: 6
The one arrangement the group didn't do, and boy — it sure is obvious.
This sounds nothing like the rest of their songs whatsoever, even though it
is a beautiful song. I could not believe the low voices again, because a
low G below low C is unheard of for most women. I would have liked more
dynamics in a song where every chord moves together. The first soloist
brings the pitch down, but it remains steady until the third soloist comes
in. She needs to suppress her vibrato for the color of this piece. They
do, in fact, maintain a good balance, and this is a ballad that holds well
simply for the beauty of the piece.
Rating: 5
this is a kings' singers arrangement. FUCK! the fucking low altos hit a
LOW G! like a bass style g! holy shit! i was really pretty much digging
this until the soloists started coming in. it was just unexpected and
mixed wrong and pitch begins to drift flat at this point (an amazing thing,
since the low altos are then singing f#). anyway, this is a truly
beautiful, beautiful song the way billy joel does it, and this just wasn't
for me. moments were nice, but they were few and far between. also, the
mix was just plain not right: eq on the "doo"s enhanced the d's too much, and
the solo sections were all over the place.
Rating: 3
The King's Singers' arrangement of the Billy Joel song (Thank you for
proper liner notes). Two more young nervous soloists, one that's too
low, and a couple nicely done. The 'Tocks put forth a nice treatment
of this arrangement; good tuning, nice blend, and holding the
suspensions just long enough.
Rating: 7
A really short Steven Wright spoken track, just
an intro to the next song.
Rating: none
It's the intro to the next song. It's credited as being a Steven
Wright creation. I don't get it. It's nice that they gave it its
own cut, although it's so short it wouldn't detract from your
enjoyment of "Little Green Bag" had it been on the same track.
Overall, it doesn't add anything to the album for me.
Rating: none
I don't know where this came from, but her low voice is great, and the
fact that it's a separate track from the next song is perfect. You can skip
it, but it's so short I don't know why anyone would want to.
Rating: 9
this is from the soundtrack to reservoir dogs? i think. anitra can speak
low. neato... this is an intro to the next track...
Rating: none
[Not reviewed]
Rating: none
This song has a fun, cool retro sound to it. It
sounds like it should be on the Pulp Fiction soundtrack. It's driven along
by prominent bass and percussion parts and a nice varied background sound
of "doo"s, "ooh"s and "ah"s, with some "shoo-be-doo"s thrown in for
good a cappella fun. I can't really discern all the words in the
solo, but she seems to have the right attitude. Just a fun little
song.
Rating: 7
This chugs along nicely enough. But it doesn't really get fun until
the last leg of the song.
Rating: 6
Great beat to this song, but unfortunately, those "ah"s are back. Guess
they use it as a trademark? I really like the swinging bass line in this
song with the "shaker" percussion. They had a lot of fun with this song,
because the energy of the soloist trickles down to the rest of the group.
Very clean, solid key change in the middle of the song which is just enough
variation for the listener. Without the "ah"s this would have been
excellent, but they are a large part of the song.
Rating: 7
fun little arrangement by anitra, cool syllables, shoops and stuff. good
groove goin'; heather hunt's solo (m.d. '95-'96) is very appropriate and
very very good. word up. yeah. yeah. i like this one. fun and groovin
and solid pitches and a good solo and a full arrangement and a different
choice of song and yes yes yes. sometimes the ones we think are throwaways
turn out to be totally cool...
Rating: 8
Don't ask me why there's a Steven Wright-type intro to this track;
I've no idea. I would've left it off, myself — unless there's some
inside joke or reference I just don't get. Could be me... Anyway, a
good solo, with a mix of '70s groove and latin salsa.
Rating: 7
This Andrew Lloyd Webber song has the same sort of
atmospheric sound as the Billy Joel track, but the background singing just
isn't quite as crisp as that one. Here the background is almost entirely
"doo"s, and they just don't always line up. The solos here are truly
angelic, though. It has a beautiful sound, but is really repetitive from
verse to verse.
Rating: 6
It's odd that Andrew Lloyd Webber wrote this religious piece, since we
all know that Webber is THE ANTI-CHRIST! Seriously folks (and that's
not to imply that I wasn't serious about Webber being a hellspawn
sent here to torture music lovers) this is well-rendered. I can't
think of any recording of any Webber piece that ever sounded so
PRETTY. But that doesn't keep the material from dragging.
Rating: 6
Broadway finds its way onto the Chattertocks CD. (don't get me wrong,
I'm a big fan of music theater!) Even though this sounds more classical
than Broadway (which is fitting for "Requiem", the musical it's taken from)
it still is an odd addition to the CD. The soloist goes out of tune on the
high notes, and the harmony is sung with enough confidence. They get better
throughout the piece. And the lower harmony is a much better sound as far
as balance with the soloist. The "doo"s are boring and just sit on each
chord change, but they have a nice soft-loud-soft dynamic to them which adds
more style.
Rating: 6
this is the andrew lloyd webber version. this should be interesting...
kate matsutani and amanda hawk's solos on this are truly beautiful, but
they're mixed a bit too up front and separate from the rest of the group.
the arrangement is beautiful as well, although i would've chosen something
softer than the harshness of the d's in "doo" for the main syllable in the
backups, maybe some hums or something. otherwise cici hunt's (heather's
sister?) arrangement is quite nice and moving. somehow this track fits
with the rest of the stuff on this album. and talk about choosing a song
for your repertoire specifically for a couple of your operatic soloists:
good call, good call, good call. wish more groups were that intelligent.
Rating: 8
Ah, yes. Andrew Lloyd Webber's Pie Jesu. The group does
a nice job with this one — gently flowing dynamics, good blend, and of
course the required two lovely soloists. Maybe a bit more of the
reverb on the soloists would've been nice in spots. I think it's just
that I've heard this song several dozen times too many. 8 for the
soloists, 5 for whoever decided to put this on the album.
Rating: 7
The intonation on this one sounds a little funny
on this track, and they give off an almost nasal sound in parts. This is a
more traditional choir-y arrangement that they do a good job with — very
crisp and tight. They do nice things with dynamics, silences, and tempos.
Rating: 7
As far as I can tell, they do this song on every album (or at least
they did it on the last CD). I guess it's their signature piece. I
don't have a problem with doing the same song on every album. But you
would think that they would have come up with a better arrangement by
now, wouldn't you? This is sometimes glee clubish, sometimes rushed,
sometimes Andrews Sisters-esque. But it is never emotionally convincing
or even interesting. Maybe they should have ended the CD with a
different song — this and Pie Jesu make this disc end
not with a bang, but with a wimper.
Rating: 5
This is probably a Chattertocks traditional song. Except for some really
harsh, bright vowels which sound like they are mocking the tune, this simple
song without percussion is well done. The change in tempo is a smart move
on the Chattertocks' part, because it would be boring if they hadn't. The
biggest problem is that it ends the CD which is extremely anti-climatic.
Rating: 7
uh, ok. this is traditional homophonic old school college a cappella.
this one i would've left off, not because they do it badly, they don't, but
it doesn't add anything to the disc, and it's not like there aren't already
enough tracks. whatever whatever.
Rating: 6
Interesting choice for a closer to the disc. It's definitely a
different style than the rest of the disc, so there's that... But the
delivery is pretty stiff and cold overall. Come on — it's jazz! I
can see the conductor pounding the group through this one, beat after
march-like beat. It's too bad; there are chords that could be nice if
they'd stop to relish in them (though if you've got 18 singers, add a
couple more notes to some of those chords). The arrangement could use
a little tweaking, and the performance could use a lot.
Rating: 4
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