I think I've made it obvious that I'm a long-time Will Cabaniss (or Asher Blank) fan and an even longer fan of UC's Voices in Your Head. The primarily original Begin Again is on the list of my all-time favorite a cappella albums and why I said it "borders on being a masterpiece" in my review of the album several years ago. Sing for Myself still gives me chills to this day. So the group (VIYH) is adept at performing original tunes. But they are equally as masterful in producing heavenly choral tracks. I could list a few here, like the international collaboration Remedy, but Burn is one of my favorite tracks period. Not in a cappella, just period.

So we come to the latest endeavor between these two powerhouses with the release of Now I'm Listening, an original choral work by Cabaniss and UCLA Scattertones alum Carly Cosette. It's still effectively brilliant writing, especially in how the lyrics often reflect the song structure ... "the texture of your voice" and "the way we harmonize" give added weight and color to the preceding lines around them to emphasize and enliven the music even more.

The song is sung very well with lots of dynamics, which is good because this is much more of an "art" song than a pop tune. There aren't a lot of hooks, so you have to really be "listening" to fully appreciate all that is going on and how great it is. There are some clipped lines right at the beginning that I think should have been elongated more to add to the atmospheric element of the track, but it only takes me out for a moment.

While this isn't my favorite piece of music to come from VIYH, Now I'm Listening is undeniably an awesome song. I'm waiting patiently for the other sensory-themed tracks that will make up the eventual album.