Taiwanese group SURE Singers sings us their jazzy single, Vavayan, in an aboriginal language of Taiwan, Paiwan. This group packs a lot of musical power into this dynamic arrangement by Peter Huang, though at times, this power leads to problems with balance.

I'm captivated by the sound and musicality of the background vocalists. They emphasize the nasality and diphthongs of the vocables to create an instrument-like sound while maintaining a strong blend — you can tell how much work they put into singing every sound with the same shape and articulation. And they're complemented effectively by Malelay Lelehmane on vocal percussion.

However, there are several balance issues in this track. I can't hear the soloist very well for most of the track because the background singers overpower them. Partially, this is due to the soloist, Ingrin Chen, singing in their low range against the others in more powerful parts of their ranges. Moreover, Chen's quiet, airy timbre can't cut through the bright, focused timbre of the group. Starting in the second chorus, someone doubles Chen an octave up, and it helps a bit. A similar issue happens with a soft-spoken speaking (rapping?) part towards the end of the track — I missed it the first time because it was so relatively quiet in a busy texture. Not even editing by Alex Green and mixing and mastering by Bill Hare can fix inherent balance issues like this. I can't help wondering whether raising the key or altering the arrangement would have helped alleviate this issue.

Even with these critiques, Vavayan has that spark, that groove, that fire that makes you want to listen. It's an intriguing first offering by SURE Singers that showcases the group's potential and niche as well as room for growth.