Buffalo-based South Creek Revival delivers an impressive rendition of Greyson Chance's My Dying Spirit. While the cover is essentially genre-neutral, the arrangement is dynamic, the background singers are engaged, and the solo is very pleasing.

Interesting, unique, and varied vowel choices, dynamic swells, and ebb and flow are just a few of the elements teeming throughout Josh Carter's inventive arrangement, which does not seek to imitate the original's instrumentation but represent a vocal version. The voices support the soloist appropriately throughout the journey, and Carter, also the soloist, is very easy to listen to with a clear and pleasant timbre.

My biggest qualm is more of a quibble: the neutralized genre is a bit off-putting, as it affects the emotional range and capability of the song. As a classically trained singer myself, I know this criticism all too well: sometimes completely pure vowels are not the most expressive where non-theatrical music is concerned. The purity of diction and delivery without twang or scoops cheats the soloist some intensity and charge. While nothing is technically incorrect about it, there's a sanitized feeling where something more rawly defining could be, which impedes the overall impact.

That said, for the many hats donned here, kudos to Josh Carter: My Dying Spirit is a delightful listen, and one I recommend to anyone looking for a new tune and journey to delve into.