|
Page 1 of 2  In recent years, we’ve seen a major influx of collegiate vocal groups. The driving forces of CASA (Deke Sharon and his ground-breaking crew of Ambassadors), along with Mainely A Cappella (Don Gooding and his ensemble of talented folks who have brought us the ICCA and IHSA), are to be commended for opening our ears to a seemingly limitless offering of talented groups from literally coast to coast.
The group I had the pleasure of reviewing are the Midnight Ramblers from Rochester University. Every group that forms wants to record an album (oops, dating myself), a DISK or DISC if you’re a media purist. It has become commonplace for almost every collegiate group to trek off into unchartered space where it’s all new, all experimental, all fun. And while I appreciate the “what will they think of next?” treatment of cover songs, they’re not all “gems.” Add to this a group that has placed 15 people on a recording. Now we have a mini-chorus. With this size of group you open yourself to inherent problems like trying to achieve a tight unison, and solo work that doesn’t sound “stock.” Basically, it’s tough to create “pretty music” when there are so many minds at work. I’ve heard too many times, each person trying to gain focus when it should be on the soloist or vocal percussionist or the “air bass” player. You get the idea.
This CD offers up a very eclectic list of selections. The a cappella envelope is being pushed here. From the arena-filler band Phish, to still-rockin’ Billy Idol, there’s Coldplay, and The Killers represented here too. I have to point out that there ARE enjoyable moments on this CD. I’ll start with the ensemble singing and the non in-your-face presentation. There is an unpolished sound throughout cuts number 1, 2 and 6, so much so that the group sounds like beginners at harmony/ensemble singing. The vocal percussion is very crisp from all three participants; TOM KRAUS, MATT ROE and DAVID SOSON. Great job! The percussion drives the selections, keeping the songs interesting and with the true feeling of an orchestrated or sampled piece.
The solo work is especially nice from ADAM FETZER on “Rebel Yell” and from MATT ROE on “Mr. Brightside.”
The comical “Don’t Whiz On The Electric Fence” is a cute sampler, but not long enough and there are some chords that need defining. I can hear where the arrangement wanted to go, but it didn’t get there. The offering from Phish called “Grind” is a mix of barbershop and glee club, but again, the song is too short. Then the group comes back with a nice treatment of “Stuck In The Middle With You”, which sounds like the song the audience calls for at local performances and must certainly be their closer.
Let me speak to the voices for a moment. The mid-range voices try to out-sing each other, while the basses need some refining to sing like “real” basses and not just try to sound like a bass or imitate what they think a bass is supposed to sound like. The bass voices get strident and too buzzy at times. The tenors need some help with pitch and that “sing pretty” phrase rings true here. Once again, I am impressed with the solo work on cuts # 2 ("Mr. Brightside"), #5 ("Rebel Yell") - my favorite cut on the CD, and #11 ("Stuck In The Middle With You").
There’s a bonus track of “Afternoon Delight” ala Will Farrell as his role as Ron Burgundy in the movie "The Anchorman". There is also a brief outtake. This all comes into play about 2 minutes after track #11 has ended.
The packaging is nice and the use of the elements of the transistor radio (speaker, transistors, the case of the radio, etc.) are all nice touches. It’s tough to read the black lettering over the audience on the inside of the booklet, and the song titles on the back tray card are really tough to read. I had fun reviewing this offering from the Midnight Ramblers. Why not give it a listen and see what you think? I wish them continued success and thoroughly encourage them to continue singing and sharing their music.
TRACK and TITLE LIST
1. SIMPLE - Phish
2. MR. BRIGHTSIDE – The Killers
3. NO SURPRISES – Radiohead
4. THE BENDS – Radiohead
5. REBEL YELL – Billy Idol
6. GREEN EYES – Coldplay
7. ANTHEM OF OUR DYING DAY – Story of The Year
8. THE WANDERER – Marc Broussard
9. DON’T WHIZ ON THE ELECTRIC FENCE – Ren & Stimpy Show
10. GRIND – Phish
11. STUCK IN THE MIDDLE WITH YOU – Stealer’s Wheel
• Bonus Track – Afternoon Delight with Dialog
To order: http://www.midnightramblers.org
 Add as favorites (42) |  Quote this article on your site | Views: 2269
|
