Tag: a cappella

New York Vocal Collective | Weak

“The three members of SWV all came from New York. Like so many of their peers, those three singers came up singing gospel,” (Stereogum). “SWV never had a gimmick. Their name stood for ‘Sisters With Voices,’ and that was also their sales pitch. They were all ferociously gifted singers, but they were also approachable young around-the-way everywomen, known primarily by their nicknames. When SWV were at their best, you could tell that they were all real-life friends, though their friendships eventually frayed in the old, expected show-business ways. For a couple of weeks, those three young women had the most popular song in America (‘Weak’).”

“The New York Vocal Collective (brings) together a group of vocalists (balancing) tight ensemble work with individual artistry.” (Broadway World) … ” … (showcasing) what happens when strong singers are placed in a collaborative, high-level a cappella environment, with a focus on both musical precision and emotional connection. The New York Vocal Collective functions as an advanced training ensemble, pulling together singers to workshop, rehearse, and ultimately perform a set of fully arranged contemporary a cappella pieces. It’s not just about blending voices … arrangement, dynamics, and storytelling within a group setting … “

While SWV’s 1993 original version of “Weak” featured a single key change, NY Vocal Collective’s cover, arranged and directed by Ben Bram, features several upward steps. After beginning in F# major, the tune hits its first half-step key change at 2:13, followed by an upward cascade after the bridge (3:07 – 3:17), ending in C# major.

Vox One | Whisper When I Speak

“Vox One’s evolution from talented Berklee College of Music students to one of the best vocal jazz a cappella groups in the world (and now Berklee professors, all) is one of rock solid jazz chops, experimentation, and a commitment to the music, the listener, and to each other,” (group website). “Founded in 1988, members Jodi Jenkins-Ainsworth (soprano), Yumiko Matsuoka (alto), Paul Stiller (tenor/vocal drums), Paul Pampinella (baritone) and Tom Baskett (bass) have clearly honed their sound and their stage presence through the years, only improving with time. At times, one member or another has gone off to pursue their individual passions, but they’ve come back together with the same lineup, and the listener is luckier for it.

Vox One has toured the US and internationally, opening along the way for Ray Charles, Chicago, the Persuasions, The Bobs, The Woody Herman Orchestra, and The Count Basie Orchestra. Jazz is in the DNA of all they do, but you’ll also hear elements of blues, funk, gospel, and folk. Beloved classics and sparkling originals are all done a la Vox One. While lush voicings and complex reharmonizations are stock in trade for the group, improv is also a staple of the Vox One show, where the group deftly creates full songs on the fly. Each improv is a one-time performance, something shared in the moment between audience and performers.”

Vox One’s 1999 release Say You Love Me included “Whisper When I Speak” runs in D major for two verses and choruses, harmonically sidesteps quickly during a short bridge (1:54 – 2:03), then returns to D major for another chorus. At 2:27, the track shifts up a half step for another chorus, growing from a whisper indeed to the quintet’s full sound.


Kings Return | After the Love Has Gone

“Grammy-nominated a cappella group Kings Return, made up of vocalists Vaughn Faison, Gabe Kunda, JE McKissic and Jamall Williams … (focus on) a mix of genres, including gospel, jazz and pop, and feature songs from their new album, Rove,” (Dartmouth.edu). “The group is well-known for videos posted online of their rehearsals in the stairwell of a Dallas church. ‘[The group] just happened to go in [the stairwell to rehearse],’ Faison said. ‘It sounds nice. It wasn’t anything that was preplanned. We tried going up and down [the stairs], but it doesn’t sound the same. It’s a three-floor stairwell; we’ve gone to the bottom floor and it doesn’t ring the same, especially when we’re singing ballad-y or classical. [The stairwell] allows everything to ring out really nicely.’

… Given that Kings Return found their start as undergraduate students themselves, one of the group’s main goals is to inspire students. ‘We’ve been inspired by so many that came before us,’ Williams said. ‘It’s cool to use all of the training that we gathered over the years and come together to be an inspiration. The future is in [students’] hands, so we want to make sure we’re doing our part to put forward positive energy.’ The group believes education is essential to art, and hope that by making themselves visible, kids might be inspired to never stop learning. ‘They won’t give up learning music if they see someone who looks like them or grew up like them reading off of sheet music,’ McKissic said. ‘We love giving back to students; music education was a big part of how this group formed.'”

The quartet’s cover of Earth, Wind + Fire’s legendary R&B power ballad hit, “After the Love is Gone” (1979), written by David Foster, Jay Graydon, and Bill Champlin, is marked throughout by harmonic and rhythmic precision that would be impressive even if the tune stuck to one key. But in addition to EWF’s complex original, Kings Return’s version features a striking intro and outro that are fully new and original to their arrangement. After the tension-filled, close-voiced intro, the verse begins in F major with a bass voice feature. At 0:59, the tri-tone shift to B major leads us into the multi-key chorus at 1:08. At 2:50, the stairstep climb up to a bouquet of keys, landing momentarily in B major on “found.” The pattern of EWF’s composition continues until 3:22, when the groove falls away and the arrangement suddenly veers away from the original.

Frank Ticheli | Earth Song (Young New Yorkers Chorus)

American composer Frank Ticheli on his 2004 work, Earth Song: “‘ … the music … first appeared in a work called Sanctuary, for wind ensemble,'” (FredBock.com). “‘As I worked on that piece, I just kept thinking this music is just begging to be sung by a chorus. The music is so vocal in and of itself. It was also written during a time when we were sort of stuck in the Iraq War when everyone – regardless of what political side they were on – was tired of that war, and so Earth Song was written to be very pro-peace. I guess you could also say anti-war and anti-violence. It was a cry and a prayer for peace.

Earth Song means different things to different people. I know for me, it sprang out of an intense weariness of war and a wish for peace. The second half of the poem talks about music as a comforting force and a refuge. When I was bullied as a kid, music was my refuge. I often thought about bullies in relation to this piece as well, because that’s where violence starts. But music is a place where people can find acceptance and love – and it can often be their saving grace. And it’s not just choir that people can find that comfort – it’s band, it’s orchestra… it’s just people coming together to make music.'”

This 2025 performance by the Young New Yorkers Chorus was conducted by Justin Duckworth. Earth Song is built primarily in F major. But at 2:50, a soft-spoken but profound G major chord breaks the spell; a repeated E major chord then upends the tonality yet again as the piece draws to an end.

Many thanks to longtime contributor Mark B. for this beautiful piece — his fourth submission to MotD!

Sing, Be, Live, See.
This dark stormy hour,
The wind, it stirs.
The scorched earth
Cries out in vain:
O war and power,
You blind and blur,
The torn heart
Cries out in pain.
But music and singing
Have been my refuge,
And music and singing
Shall be my light.
A light of song
Shining Strong: Alleluia!
Through darkness, pain, and strife, I’ll
Sing, Be, Live, See…
Peace.

Pentatonix feat. Hiba Tawaji | Hark! The Herald Angels Sing

MotD holiday standby Pentatonix released their seventh holiday album, Holidays Around The World, in 2022. The record, which won a Grammy for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album, songs from many different cultures. Hiba Tawaji, a Lebanese singer, is featured on this track. It begins in D, shifts up to Eb at 1:20, and up another step to F at 2:07.

Straight No Chaser | I Pray on Christmas

Straight No Chaser has become one of the most prominent professional a cappella groups in the United States after starting as a student group at Indiana University in 1996. They have released numerous holiday albums, and “I Pray on Christmas” is featured on their 2023 record Stocking Stuffers. The song was written and first released by Harry Connick Jr. on his 1993 album When My Heart Finds Christmas.

The tune begins in A and modulates up to Bb at 2:00.

Home Free + Straight No Chaser | Somewhere In My Memory

Home Free, an American country a cappella group, released Any Kind of Christmas, their third holiday album, earlier this year. The group rose to prominence after winning the fourth season of the NBC reality-singing competition The Sing-Off in 2013.

“Somewhere In My Memory,” originally written by John Williams for the 1990 film Home Alone, was nominated for a Grammy and an Oscar. Home Free’s cover features the Indiana-based a cappella group Straight No Chaser, and is the final track on the album. It begins in Bb and modulates up to C at 4:12.

Voctave + The Swingles | I Am What I Am

MotD favorite Voctave teamed up with the renowned a cappella group The Swingles to record “I Am What I Am,” Jerry Herman’s gay anthem from the 1983 musical La Cage Aux Folles. Now based in the UK, The Swingles have been active since the 1960s, when the group formed in Paris, and have released dozens of records and won five Grammy Awards.

The track begins in B major, modulates up a step to Db at 1:36, and then up another half step to D at 2:23. There is a final shift up to Eb at 3:06.

Voctave | On A Clear Day (You Can See Forever)

MoTD’s favorite a cappella group Voctave’s latest release is a cover of “On A Clear Day (You Can See Forever) from the 1965 musical of the same name. The song, written by Burton Lane and Alan Jay Lerner, was made famous by Barbra Streisand in her recording for the film adaptation five years later.

Voctave’s arrangement, by Jamey Ray, features actor/singer Tituss Burgess as the soloist. Beginning in Db, the tune modulates strikingly to F at 2:23.