My song of the week is The Butts Remix by Home Free.
Home Free is a wonderful, and adorable, country a capella group that’s not afraid to be a little bit silly.
I went to their concert a few weeks ago and just before the intermission Tim, the bass vocalist, said something along the lines of, “Earlier we sang All About That Bass, but just in case you don’t believe that Home Free celebrates curves – here’s a whole medley about butts.” Naturally the crowd went wild!
And it was so delightful, I was laughing the entire time. So when I got home I tried to find decent videos on YouTube, but it was impossible. Camera phone speakers cannot due the a capella group justice.
So when I saw that they made a music video of the medley I was downright giddy and watched it immediately.
It was everything I wanted it to be 🙂
Favorite Lyric: When Rob raps to Sir Mix-a-Lot, it’s magical.
Just a couple more days until Santa magically breaks into a bunch of homes! So in light of the holidays my song of the week is another Christmas song from Pentatonix’s new album, That’s Christmas to Me. Why? Because they’re amazing.
I’ve discovered that a lot of people are not familiar with Mary, Did You Know? Or at least they weren’t until the Pentatonix music video came out. Personally I grew up listening to it, I remember my mom singing it for the church when I was little, and I was OBSESSED with Mark Lowry, a stand-up comedian and the songwriter, for the bulk of my middle school existence.
The Pentatonix version captures the feeling of the Mark Lowry original, particularly in how they build to a large chorus and scale it back by the end of the song. They kept true to the original while putting their signature spin on the orchestration, especially just before the bridge.
In short, it’s beautiful.
Favorite lyric: “And when you kiss your little baby you’ve kissed the face of God”
It’s no secret I’m a hardcore fangirl of Pentatonix. I’ve loved them since their debut on The Sing Off, I’ve seen them live 3 times (so far), and they just keep getting better. The whole That’s Christmas to Me album is spectacular, but the stand out number is their arrangement of Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy.
It’s incredibly intricate and dynamic. They took an iconic song, made it their own, and stayed true to what made the song awesome in the first place. I may not have been a Choir Nerd but I was a Band Geek, so I couldn’t help but have the goofiest smile on my face when I first heard the subtle crescendos, bell-like staccatos, and the swell that leads to Mitch’s high note.
The music video is like a dark light show with a touch of humor. Prepare to hit the repeat button.
Favorite lyric: “Not applicable as there are no words :)”
The first EP entitled PTX, Vol. 1 by the a capella group Pentatonix is officially out. Go buy it! All of you, its sheer genius.
WARNING: these singers will make you feel extremely untalented (but in a good way).
I pre-ordered this album weeks ago and was incredibly thrilled to see it had automatically downloaded into my iTunes (no waiting, excellent). When I watched this group on NBC’s The Sing Off last season they stood out in a way that no a capella group ever has, and trust me I’m an a capella nerd. They were modern, attractive, seemed genuinely nice, and have every possibility of creating a buzz that will make them well-known in the mainstream market.
Here’s what makes them so special, they break the boundaries. They come up with unique arrangements, can pull of vocal dub-step/techno as well as pop, r&b, hip-hop, and virtually whatever genre they feel like singing, but most of all each of their band mates has equal importance. Most the time when watching an a capella group perform there is the clear star, everyone else seems to fade into the background while they get all the attention and praise. With Pentatonix everyone shines at all times, they are a team that works together. Plus their bass and beatboxer (who also gets props for knowing how to play the cello) are crazy awesome.
When I started listening to the EP I thought, this is so epic! Followed shortly by, how do they get their voices to do that? And from that point on this album is all I’ve listened to. To give you a taste of this brilliant group I’ve posted their first music video below, which also happens to be the first track on PTX, Vol. 1:
The rest of the EP is up to the same caliber of technical quality regarding their arrangement as well as entertainment. My only complaint is that it’s only seven songs long. When they release a full length album I’ll be giddy as hell, like a kid at Christmas, unable to sleep the night before from the excitement.
Classy With a Twist 