Day 3.282: SONOSings

Some of you will remember that I wrote a rather gushing review of our night at The Linda seeing the a cappella group Sonos perform. After the concert was over, I managed to secure one of the four CDs they had brought with them and I think it is only fair that I write a quick review. The summary is as follows: it is great but flawed.

Let me start by saying that the song choice is wonderful - not obvious choices but a very varied collection of really lovely songs. The first track is a great example "Re: Stacks" by Bon Iver. I may have heard it (apparently it was used in House M.D.) but I definitely knew nothing about either the band or the track. The performance is close to classic a cappella - no beat-boxing or special effects just six vocals interlocking, providing accompaniment and harmony in turn weaving a tapestry.

The second song is the Radiohead track that was the reason we went to see them, "Everything in its Right Place" It is a good version, but reveals one of the problems with the recording project. Everyone knows that with a little technology voices can be made pitch-perfect and to sound like almost anything so the magic gets a little lost - it's like listening to drums and keyboards and knowing it isn't doesn't quite bring back the magic of seeing the six of them producing their music with just their voices on stage.

On the third track they were joined by its writer and original singer Sara Bareilles and they do a great job with her track - I start to feel some of the energy we saw in them live here. Although I have to say that wonderful though Sara's voice may be, Jessica gave just as compelling a rendition when they did this live.

Next comes "I want you back" - but this is nothing like the Jackson Five version of the song. Here they show their arrangement skills brewing something dark and desperate from the same ingredients that became sweet and smooth in the Jacksons' hands.  "I was blind to let you go..." Really good.

"Again and Again" (The Bird and The Bee) is probably my favourite - although along with the next track "Little Bird" it has some of the  issues with over processing and resulting coldness.

Imogen Heap's "Come Here Boy" turns up the sensuality - just as it did live and is followed by the only song that I prefer on the CD compared with the live experience, "Enjoy the Silence" by Depeche Mode.  Both lovely lovely lovely.

The next two tracks are compelling but are the point of greatest divergence from my usual musical taste a track by neo-soul composer Lewis Taylor and one by Rufus Wainwright.

Probably the track we wanted to hear again the most after the live experience is up next "Joga" which has no right to be as good as it is being sung by someone other than Björk.

The album ends as it started with a beautiful and simple and relatively traditional a cappella version of Fleet Foxes' "White Winter Hymnal" which seems to be a foreshadowing of their next CD - with a 'Holiday' theme which is out in a few weeks and will, I hope, join our rapidly expanding collection of good mid-winter festival music - joining Tori Amos and Sufjan Stevens and the iTunes download of "A Fairytale of New York"! I will let you know how it stacks up.

I would love you all to buy or download and listen and tell me what you think but if you have the chance to see them live - do not miss out  - that is where the magic really happens.