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I hold a cappella recordings to a high standard. Unaccompanied music often has a stark, hard edge to it. How could it not? The human voice is pressed to do its own job plus the work of all the guitars, pianos, brass, and percussion the sophisticated listener expects. A tall order. So, I probably rolled my eyes when Acoustic's Cool Yule arrived in the mail. But lo.

I was quite and pleasantly surprised to find Acoustix's winter work engaging and entertaining--and with no discernable hard edges! And although they softened their sound with brass and keyboard accompaniment on several tracks (a wise production choice, in my opinion), this assistance only added to the power and musicianship displayed on their a cappella arrangements.

Beginning the set with a burnished brass rendition of Steve Allen's all-too-rarely-recorded Cool Yule, they proceeded to hit the highlights of pop Christmasdom--You're a mean one, The Christmas Song, Little Saint Nick--all the usual suspects. Highlights include a retro vocal arrangement of The Christmas Song, featuring Wendy Wilson DeCrow; an assist from The Vocal Majority on the Pine Cones and Holly Berries/It's Beginning to Look a lot like Christmas Medley; and Kaye Thompson's Jingle Bells, a peppy little arrangement of a pitiful song usually found hiding behind Jingle Bell Rock.

Fresh and clever throughout, Acoustix's swinging Christmas record is guaranteed to bring a smile to the face of even the most hard-hearted critic like myself.

--Richard Banks
(Reviewed in 2002)

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From the liner notes:

Acoustix, one of America's premier a cappella groups, has been electrifying audiences since 1990. The foursome has been featured on NBC's Today Show, TNN's Statler Brothers Show, CNN, ABC, and two PBS Specials.

Wendy Wilson is a frequent guest vocalist with the Vocal Majority. A music graduate of the University of North Texas, Ms. Wilson spent several years teaching music and now works as an educational consultant for a textbook publishing company.

The Vocal Majority was founded in 1972. This all-volunteer, a cappella performance chorus is composed of more than 100 men from a wide variety of jobs and professions. It has won more international chorus competitions than any group in history.

Acoustix

Cool Yule

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Track List