If you’ve been reading this site for any length of time, you’ll
\nremember what I, along with other reviewers, have said about live
\nalbums. Sometimes, they’re the most difficult things for a
\nperformer to attempt; how does one try to recreate a visual and
\naudio experience into an edited version that one can only hear?<\/p>\n
In the case of Rockapella, I find it actually to be a
\ndisadvantage that I’ve seen them live. Their latest release,
\nIn Concert<\/i>, tries to capture the magic of a typical live
\nshow from this a capella quintet, but it falls short, despite many
\nenjoyable moments.<\/p>\n
The biggest thing missing from this disc is the interplay
\nbetween the band and the audience, ranging from between-song banter
\n(which shows how much Scott Leonard and crew enjoy what they do) to
\npulling someone out of the audience for their rendition of “Pretty
\nWoman”.
\nIn Concert<\/i> pretty much is a rapid-fire delivery of vocal
\nmusic without those brief but necessary breaks. (I have yet to
\ndiscover if the corresponding home video includes any of these
\nmoments.)<\/p>\n
If I had any complaint about
\nIn Concert<\/i>, it would be the way that some of the group’s
\nmaterial doesn’t sparkle like fans know it can during this
\nperformance (taped for a PBS special – something Leonard notes in
\nan ad-lib during “Dancin’ In The Streets”). Songs like “That’s The
\nWay” and “Blah Blah Blah” (the latter of which features bass
\nvocalist Barry Clark getting a dig in on music critics – thanks,
\nBarry) literally crackle with energy on their studio versions – and
\nhaving seen Rockapella perform, I know they can make these songs
\ncome to life on stage. On this disc, though, something is missing;
\nthey don’t have the same kind of energy one might have expected.
\nAlso, a personal gripe – where is “Doorman Of My Heart”? Yeah, I
\nknow the boys couldn’t have gotten away with using the phrase “kick
\nthe ass” on PBS, but I still miss this song.<\/p>\n
The other aspect of
\nIn Concert<\/i> that can’t be translated from the live show is
\nthe way Rockapella can project themselves without the use of
\nmicrophones. Since this was being recorded, the group is forced to
\nuse them during the medley of “Up On The Roof \/ Wonderful World,”
\nbut there is nothing more powerful than seeing the band take the
\nstage and perform this selection without any type of amplification
\n– and hearing every word.<\/p>\n
If one thinks that
\nIn Concert<\/i> is substandard for Rockapella, there are moments
\non the disc which are sure to please. Crowd-pleasers like “Where In
\nThe World Is Carmen Sandiego?” and “Zombie Jamboree” are pulled off
\nwell, and Carl’s solo on “16 Tons” is always guaranteed to put a
\nsmile on one’s face.<\/p>\n
If you are unable to see Rockapella when they come to your town,<\/p>\n
In Concert<\/i> will suffice, but it doesn’t quite match up to
\nbeing there and hearing the show unfold in front of you. Rockapella
\nis an incredible group to see live;
\nIn Concert<\/i> only captures a portion of the whole picture.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":28111,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"artist":[6295],"rating":[5612],"class_list":["post-39506","review","type-review","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","artist-rockapella","rating-rating-b-minus"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/39506","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/review"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39506"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/39506\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28111"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39506"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"artist","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/artist?post=39506"},{"taxonomy":"rating","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rating?post=39506"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}