Choir was a big part of my life growing up. Each year in middle school, our class would put on a recital singing songs about Christmas or spring. In high school, I participated in concert choir (called Honor Choir), which led to stints at district choir and State Music Contest. And in undergrad, I was lucky enough to successfully audition for 2 university choirs (I also auditioned for the university’s jazz choir, but my scat-singing sounded like a baby blowing one big, long raspberry). I was a complete choir nerd, and proud of it.
So naturally, I was excited to see last year that Fox had developed a delightful little choir show called Glee, and that it had become a gigantic success. It was becoming cool again to be a choir geek, whether it was because of the hot football players, the lovely-and-talented-yet-annoying Rachel Berry, or the hilariously intimidating villain Sue Sylverster and her one-liners about Will Schuester’s hair. Yet while the show’s hype was well-deserved, not ALL of the choir geek resurgence credit went to Schuester and the gang. Someone else got there first.
Right around the time that Glee’s first season was being filmed, singer-songwriter and cult music hero Ben Folds was developing a little choir geek project of his own. Released in April of 2009, Ben Folds Presents: University A Capella! is a compilation of various university a capella choirs around the country singing Ben’s songs. The only exceptions are two tracks where Ben himself arranges and sings a capella. But since this project was a compilation album that wasn’t going to garner any radio play, and not a TV show on one of the biggest networks in the world, it sadly went under the radar.
Yeah, yeah….I know Glee is about high school choir and University A Capella! puts the emphasis on collegiate choirs. Just work with me here, kids.
It should also be mentioned that making the album helped get Ben the gig as one of three judges for the NBC a capella group show The Sing-Off, which has already had 2 very successful seasons, and will probably come back later this year.
So without further ado, let’s dive into University A Capella!
"Not The Same"; The Spartones (UNC-Greensboro): This R&B choir brings an interesting soulful vibe to Ben’s homage to a friend who got high at a party, climbed a tree, and came down a born-again Christian. The background singers overpower the male lead in a few spots, but they blend well together in the bridge and again towards the end. Plus, I’ve always liked this song. Grade: A-/B+
"Jesusland"; The Loreleis (UNC-Chapel Hill): The original—from Ben’s 2005 album Songs For Silverman—was used in Bill Maher’s documentary Religulous. This version is beautifully sung by the all-girls choir The Loreleis. The lead has a slight tremolo in her voice, but it enhances the overall quality of the track. The backups provide an interesting mix of middle and low harmonies, along with light vocal percussion. It’s a very well-done performance that is among my favorites on the album. Grade: A+
"Brick"; The Leading Tones (Ohio University): It was this very performance that inspired Ben to do the album in the first place. He heard this recording, and got permission from the university to use it without needing the all-male choir to rehearse it more. It’s a little strange hearing the R&B spin on it, but the soft lead vocal and light backing vocals work well with the story of the lyrics. Grade: B+
"You Don’t Know Me"; With Someone Else’s Money (University of Georgia): I absolutely love the work of the background on this song. It’s bouncy, the baritone part is incredibly catchy, and the soprano take-over during the bridge is musical chocolate—sweet and light, yet simultaneously smooth and rich. As for the two leads….the male lead sounds scarily just like Ben (in a good way), but the female lead sounds nothing like Regina Spektor. Which isn’t bad; it just makes the lead vocals lack a little oomph. Grade: A-
"Still Fighting It"; Mosaic Whispers (Washington University in St. Louis): This performance shows more traditional choral elements, mixed with the vocal percussion of R&B groups. The male lead has an excellent voice that exhibits the emotions that the song requires, and the background, though a tiny bit on the loud side, uses an even balance of male and female harmonics. Grade: A
"Boxing": We take a break from the choirs and go to a track from Ben Folds Five’s eponymous debut that has Ben himself singing with an unnamed backing choir and some lady singing opera (?!). Ben and the choir blend seamlessly, but the lady is a bit of a distraction at times. Still, it’s a creative choice. Grade: B
"Selfless, Cold, and Composed"; The Sacramento State Jazz Singers: This choir was the perfect choice to cover this song. The original (from Ben Folds Five’s Whatever and Ever Amen) is extremely jazzy, with intricate piano riffs and a jazzy bass line, and this choir portrays the original beautifully. It’s the longest track on the album, but there are enough fascinating things going on that I don’t want it to end. The female lead exudes an interesting simplicity in her voice, the harmonies are flawless, and the scat-singing is absolutely delicious. Well-done, guys! Grade: A+
"Magic"; The Voices in Your Head (University of Chicago): Ok, first thing’s first: Best. Choir. Name. EVER. That alone gets major points from me. Second, this is such an ethereal-sounding song that requires just great voices without fancy riffs and vocal percussion. And this group definitely does it justice. There is not a hint of R&B here, nor is there an actual lead vocal….just beautiful blends, wonderful harmonies, and lots of dynamics. Grade: A
"Landed"; The Buffoons (University of Colorado): This all-male choir does a great job on this cut from Silverman, though I have to say that the lead vocal sounds like a weird mix between Death Cab For Cutie front man Ben Gibbard and Owl City. That’s not a bad thing at all, but it does stand out significantly more than the backing harmonies. Grade: B+
"Time"; The Princeton Nassoons: Yet another song from Silverman, and this all-male traditional choir gives it a very collegiate, alma mater-esque vibe. The lead vocal has a heckuva voice, and the backing harmonies help bring it out even more. Gorgeous. Grade: A-
"Effington"; This is the other track that has Ben doing his own a capella arrangements, and while the original is somewhat giggle-worthy, this version is even more so. The backing vocals are bouncy and almost clown-like, which emphasizes the song’s silliness. The kids saying the opening and closing lines are a cute addition as well. Grade: A-
"Evaporated"; The Newtones (Newton South High School): This is the only group on the album that is from a high school, and it shows for the most part. They do have a very nice blend and good vocal percussion, but their overall performance leaves me a bit cold. Technically, they are very impressive, especially with the variety of voices they use for the lead vocals. However, they definitely lack the maturity of the other groups. It also doesn’t help that I’ve always thought this song was a little on the boring side. Grade: C+
"Fred Jones Part 2"; The Gracenotes (The Westchester University of Pennsylvania): This is the poorest fit between choir and song choice. The all-girls choir sounds lovely on the backing vocals, but the lead vocal has way too much of a tinny quality, and sometimes comes off as Tiny Tim in an earthquake gargling vinegar. It just doesn’t sound pleasing to the ears at all. But like I said…the background sounded nice, especially on the bridge. Grade: D+
"Army"; The Midnight Ramblers (University of Rochester): Just the fact that a college choir dropped the f-bomb in a song is enough to make me spray my monitor with Diet Dr. Pepper. But this whole track is just a big ball of hilarious fun that you can jam to in your car. The lead vocal injects the lyrics with a very subtle sarcasm, while the backing vocals completely rock out, especially on the bridge (where the original had a big brass solo). I also love the ad-libbed “real American hero” at the very end. Grade: A+
"Fair"; Eau Claire’s Fifth Element (University of Wisconsin): There is so much going on in this track. The lead vocals are solid, but the backing vocals become the real star of this performance, using a great bass line, subtle references to past Ben Folds songs (there is a lyric from “Zac and Sara” thrown in there, as well as a couple other songs), and some catchy falsetto work on the chorus. It’s another totally fun track that you don’t want to end. Grade: A+
"The Luckiest"; The Amateurs (Washington University in St. Louis): We end the album on a traditional choral performance on Ben’s ode to his family from Rockin’ the Suburbs. The background vocals sound like they’re performing in a church and singing to the heavens, especially when they blend with the lead on the chorus (that’s a good thing, in my book). The lead vocal has an absolutely wonderful range, and this song is an excellent showcase for it. A beautiful choice for a closer. Grade: A+
And there you have it! Despite a couple of hiccups, this is a really enjoyable album, and I’d love for there to be a second volume some time down the road. I do admit that I had thought Ben would be performing all the songs with the choirs all in the background, so this sound was a little unexpected at first. But what a concept, and what an impressive collection of talented choirs! And I’m willing to bet that even Ms. Sylvester would enjoy it.
Recommended songs: “Jesusland,” “Army,” “Fair,” “Selfless, Cold, and Composed,” “You Don’t Know Me,” “The Luckiest,” “Still Fighting It”
Until next time….LONG LIVE CHOIR GEEKS!!! HEEEYYYOOOO!!!
