Concert: Naturally 7 Live in Singapore

Hey everyone, sorry for the short hiatus. Life has been taking a toll lately with a lot of clashing events. With that out of the way though, here's my take on Naturally 7 - LIVE in Singapore.

I should begin by saying that I've been following Naturally 7 on Youtube for quite a while now. I distinctly recall that my first exposure to the group was watching their Wall of Sound video..and being struck with a profound sense of disbelief that all of those sounds were, as they advertised, made with only their voices. So I began searching for more clips, especially clips of them singing live. Unfortunately, most clips on Youtube are of too poor quality to properly appreciate - more often than not, they are outdoor recordings and very spotty in terms of audio.

I then found out that they were coming to Singapore, and I was elated. At their concert, I was blown away.

I've watched a couple of modern A Cappella greats onstage before - The Swingle Singers, The Real Group, M-PACT - and none of them match Naturally 7 in terms of pure energy and stage presence. The packaging of the performance is a high priority for them, as could be seen from the personalities of the individual singers shining through during the course of the concert.

Naturally 7 regards themselves as a 'vocal band'. By their definition, it goes beyond merely imitating instruments - by their reckoning, they become the instruments. I heard trumpets, drums, harmonicas, electric guitar riffs and distortion effects. What amazed me was that even though it was clear that electronic effects were applied to enhance and touch up the sound, the human element never disappeared.

This is not to say that their roots aren't deeply entrenched. Midway through the concert, they gave a heartwarming story of their origins, and sang a couple of songs without the aid of anything other than simple condensor mics. The blending of their voices and the undercurrent of emotions in their singing was A Cappella at it's simplest and most wonderful. It showed their versatility and range, proving that they are indeed deserving of the numerous awards they have achieved.

My personal highlight of the concert was when the group performed Wall of Sound. Seeing my first exposure of Naturally 7 was watching that piece on Youtube it amazed me to see it pieced together, layer by layer, right before my eyes. Watching professionals use the loop pedal (a piece of technology I've secretly wanted to experiment with forever) and literally loop an entire song into being was one of my most memorable A Cappella experiences yet.

Did I enjoy the concert? Yes.
Was it a great A Cappella experience? Most definitely.
If they come back to Singapore, would I watch them again? A resounding yes!

Listening Recommendations: Barbershop Quartets

A while ago I was doing a web-trawl, searching for nice a cappella songs to listen to.

The vast majority of uploaded clips - low-quality recordings of live performances by school or college a cappella groups - are rather out of tune or have imbalanced parts. Although it was refreshing to hear today's chart-topping songs such as Timbaland/One Republic's "Apologize" and other familiar recent songs such as Imogen Heap's "Hide and Seek" re-arranged for a cappella, I wanted to hear a live a cappella performance without, well, cringing.

The answer is obvious. Type "barbershop" into the search bar! Barbershop music, if sung well, is very lovely for its smooth chords and the way all the tones blend perfectly to sound as if each of the singers has the same voice. The singers are perfectly co-ordinated: their pronounciation, duration of each note and even their style, such as the way they lilt the notes, are by today's standards astounding. Think "Hide and Seek" without the computerised sound.

Two of my favourite quartets are the Chordettes and the McGuire Sisters.

Okay, I veer slightly off topic now. They aren't classified as a cappella groups (their chart toppers were not a cappella songs), but were two famous music acts way back in the past. When co-ordinated harmonious singing was popular with mainstream audiences.

The following is the Chordettes' hit song which most should already know:


This is the McGuire Sisters with another barbershop quartet. Try searching for "Sincerely" or "Sugartime", two of their popular hits.


Well, the following isn't barbershop per se. But it did include a short barbershop quartet prelude. Enjoy.

Concert: Naturally 7 @ Singapore Mosaic Music Festival

Sunday, 22 Mar 2009, 7.30pm.

From the Mosaic Music Festival website:

"To call Naturally Seven an impressive live performance would be a huge understatement... the performance could have brought down a stadium." - The Lonely Note

From bellowing brass to thumping bass, scratching vinyl to ripping drum solo, every sound that you hear from Naturally 7 emerges from their mouths - naturally. For the hugely-talented US-based, seven-member ensemble does not play musical instruments but delivers its full-bodied music with the most natural instrument of all - the human voice.

Standing out from the plethora of a cappella gospel and R&B groups in the American music scene today, Naturally 7 kicks the late 90s' urban sound up many notches with what it calls "vocal play".

Specifically, impressive instrument mimicry and vocal acrobatics in flawless harmonies, the group's vocal play sees its members swapping leads and beats while replicating the sounds of diverse instruments to create full rhythm tracks and the sound of a full band in an artful blend of various genres of music - gospel, R&B, jazz, funk, hip-hop, rap, soul and beatboxing.

The impact of Naturally 7's music, best experienced live, has inspired standing ovations and rave reviews through the group's five-album career and its tours throughout Europe and the USA. Today, Naturally 7 is stronger than ever, continually evolving to include diverse "instruments" and sounds while staying true to its love for music, its powerful, "sticks and stones can't break these tones" (Wall of Sound) delivery, and its uplifting messages of hope and empathy.

Naturally 7 is Garfield Buckley, Rod Eldridge, Warren Thomas, Jamal Reed, Roger "N'glish" Thomas, Dwight Stewart, and Armand "Hops" Hutton.

Tickets are still on sale, with limited concessions available for students and NSFs. If you need to be convinced that this gig is worth going to, visit Youtube for more of their videos.