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Brightly-executed a cappella music rocks my world, and An Octave Above's Come on and Take a Sleigh Ride is a fresh entry in the field. This crew of eight professional singers provides polished performances of twelve familiar favorites; the selections lean towards the more contemplative, and the treatment tends to incorporate a jazzy touch.

What a great opening! Sleigh Ride is fun, sophisticated, and cleanly-executed with multiple, overlapping tempos and rhythms. Not easy for a cappella voices to remain in sync, but An Octave Above pulls it off. The fulsome number (over four minutes) is satisfying. In fact, the relatively lengthy treatment of each cut sets this release apart from most holiday offerings.

The singing is impressive, and the harmonies are richly woven throughout. The Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming/In the Bleak Midwinter medley is a fascinating, lightly jazzified homage to two of my favorite holiday numbers. The piece features fine solo turns by Jennifer Gingrich, Lamont Lambert, Chris Moan, and Meredith McGuire. The blend of melancholy minor chords is exquisite, and the two carols interact seamlessly. And McGuire's solo on Go Tell It on the Mountain shimmers with sweet soul.

For the most part, this offering features soloists backed and flanked by the other members' supporting harmonies. Only the first and last (the elegantly syncopated We Three Kings) tracks have no designated soloists, and these two probably top my list for the album. For me, the beautiful balance of multiple voices blending as one mighty instrument lift the number to a higher plain, and An Octave Above manages the feat with precision and aplomb.

Nice! Come on and Take a Sleigh Ride is a fine addition to a cappella holiday releases. Those who cherish unadorned vocal harmonies for Christmas should look for--and listen closely to--An Octave Above.

--Carol Swanson
(Reviewed in 2009)

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From the liner notes:

An Octave Above:
Jennifer Gingrich
Meredith McGuire
Melinda Voss
Debra Wilder
Nick Falco
Chris Moan
Lamont Lambert
Kris Monn

Recorded & Edited at Back Third Audio, Aurora, IL, & Full Circle Creative, Lisle, IL


From the Website:

An Octave Above is a group of eight professional vocalists who blend years of experience and a love of a cappella harmony to every style of music they sing. From doo-wop to jazz, standards to pop, Bacharach to The Beatles, An Octave Above creates a new standard for excellence on the Chicago music scene.

Three of An Octave Above's members also sing with the Chicago Symphony Chorus and one sings with both the Chicago Symphony Chorus and the St. Charles Singers. An Octave Above members have earned degrees in music and vocal performance from Elmhurst College, Northern Illinois University, and Bradley University.

An Octave Above has quickly established themselves as one of the hottest a cappella vocal groups in Chicago. They have competed in the Harmony Sweepstakes A Cappella Festival Chicago Regionals, where they were awarded 2nd place in 2008 and 2005, and 3rd place in 2006. They sang the National Anthem at a Chicago Cubs game at Wrigley Field, a Chicago White Sox game at U.S. Cellular Field, and a Chicago Bulls game at the United Center. In 2003, 2004, and 2005, they were the featured guest artists for the Elgin Symphony Orchestra's annual "Holiday Joys" concert. In 2003, they opened for award winning jazz vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater at the Elmhurst Jazz Festival. In addition, they have been featured at performance venues including FitzGerald's in Berwyn, the Prairie Center for the Arts in Schaumburg, Townhouse Books Café in St. Charles, and have also held private performances at Molly Malone's Irish Pub and Skelly & Skelly's in Forest Park, The Galleria Marchetti in Chicago, and Orchestra Hall.

Inspired by The Real Group, The Swingle Singers, Manhattan Transfer and The New York Voices, An Octave Above is versatile, eclectic and always wonderful. Listen once and you'll be transposed...An Octave Above.

An Octave Above

Come on and Take a Sleigh Ride

Artist link

Track List