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Straight No Chaser is an excellent male a cappella ensemble born on the Indiana University campus in 1996. Their first holiday release Holiday Spirits was a big hit (reviewed here); now Christmas Cheers is their impressive follow-up. It's more of the same, and I mean that in the most positive way.

Technically, these ten guys have nicely lined up their ducks. Stylistically, the ducks walk their row perched between serious musical excellence and frothy fun. In the end, the offering effectively combines both. Every track exudes sharp humor and cleanly-executed musicality.

The creative pop arrangements are complex and entertaining. A few pieces are relatively subdued and "straight" (Holy Night, Christmas Time Is Here); others are entirely nuts. In the latter category, We Three Kings of Orient Are opens with the classic "Mission Impossible" theme line and includes reggae stylings; Donde Esta Santa Claus rocks to the Beatles' "Do You Want to Know a Secret?" melody; and Elvis shakes things up in Santa Claus Is Back in Town. And the album opens with The Christmas Can-Can, which covers everything, including the kitchen sink. I particularly enjoyed the jazzy scat treatment of God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen.

If you love a cappella harmonies splashed with fun, Straight No Chaser's Christmas Cheers should be your drink of choice. Salut!

--Carol Swanson
(Reviewed in 2009)

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From the liner notes:

Straight No Chaser is:
Ryan Ahlwardt
Walter Chase
Jerome Collins
Seggie Isho
Michael Luginbill
Charlie Mechling
Dan Ponce
David Roberts
Randy Stine
Tyler Trepp


Produced by: Straight No Chaser & Deke Sharon
Executive Producers: Craig Kallman & Steve Lunt
Recorded by: Dave Weber & Chip Reardin
Mixed by: Dave Weber
All tracks Recorded and Mixed at: Airtime Studios, Bloomington, Indiana
Mastered by: Tom Coyne at Sterling Sound, NYC


From the Website:

If the phrase "male a cappella group" conjures up an image of students in blue blazers, ties, and khakis singing traditional college songs on ivied campuses... think again. If, on the other hand, it conjures up campy college ensembles singing joke versions of "Like A Virgin" in boxer shorts... think again.

Straight No Chaser are neither strait-laced nor straight-faced, but neither are they vaudeville-style kitsch. As original member Randy Stine comments, "We take the music very seriously; we just don't take ourselves too seriously." In the process, they are reinventing the idea of a cappella on the modern pop landscape. Originally formed a dozen years ago while students together at Indiana University, the group has reassembled and reemerged as a phenomenon - with a huge fanbase, millions of viewers on YouTube... and a contract with Atlantic Records. In an era when so much pop music is the product of digital processing and vocal pro-tooling, Straight No Chaser is the real deal - the captivating sound of ten unadulterated human voices coming together to make extraordinary music that is moving people in a fundamental sense... and with a sense of humor.

In the fall of 1996, Indiana University was a rarity among colleges - a campus without a single a cappella group, where other schools often had multiple ensembles (Yale boasted 15!). So ten students came together to remedy the situation - hand-picked by group founder Dan Ponce not only for their outstanding voices, but for their personalities. Standing alone, they knew they had to stand out to succeed. Purposefully avoiding the stereotype of the traditional college a cappella group, they treated themselves more like a local band that just happened to use their voices as their instruments. As Dan recalls, "We needed to be a group that would blend in terms of both sound and character."

Straight No Chaser

Christmas Cheers

Artist link

Track List