In December of 2008, I was at work, with the radio tuned into the
station playing all Christmas music, all the time. A version of The 12 Days of Christmas
came on, and at first I didn’t pay much attention, as it’s one of those
songs that tends to annoy me more often than not. But then I realized
that there was something significantly different about this rendition -
that its purpose was, in fact, to skewer the song as thoroughly as
possible while joyously tearing through the Christmas carol catalog,
taking as many merry melodies down with it as possible. I love
Christmas music; if it were considered a genre in and of itself, it
would be my favorite genre. But this song celebrated and mocked
simultaneously, and by the time Toto’s Africa showed up in the
last verse of the song like a bolt out of the blue, I just about
collapsed laughing, grateful that I had no customers in the store at
that moment to observe my descent into lunacy.
The name of the
group was Straight No Chaser, and I was hardly the only person to latch
onto their extraordinary performance of that song. It became a YouTube
sensation, then hit the radio waves, leading this one-time college a
cappella group to cut a full Christmas album, and then another, and,
most recently, a third album for any ol’ time of year. I’ve listened to
the Christmas albums with relish but have yet to add them to my
collection, so With a Twist became my first Straight No Chaser
purchase. I suspect it will soon be followed by concert tickets, as
they’re coming to Erie in November and something tells me that I won’t
want to miss that. But for now, I’m content to listen to the brilliant
harmonies of this fantastic choral group - Ryan Ahlwardt, Walter Chase,
Jerome Collins, Seggie Isho, Michael Luginbill, Charlie Mechling, Dan
Ponce, David Roberts, Randy Stine and Tyler Trepp - who breathe new life
into classic songs with their inspired, instrument-free arrangements.
I’m Yours / Over the Rainbow - These two songs go together so well that it seems like they were always written to be a medley. The Wizard of Oz
anthem has experienced a resurgence in popularity lately thanks to the
wonderfully mellow Hawaiian-styled version by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole,
which he matches up with Wonderful World. I’ve always felt I’m Yours had a very Hawaiian sound to it, and it complements Over the Rainbow as perfectly as Wonderful World.
Instead of a medley celebrating the joy of life in general, we get an
ode to the beauty of romantic love, and every time I listen to their
carefully articulated rendition, I am impressed again at the intricacy
of Jason Mraz’s rhyme pattern. A wonderful group effort and one of my
favorite tracks on the album.
Tainted Love - A fun,
slightly dangerous-sounding track. I’ve never been a huge fan of the
song, and it’s one of the tracks I’ll sometimes skip, but they still do a
great job with it, with Luginbill standing out as the soloist as he
does in the first track.
Don’t Dream It’s Over -
Ahlwardt takes the lead in this inspirational song that is one of many
on the album that seem to have a lot of resonance with LOST,
though it may just be that I can’t help seeing everything through that
lens nowadays. Smooth and encouraging, it acknowledges the inevitability
of difficult times but offers assurance that the good will prevail.
Fix You - Luginbill and Collins share soloist duties on this Coldplay anthem, another inspirational song that has even deeper LOST
resonances. For me, it sounds like a song from Christian Shephard to
his son Jack. Both are “fixers,” which is both a good and noble thing
and a liability. But this is about a renewed, repentant Christian trying
to reach out to his broken son: “But if you never try, you’ll never
know / just what you’re worth. / Lights will guide you home...” In any
event, it’s a lovely song, and of all the individual voices in the
group, Collins’ smooth, soulful tone is the one I find the most
soothing.
You’re My Best Friend - A very peppy, upbeat
number that gives each of the guys a chance to shine individually. Just a
summery, feel-good song. I haven’t latched onto this one quite as much
as some of the others, but it’s a great song, and Queen’s rich harmonic
sound is wonderfully suited to their style.
The Living Years - Probably my favorite track on the album. I always really liked this wistful song that, like Cat’s in the Cradle,
reads like a cautionary tale against fractured father-son
relationships. This one somehow feels more hopeful, and almost has a
gospel flavor to it. While Harry Chapin’s classic focuses purely on the
failure of one broken relationship, the speaker in this one spends the
whole song reflecting and actively encouraging the listeners to learn
from his mistakes. Again, there’s a whole lotta LOST here, and
it’s easy to imagine Jack being the speaker, regretting his lost
opportunities to communicate clearly with his father. “I wasn’t there
that morning when my father passed away. / I didn’t get to tell him all
the things I had to say...” Ahlwardt does an absolutely beautiful job
with the lead vocals, and I love both the staccato percussion, which
sounds like the persistent patter of raindrops, and the tight harmonies
on the chorus driving home the message.
You & Me & the Bottle Makes Three / Single Ladies
- Guess we needed a bit of a break after the solemnity of the last
track. This one is a jazzy ode to drinking mashed up with Beyonce’s
maddeningly catchy ditty that just won’t go away. Ponce and Collins are
the lead vocalists on this one. It’s fun but frivolous and another one
that I sometimes skip, though I love some of the deep-voiced
interjections during the first portion of the song, as they remind me of
Rockapella, the first group to make me fall in love with this style of
music.
Wonderwall - This Oasis song was popular when I was in high school, but it wasn’t until the third season of LOST,
when it became Charlie’s personal anthem, that I really came to love
it. Now I can’t listen to it without being reminded of the intense
relationship between this washed-up rock star and the frazzled Scottish
sailor who believes it’s his duty to save him from an unfair fate.
“Maybe you’re gonna be the one that saves me...” The soulful qualities
in Collins’ voice are especially evident in this song, which is about as
close as any track comes to being a pure solo effort, though of course
as always his vocals are enhanced by the harmonic backing of the rest.
Joy to the World
- Ahlwardt, Trepp and Chase share soloist duties on this unusual take
on the Three Dog Night hit. Straight No Chaser‘s version is even more
repetitive than the original, and it has an interesting minor tone to
it, along with some strange rhythmic choices. It almost doesn’t sound
recognizable, but it’s fun to hear such a familiar song performed in
such a new way.
Under the Bridge - This song, oddly
enough, was one that was introduced to me by Weird Al Yankovic.
Despondent but ultimately hopeful, it’s another one that benefits from
Collins’ stirring vocals, and another one that reminds me of LOST’s
Jack, this time recalling his darkest moments when he was contemplating
suicide in Los Angeles. “I don't ever wanna feel like I did that day. /
Take me to the place I love, take me all the way.”
Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You - Like Joy to the World,
an enthusiastic new take on an oldies staple. Collins again takes the
lead here, but this is a very harmonically dense track, so it’s more of a
group effort than many of his solo turns. Another very feel-good kind
of song that gets more complex as it goes along.
One Voice
- This makes a neat capper to the album because Barry Manilow joins the
guys, taking the lead vocals himself, later to be joined by Collins and
Luginbill. It’s an extremely fitting way to end this album, as it’s all
about voices joining together. The lyrics are a wonderful tribute to
what makes Straight No Chaser so impressive, while also encouraging
listeners to add their own voice to the chorus, whether literally or
metaphorically. Some of the most intricate harmonies on the album are
appropriately found here. “All it takes is one voice / Singing so they
hear what's on your mind / And when you look around you'll find /
There's more than one voice / Singing in the darkness...”
If
you dig a cappella music, you’re sure to find Straight No Chaser a
delightful addition to your list of favorite artists. And if you’ve
never listened to much music in this style, give them a shot; you might
just fall in love with them as so many folks did when that little video
of their decade-old Christmas performance made its way onto YouTube.
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