Music Review: Acappella America by Acappella

Stars: 5 out of 5
Pros: Fun takes on classic patriotic songs

Cons: A couple odd choices

The Bottom Line:

Patriotic songs

In unique vocal style

Perfect for the 4th

Acappella Sings of America

During the early 90's, the male Christian vocal group Acappella released several CD's on various themes. One of them was a collection of patriotic music called simply America. It has become a staple of my late June/early July listening.

As the name of the group implies, they use only their voices on the tracks. Now that doesn’t mean it is all harmony and singing. Quite often, some members of the group are providing the a beat or some form of music to accompany the singing. This is especially true on some of the larger numbers. And they are good at it. At times, I forget they aren't using drums.

The group Acappella seemed to grow and shrink as needed, and this disc is no exception. There are a couple songs that are done by duos or trios. Yet many of the songs included the Southwestern Christian College Chorus. They even bring in the Acappella Children for "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands."

And a look at the song list is a run down of the classic patriotic songs. We've got the standards "America," "God Bless America," My Country, 'Tis of Thee," and "The Star-Spangled Banner." There are even some lesser known but great hymns included.

The disc opens with "America," probably better known as "America the Beautiful." It starts with just one simple voice that is quickly joined by others to provide the harmony. While there is a little humming here, the emphasis is on harmony, even when the choir joins.

"The Battle Hymn of the Republic" gets a fun, upbeat version here. This song features two or three guys singing with plenty of "percussion" in the background. This isn't the driving version you might be used to but a fun version that will have you tapping your toes.

The main reason I got this disc was "God of Our Fathers." I had learned this hymn at church and fallen in love with it. It starts out sounding like it will be solemn and slow, but it quickly dissolves into a fun, upbeat version with plenty of drumming in the background. This lesser known hymn is a celebration of the care God has given us in the past.

The choir joins in on "God Bless the USA" and makes it an anthem that perfectly closes the disc.

There are several slower songs on here that rely on tight harmonies. "Eternal Father" sound haunting with just a few voices raise in prayer for all the branches of the military. "The Star-Spangled Banner" builds to an incredible climax. My only complaint here is that they only do the first verse. I want more. They do three verses of "My Country, 'Tis of Thee," and again, the harmonies are outstanding.

There are a couple songs that seem a little weird to me. "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands" is one. I realize it is an American spiritual, and I don't mind the song. I just don't quite see it as part of a patriotic collection, especially since they did a collection of spirituals as part of this series of releases. That quibble aside this is a fun version of the song. It's upbeat and includes so many voices it's hard not to smile and sing along. The children's choir adds just the right touch when we get to "He's got the precious little children in His hands."

The other song is "America Medley." For this track, they take partial recordings of five of the songs on the disc and meld them together. I don't mind the idea behind it. In fact, I enjoy tracks like that. The editing is a little awkward at times. But my problem with it is the placement. This is track seven out of eleven. One of the songs included hasn't even been sung in its entirety yet. I would have expected this to be the final track on the disc. But again, that's a minor issue.

On the whole, Acappella America is a strong collection of patriotic songs. I like to pull it out for a few spins every year around the 4th of July, and it always hits the spot.

CD Length: 34:25

Tracks:

1. America

2. Battle Hymn of the Republic

3. God of Our Fathers

4. God Bless America

5. Eternal Father

6. The Star-Spangled Banner

7. America Medley

8. My Country 'Tis of Thee

9. Lift Every Voice

10. He's Got the Whole World in His Hands

11. God Bless the USA