Naturally 7 Put Their Mouths Where... Well, You Know
I like oral as much as the next guy, but most a cappella acts are notoriously hard to stomach in all but the smallest doses. Increasingly, though, all-vocal groups are taking the art to new heights primarily on the strength of their ability to reproduce the sounds of instruments (including turntables). My favorite is Kenny Muhammad the Human Orchestra, not least because of his penchant for great song selection (Kraftwerk) and his knack for securing incredible collaborators (New York Symphony Orchestra), besides which, he's also a really, really nice guy. I'm also partial to Blake Lewis, for the first and third reasons above as well our history sharing stages in Seattle before his American Idol days.
Which brings me to Naturally 7. While this Brooklyn septet doesn't break my "small doses" sieve, for sheer virtuosity, I'd put my money on these guys in a vocal battle anytime. Check out their "Wall of Sound" performance for a taste of their skyscraping skills. As well, in the interview below, Naturally 7 demonstrates a charismatic capacity for improvisation.
Whether or not it counts as "art" in your book, a Naturally 7 performance amounts to a memorable spectacle, and in an industry where spectacle is so often the name of the game, I'll take mine with a heavy helping of skills, thank you very much.
--Jason Kirk
David Horiuchi on July 05, 2008 at 07:13 AM
To each his own. I think there are some incredibly talented a cappella groups out there.
keb on July 04, 2008 at 09:12 AM
Another typically inane amazon post.
nanoman on July 02, 2008 at 12:59 PM
we so don't wanna know what you like in bed