The best a capella group I've heard. Ever. And on this release they give us only a smattering of instruments. Thanks for that, guys. I was getting tired of generic R&B arrangements covering up your harmonies. Usually, Take 6 sticks to their gospel roots, but on this CD, as evidenced by the title, they give us an album of jazz standards. They also bring in quite a few guest artists: George Benson, Jon Hendricks, Al Jarreau, Roy Hargrove, Aaron Neville and Brian McKnight. If you're a fan of the TV show The Sing-Off, you should turn off that derivative crap and listen to the real deal here while turning your speakers up to 11.
Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart
Tracks: While they're almost all top-notch, my favorites here are Sweet Georgia Brown, Straighten Up And Fly Right (with George Benson), Someone to Watch Over Me (with Shelea Frazier & Roy Hargrove), and A Tisket A Tasket (with archival vocals from Ella Fitzgerald, which is kinda creepy, but the song's enjoyable if you are able to forget that Ella passed in 1996 and her vocals here were recorded in 1938). I normally don't think that Marvin Gaye songs should be covered, but the version of What's Going On (with Brian McKnight) proves to be the best track on this album. That track is followed by a gorgeous arrangement of Shall We Gather At The River that never fails to give me goosebumps. I'm not sure why the group included Back To You on this disc because it is sorely out of place.
Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None.
Previously revisited for the blog:
Brothers (1996)
So Much 2 Say (1990)
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