W: Walt's Top 5 A Cappella Recordings of All Time

Why make a list of my favorite a cappella recordings?

Why not?

I made some guidelines for my list before starting:

• Only one song per group. (Someday I'll do a list of just my top twenty Take 6 songs.)
• Don't limit myself to the best known songs. (These are my favs, not the top downloads.)
• No SNC songs. (Nothing worse than someone listing one of their own as the greatest, you know?)

Here they are, feel free to play along at home. I highly recommend downloading these immediately and listening to them until they play themselves...

1) "Get Away Jordan," Take 6 This song is the beginning and the end of what I know in a cappella. Literally it was the beginning, as it was the first song I was introduced to by Take 6 way back in high school. I learned to sing screaming falsetto by playing this song to and from school, blasting in my car, trying to be Claude McKnight and wailing the top part. Heck, Boyz II Men even quote the chorus on their debut album, Cooleyhighharmony, a true tip of the hat from the top selling vocal group of all time to their lesser acclaimed, but worshiply adored, counterparts.

2) "I Found a New Baby," The Real Group Could have gone with any of a dozen recordings by The Real Group, but this one's special. Randy Stine first introduced all of the original SNC guys to their sound, and we even got to meet them at Butler University back in the late 90s. "Perfection" is the word to describe them and this track is the pinnacle of that. Anders counter-tenor lead is not only pitch perfect, but his feel for the melody and the jazz in his Swedish style is unreal.

3) "I Walk With You," Rockapella There are many more popular Rockapella tunes than this single, but to me this is the Rockapella I love. Some of their tracks are too percussion based, some are too corny for my palate. When Rockapella is at its best in my mind is when they just SING. "Don't Tell Me You Do" is a close 2nd, but this song brings the house down for me. The gospel bridge. The inverted last chorus. This song was on Sean Altman's last album with the group, and I equate this track as his "Let It Be" before leaving. Loved it so much, I had SNC and Ladies First sing it together at my wedding.

4) "Mother Nature's Son," The King's Singers I borrowed a lot of CDs from Don Nottingham in college, usually without returning them for a long time, if ever at all. The King's Singers' Beatles album was a staple in Don's car for a stretch of a month or so, and he could never drop me off from a Delusions of Grandeur rehearsal without him playing me this track. It's everything an a cappella arrangement should be: Sung effortlessly, arranged without awkward syllables, and powerful without forcing the issue. Play and repeat, play and repeat.

5) "Gone," The House Jacks A game changer for me. This wasn't choir boys singing, this was a legit rock ballad with heart and power. I first met Deke Sharon and the guys backstage at the National Collegiate A Cappella Invitational (now ICCA) at Carnegie Hall in 1998. Straight No Chaser was competing in the finals, and the Jacks were the host group that would sing while the judges tallied scores. Hearing them perform this song live at Carnegie Hall was mind-bending. Again, Don introduced me to this song about a year prior to that meeting. IUSNC would record it in 2000, with Ryan Ahlwardt and Don (of course) wailing away on the solos.

Five songs that shaped my life and love for a cappella.

-Walter Chase

In the studio for Under The Influence
Photo credit: SNCmusic

So... do YOU have a Top 5? Let us know in the comments!

ICYMI: Check out Walt's article in our second issue, "So, You Wanna Be in an A Cappella Group..." 

D: Deviate

By Sara Dowling

"Deviate from your norm to achieve the extraordinary."

Logo courtesy of Deviate, LLC.

I apologize if this post sounds like an infomercial, but I have a lot of admiration for this company. And I know I'm not alone, the Chaser community definitely has #Chaserlove for Deviate!  This is one of those supportive things that goes on behind the scenes that makes Straight No Chaser able to do what they do.  

When SNC first started talking about their new personal trainer, Ryan Blanck, I never imagined that he would influence the Chasers as well as the guys themselves. But, as I quickly discovered, that's the kind of impact Ryan B. sets out to have on everything he does - he always goes above and beyond.

As time went on, it became very clear even from the outside fan view that Ryan B. was the catalyst for some big changes for SNC - changes that were necessary if they were going to stay healthy and strong enough to meet the challenges that came with being on the road for months at a time. Changes that would help them do a show and the meet and greet afterwards, day after day, and not be completely exhausted. Changes that would help them stay in touch with their families and friends back home and also their rapidly growing fan base. There are a ton of YouTube videos out there of SNC live shows (check them out, they're amazing!), and Chasers love to share their photos and such, too. You can see the changes in the videos and photos when the guys start working with Deviate - they look calmer, they look stronger, they look happier.

Ryan B. wasn't just a personal trainer; he was a life trainer. They needed him, and so did we.

SNC sat down with Deviate and talked about how it worked for them.




Seggie's video

Walt's video

SNC's (awesome) Tour Manager, Richard Korby's video

There are a lot of great posts on the Deviate blog written by their team members. For starters, you can check out Ryan B.'s post where he talks about something that the Chasers really love about Ryan Ahlwardt:  Meet Ryan Ahlwardt and Scott Haddock.

Ryan B. was hired by SNC, but it wasn't just SNC who changed. Similar things started happening to the Chasers, too. Simply through Twitter and email, Ryan B. was able to reach out and hit the starter button on stuck personal projects, encourage fears to be overcome and motivate healthier life choices.

If you want someone to push you, to really bring you and/or your company - your life! - to that next level, I recommend Deviate wholeheartedly because "wholehearted" is what their company is.

http://www.offtrackonpurpose.com/

If you're looking for a different approach to leadership development; if you need a new perspective on personal growth; if your organization is ready to create lasting change, get in the game with Deviate. We've got your back and will take you off-track on purpose to achieve positive results.
@RyanBlanck, Founder and CEO
@DeviateLLC

"Have pride in how far you have come, have faith in how far you will go."


Chasers! Do you have a story about how Ryan B. and Deviate inspired you? Email it to us at SNCQuarterNotes @ gmail.com or leave a comment!

The ABCs of SNC: W is also for...

Straight No Chaser's Musical Director, Tenor 2, musical arranger, vocal percussionist and rare blogger - Walter Chase!

Photo credit: Sara N.