For my first artist review, I will discuss the a cappella group Pentatonix.
Artist grade: A-
Vocal grade: A
- Avi Kaplan (Bass). Range: E1-C5 (3 octaves, 6 notes)
- Mitch Grassi (Countertenor, Male Alto). Range: F2-B7 (5 octaves, 2 notes, 1 semitone)
- Scott Hoying (Baritone). Range: G1-G5 (4 octaves)
- Kirstin Maldonado (Mezzo-Soprano). Range: E3-B7 (4 octaves, 4 notes)
- Kevin Olusola (Tenor/Percussion).
Genre: A capella, pop, R&B
Best songs: "Daft Punk", "Hallelujah", "Let It Go", "Misbehavin'", "Water", "Radioactive" (ft. Lindsey Stirling), "Imagine", "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy"
Worst songs: "Gangnam Style", "Cheerleader", "Rose Gold"
Best albums: 'That's Christmas To Me', 'Pentatonix', 'PTX Vol. IV - The Classics'
Worst albums: 'PTX, Vols. 1 & 2'
Genre: A capella, pop, R&B
Best songs: "Daft Punk", "Hallelujah", "Let It Go", "Misbehavin'", "Water", "Radioactive" (ft. Lindsey Stirling), "Imagine", "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy"
Worst songs: "Gangnam Style", "Cheerleader", "Rose Gold"
Best albums: 'That's Christmas To Me', 'Pentatonix', 'PTX Vol. IV - The Classics'
Worst albums: 'PTX, Vols. 1 & 2'
So... Pentatonix. The most popular a capella group around today. And you can see why. Let's start with the bass, Avi Kaplan. He sports a decent range, and he often provides the "backbone" for the songs. He's more of a backing vocalist, but does sometimes step up more in some songs. While he likely has the weakest range in the group, his voice definitely provides a lot of power. Next, Mitch Grassi. Who often sounds like a female to a lot of the listening public, and, I could confuse him for the Mezzo Maldonado sometimes. Sporting a range of over 5 octaves, Grassi is definitely the most diverse singer in the group, and he could probably do female parts for alto easily. And the fact he can utilize the whistle register is amazing, something I wished I could do. Scott Hoying, the baritone, is arguably the lead singer, and to be honest... I would prefer Grazzi. Hoying isn't bad, it's just preference. He does have a lot of presence, I can say that, but he has a thin falsetto and he has less range. Kirstin Maldonado, the mezzo-soprano, is pretty good, being able to do both alto and soprano sort of parts. Kevin Olusola, who's range I couldn't really figure out due to him not vocalizing often. He often does percussion and beatboxing, and is definitely a huge asset.
Their music in general, well, they can actually be really good, as they can cover all vocal types for some awesome harmonizing. They started off as more of a gimmick and nothing else, but they definitely grown to be one of the best a capella groups I've ever listened to. Overwhelming Christmas releases though. I get it's where they're most popular, but it's exasperating to hear so many. I still like it, but would like more original material. And as such, I'm giving them a A-.
