Sonos Sings

Sonos | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 15, 2009)
• Original Release Date: 2009
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Verve Forecast
• ASIN: B002JCMZDC
• Also Available in: Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #122,463 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

The six alumni of a cappella vocal groups at USC and UCLA who make up the three men and three women of Sonos don't sound like they have spent any time listening to or studying the Persuasions, much less the barbershop quartets of a century ago, ... Full Descriptionbut they do seem familiar with the "boy bands" of the late '90s and 2000s, such as the Backstreet Boys and *NSYNC, whose arranging ideas they often borrow from as they present moody versions of songs originated by the likes of Radiohead, Depeche Mode, Björk, and Rufus Wainwright, among others. Christopher Given Harrison, a group member who also earns credits for arranging, co-producing, engineering, and mixing, may or may not be familiar with Todd Rundgren's 1985 album A Cappella, but he takes a leaf from it by using technology to defeat the point of making music without musical instruments. Rundgren employed synthesizers to create sounds with his voice that aped instruments, and Harrison does the same thing, particularly on Depeche Mode's "Enjoy the Silence," one of several songs boasting a percussion-like track. Otherwise, the group members, plus a batch of their friends, aided by studio trickery, create musical beds out of humming and intoning wordless syllables, supporting the plaintive lead vocals. The use of songs that will be known to many listeners is something of a gimmick, of course. You can't listen to "I Want You Back" without having the Jackson 5's version in mind, and that's the point. Sonos emphasize the comparisons by pointedly providing the names of the songs' originators in the album credits, so that, even if the listener doesn't know them, they can be found readily and downloaded quickly to a cell phone for comparison purposes. Without those comparisons, this is often dreamy, downcast music for an a cappella group. Still, Sonos are to be credited with finding a new style for an old (actually, the oldest) musical form.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sonos Creates the Most Satisfying Music I've Encountered This Year, September 17, 2009

By 

G. H. Harrison (Carlsbad, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Sonos Sings (Audio CD)

This group is extraordinary. Every cut on this album is an "A side" work of art. I recently saw Sonos live at their album release performance which took place at the Hotel Cafe in Hollywood, and the show was stunning - filled with personality, humor and action, but most of all, killer harmonies and incomparable arrangements. This is simply wonderful music. Sonos has taken a dip into the rich pool of music found in the uber hip indie scene and applied their vocal magic to create reinventions of the originals that will paint elaborate images in your mind. This music points to the fact that composers of wonderful music may not necessarily be the best performers of their creations. (Think of Burt Bacharach's performances versus Dionne Warwick's interpretations of his music.) The rich, complex, dynamic arrangements created by Sonos in this album beg for another listen, and another , and another. The best way to appreciate what they have done is to buy the album and immerse yourself in their world. If you ever have the opportunity to see them live, don't miss it.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars AH-MAZING!, September 15, 2009

By 

S. Hankinson (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Sonosings (MP3 Download)

What a refreshing new band! In the land of overly-produced music that is nothing but computers, I love that they are creating everything with pure vocal talent. Definitely a fun buy for fans of the original artist. I can only imagine the original artists are hugely flattered and impressed. It will be perfect for party mixes, because the songs are conversation piece as well as entertainment. I am very happy with this purchase and wish this group all the success in the world.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars so very sonos, September 17, 2009

By 

M. Rogers (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sonos Sings (Audio CD)

I've been a fan of this group for a while, having seen them live several times. This album blows me away. It's interesting, gorgeous, eclectic (but not in a you can't listen to the whole thing at once kind of way), and to be slightly cheesy, it's joyous. I like that you can hear personality all through it, aka, it's not overproduced like so much out there is these days. I definitely recommend this!