Sing-Off: Harmonies for the Holidays [Original TV Soundtrack]

Audio Mixer: Ed Boyer.
Recording information: Asylum Studio, Culver City, CA; Boston, MA; CwY Prod LLC, Huntsville, AL; JAG Studios, Xenia, OH; Kelly Kunz Studio, Seattle, WA; Peter Hollens Productions, Eugene, OR; Rider University, Tenron, NJ; Ridgefield, CT; Side Door Audio, Nashville, TN; Skyline Studios, Oakland, CA.
Released one week before the show's premiere, this Christmas album features all ten of the vocal groups that competed in The Sing-Off's second season. The groups are varied -- some are high-school ensembles (Men of Note), some are senior citizens (Jerry Lawson & Talk of the Town), some are hyper-talented newcomers (Pitch Slapped), and others are mainstays of the college circuit (the Whiffenpoofs) -- but the results are often impressive, assuming you're an a cappella fan who hasn't grown tired of holiday music. If there's one thing that truly distinguishes these contenders from one another (apart from the 50-some years that separate Jerry Lawson from the Men of Note teens), it's their allegiance to one of the two schools of a cappella: the traditional approach, which focuses squarely on the voice, and a more contemporary style favored by groups like Street Corner Symphony, who rely on modern recording software to turn their voices into guitars, synthesizers, and authentic-sounding drums. On this album, more highlights come from the old-school approach. ~ Andrew Leahey