Sing-Off: Songs of the Season

Audio Mixer: Ed Boyer.
Recording information: Christophone Studios, Los Angeles, CA; Los Angeles, CA; Musiek Studio, Harvest, AL; Stevens Music, Saratoga Springs, UT.
Editor: Nick Girard.
The 2011 holiday-themed album The Sing-Off: Songs of the Season features some of the best a cappella groups in the United States as well as the top ensembles from season three of the NBC vocal competition show. Included are such bands as Delilah, the Collective, the Dartmouth Aires, and Vocal Point, among others. Most of the songs here are holiday classics done in varying degrees of traditional to more contemporary a cappella style. Included are such standout cuts as Pentatonix's atmospheric take on "We Three Kings," Delilah's R&B-inflected "All I Want for Christmas Is You," the University of Delaware Deltones' "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear," and Urban Method's funk-rap take on "I Saw Three Ships." The album will certainly appeal to fans of the television show, but also works for fans of creative and left-of-center holiday vocal albums. ~ Matt Collar