Description

Australia’s best contemporary a cappella groups are showcased over eleven tracks on Vocal Australia’s second compilation album – GET VOCAL 2015: The Best of Contemporary Australian A Cappella!

Proceeds from GET VOCAL 2015 album go towards developing further a cappella programs showcasing recordings of Aussie A Cappella groups.

1. SHE (L. Mvula) – AUSACA 2014 Collaboration
Arranged, recorded and mixed by Nicholas Girard (USA), ‘She’ features Co-Cheol, Festival Statesmen Chorus, Switch, Sista Quartet, The Beckitt Brothers, Ivanhoe Grammar School, Immanuel College, Melbourne Girls College and Temple Christian College.

2. BIG YELLOW TAXI (J. Mitchell) – The Idea of North
From their tenth album release and ARIA winning Best Jazz Album ‘Smile’ (available on ABC Jazz), ‘Big Yellow Taxi’ brings together the arranging and vocal talents of Australia’s leading a cappella group.

3. OTHER PLANS (L. Young) – Coco’s Lunch
This fiery new release from Australia’s award winning and leading all-female a cappella group is a highly rhythmic piece by Lisa Young. ‘Other Plans’ features the South Indian solkattu vocal percussion language. * WINNER: Best Song Composed or OPB by an AUS/NZ

4. AS LONG AS YOU LOVE ME (J. Bieber, et al) – Switch
One of only two tracks released by Switch during their brief three years together, this track clearly demonstrates why Switch had such a great influence on the steadily growing a cappella scene in Australia. * WINNER: Best Pop Song, VP, Scholastic Arr. & Best Female Solo 

5. FALL (J. Hamilton, K. Moyes) – Suade
Arranged by Chris Blain, this cover of The Presets features Suade’s VocalTronics, where close harmony meets beatboxing and digital effects technology. Produced and Recorded by Chris Blain.

6. SASS (A. Van den Broek, C. Soo Choon, K. Missingham, M. Rossetto) – Jazel
Composed for one of their assessments while studying together for their Bachelor of Music at QUT, Sass has taken on a life of it’s own and propelled Jazel forward in preparation for a strong future. * RUNNER UP: Best Original Song

7. KEEP MY COOL (A. Tunley, S. Mortensen, R. Head) – Aluka
Keep My Cool is the first single of Aluka’s debut album ‘Space’. Produced by Nick Huggins, Space was recorded in a number of unusual locations throughout Victoria including a stairwell for this track.

8. LOOK LIKE ME (E. McEvoy) – C0-Cheol
Release as part of Co-Cheol’s self titled debut EP in 2014, ‘Look Like Me’ features the luscious harmonies and gorgeous arranging skills of these four lasses as they transport you to the lands of the Celts and beyond.

9. WHAT A FOOL BELIEVES (K. Loggins, M. McDonald) – Counting Bars
“Counting Bars: The Tale of the Singing Inmates” made its premier performance at Adelaide Fringe in 2015 and features singers from Now In Stereo and Festival Statesmen Chorus who play a cappella thugs that have to balance prison life with their music.

10. GET BACK (P. McCartney, J. Lennon) – Festival Statesmen Chorus
This track was recorded for the AUSACA 2014 champions by Chris Blain, edited by The Vocal Company (USA), mixed by Grammy Winner Bill Hare Productions (USA), mastered by Vocal Mastering (USA) and released through Loudr. This arrangement is by Nicholas Girard (USA).

11. MAN IN THE MIRROR (G. Ballard, S. Garrett) – Sydney Vocal Project
The 2015 NSW State Champions have been singing this track for a number of years but it remains on of their all time favourites to perform. This live recording is from their debut album ‘Just For The Record’ that features one song from every decade between 1940 and 2010.

*Results from AUSACA 2015 Recording Awards