Eclectric, the fifth release from the versatile vocal ensemble
Chicago a cappella, definitely features an eclectic mix of pieces, though the voltage of the performances is debatable. This engaging group infuses charm and character into its unaccompanied renditions of folk songs, jazz standards, religious anthems, and popular songs, but the singing is quite smooth, evenly blended, and much mellower in tone than highly charged or bristling with energy. Apart from a few jaunty or humorous numbers, such as
Jaakko Mäntyjärvi's rambunctious El Hambo,
Malcolm Dalglish's syncopated Pleasure, and the sweet,
Swingle Singers-like version of
Bill Evans' classic Waltz for Debby, most of the selections are slow, serious, and sometimes austerely meditative.
Jerry Troxell's Prayers of Steel,
Chen Yi's The West Lake,
Jan Sandström's Sanctus, and
Jonathan Miller's The Fall are quite muted and somber; the arrangements of Shenandoah,
k.d. lang's "Constant Craving,"
Morten Lauridsen's Contre qui, rose, and
Hoagy Carmichael's The Nearness of You are more languid than lively. The middle portion of the program is occupied by
Bob Chilcott's Fragments from His Dish, a cycle devoted to the pleasures of eating; though this work has its comic moments, it is gentle and rather soft in its emulation of Renaissance madrigals. So while this disc has a few touches of pizzazz, it is far from rippling with electricity, and absolutely nothing here will shock. Centaur's sound quality is clear and naturally resonant.