Take 6 returned to a largely a cappella approach on their sixth album,
So Cool, which had the effect of reminding listeners what was distinctive about them. With a band, they sometimes sounded like just another good R&B vocal group (albeit one strictly devoted to religious lyrics); on their own, they could evoke everyone from
Manhattan Transfer to
Ladysmith Black Mambazo while dazzling with their vocal blend and expressive solos. If they fell down anywhere, it was in their songwriting, which provided a platform for the vocal pyrotechnics and conveyed their Christian beliefs, but did not impress otherwise. ~ William Ruhlmann