Tonic – Tonic + It Ain’t Over ‘til The Fat Man Swings
Sound: B Music:
B/B-
Tonic is a quartet of singers who do rich Jazz vocals and
even a Capella singing in the mode of The Manhattan Transfer, but the amazing
thing about them is they still man age to distinguish themselves from their
famous counterparts. Their self-titled
debut album is a mix of original compositions with a few classics. The best thing members Paul Langford, Karen
Multer, Jennifer Chada and Steve Multer do when they sing is not sound smart,
smarmy, overly bright, overly happy, airheaded or idiotic like so many retro
acts from any era do when they recreate art from the past.
I’ve Got A Crush On You and I Thought About
You more than demonstrate this. The
holiday album It Ain’t Over ‘til The Fat Man Swings (title obviously
referring to Santa Claus) is not as strong and cannot escape the glut of such
releases in the marketplace, especially since the 1980s. At least it is not preachy, condescending,
phony or smacks of hi-jacked religion or holidays. Of the few classics I actually like, none of their covers are
definitive, though it is not for lack of trying.
Either way, the PCM 2.0 16Bit/44.1kHz Stereo on both are
nicely recorded and done with a clarity that smacks of a love of music and
professionalism. This is a vocal group
that could make a serious breakout at any time, so it is worth your time to
catch them if you like this genre of music.
You can go to www.tonicvocals.com
for more about them and to order these CDs.
- Nicholas Sheffo
