Glad

Item: The A Cappella Project III
Author: Doug Cummings

The A Cappella Project III

(1996)

Reviewed by Doug Cummings

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Label Light RecordsThe LighthouseApril 1996

gospel jazz worship

This year, Glad is celebrating their 24th year as a performing group. Classically trained in music school, they formed in 1972 in Philadelphia as a progressive Christian rock band and released their first album in 1978.

Since then, the band has fine-tuned their sound, exuding soaring vocals and tight harmonies, and experimenting with musical genres from '40's jazz, contemporary pop, and progressive rock to folk ballads and a cappella music. A turning point for the group was the huge critical/commercial success of The A Cappella Project in 1988. Then Glad began alternating musical and a cappella albums, becoming known as one of the best vocal groups recording today.

This album exhibits the energy and emotion shown on the previous A Cappella Project releases through highly sophisticated arrangements and vocal performance. Their a cappella sound is a smooth wave of voices (the five male members provide up to 20 separate parts at once) performing jazzy, symphonic-like arrangements that sound like the Beach Boys doing Scott Joplin with a groovy, contemporary feel. They use basses for tempo, mid-range voices for wonderfully tight harmonies and tonal color, and soaring high parts that dart around the main motifs. An attention to the timbre of their voices in the mixing creates a constant flux between echoey ambiance and sharp definition, creating a large, billowy sound that often breaches the angelic.

The A Cappella Project III balances Glad's elaborate reworkings of timeless hymns with new jazz/pop songs reminiscent of previous Glad singles like "You Put This Love In My Heart" and "Depending On Your Love." Three tracks contain percussion. Two of them, "Tell It Like It Is" and a revision of Keith Green's "Your Love Broke Through" are co-produced by Joe Hogue (Greg X. Volz and dc Talk). Hogue's intricate jazz percussion compliments Glad's rhythmic harmonies and turns these songs into wonderful contemporary jazz pieces reminiscent of Take 6.

Glad also continues working with arrangers Don Hart (The Young Messiah) and band alum Bob Kauflin to create joyous and exciting variations of traditional hymns like "The Solid Rock," "Crown Him With Many Crowns," and "We Gather Together." Their arrangements are surprising and complex, bringing together overlapping rhythms and energetic melodies with breezy fluidity. Kauflin's penchant for strong melodies is shown to great effect in his romantic "Arise My Soul, Arise," a beautiful piece that describes Christ's love for us and our freedom from fear.

Producer/lead singer Ed Nalle heads Glad through a consistent stylistic vision that shifts and adjusts itself well to each of their albums. His jazzy verve lends a strong sense of style and personality to Glad's sound, and Nalle cautions it with a strong, melodious vocal ability. Balancing snappy style with heartfelt ballads, Nalle is always a joy to listen to.

Glad continues to impress me as a truly wonderful Christian group-one the industry and its listeners should be proud of having. Each of their albums, especially their challenging a cappella work, exudes musical creativity and champions such seasoned Christian themes as forgiveness, love, and sacrifice. The A Cappella Project III is another grand success for this most enjoyable band.