Ever since the popular movie Pitch Perfect was released, a cappella has taken the world by storm. Pentatonix is probably the most famous a cappella group outside the Barden Bellas. The group posts videos of song covers and originals on YouTube under the username ‘PTXofficial’ and has over nine million subscribers. One of their most watched videos, a medley of Daft Punk songs, has over 162 million views. Pentatonix’s road to fame was paved when the five-piece won the third season of “The Sing Off” in 2011.  Pentatonix is made up of rotating leads, Scott Hoying, Mitch Grassi and Kirstie Maldonado, along with Avi Kaplan and Kevin Olusola, who provide the rhythm and bass. After releasing a couple EPs, a Christmas album, and two other studio albums, the group has released yet another album on October 16th containing sixteen tracks. This album reached the top spot on the Billboard 200 charts, which is determined by the combined amount of sales figures and streaming media hits. Personally, I would not buy the whole album, but rather a couple original tracks and their covers.

The new album is composed of many originals including “Sing,” which motivates and energizes anyone who listens to it, sending out the message that you are free to be yourself, with just simple stomps and handclaps–no instruments. Scott Hoying does a fantastic job leading this song; his vocals are strong and powerful from start to finish. “Sing” is filled with so much soul that you just can’t help but sing along to the uplifting chorus. Another popular song off the album is one of their only singles to receive radio airplay, aside from their Christmas music. “Can’t Sleep Love” is a gem, relaying a catchy chorus that exhibits Mitch Grassi’s dynamic vocals. The song has a retro beat that’s unique to Pentatonix’s R&B/pop sound that they incorporate so well into their beloved covers. Other originals like “New Year’s Day” and “Light in the Hallway” are stripped back, exposing their vocals that are filled with such raw emotion and the lyrics that developed a deeper meaning as the songs progressed.

Despite these motivational anthems and wistful ballads, there were a couple tracks that weren’t the group’s best. There were songs that strike me as too “bubblegum pop” and were full of cliché lyrics.  The majority of the album was composed of love songs, and the fact that these tracks sounded fake and auto-tuned bothered me because Pentatonix has proved their potential in the past, and their talent deserves to be showcased in a better light. Tracks such as “First Things First” didn’t appeal to me. It sounded like just any other pop song on the radio, and the chorus got sickeningly repetitive. The song also seemed really disorganized because some of their vocals clashed during the bridge, and it was so unlike the group’s usual harmonious vocals.

Yet there were great covers to make up for the tracks that did not do the group justice. Pentatonix added three covers to their first all-original album, which were Bieber’s “Where Are U Now,” Omi’s infectious “Cheerleader,” and “Lean On” by Major Lazer and DJ Snake. The five-piece’s vocals in these covers were powerful, rich and clear. Pentatonix molded these three top charters to their own distinct style, which is what the group does best.  

Overall, Pentatonix’s new album was all right. It was a pretty bold move for the a cappella group to release an album full of originals, when their covers are more popular. It was an even bigger step to take for the group to come up with tracks that they are able to perform by themselves without instruments. I would have liked it if there were less love songs and if the group could have also experimented with different genres of music. Despite this, several tracks featured the group’s dynamic vocals and pure talent. Though I personally do not think that this album does the group justice, I know that their fans will always be there to support them throughout their career. This recent edition to Pentatonix’s discography will allow them to grow and become more experienced as music artists.