This is going to be part album review and part an introduction to a group that some of you might not be familiar with yet. With some videos thrown in for fun. First things first: who is 7th Ave? It's a new quartet founded by one Chris Rupp. You know, as in the guy who also founded an a cappella group that I'm quite fond of: Home Free. Yeah, him. Earlier this year, he announced that he would be leaving Home Free to pursue other musical interests. I'll be honest and admit that this news made me sad at first. It's always sad when someone leaves a group that you love. I've had it happen multiple times.
That said, I think that this departure was the easiest to handle for me. I say this because Home Free is still very much intact and making great music with new member Adam Chance. And Chris has more or less been a music making machine; we never really had time to miss him because he's been producing so much content. Let's recap: he put out a beautiful piano album last December called Setting the Stage: An Evening with the Masters. He released a solo country project, Shine, in January of this year. And then came the announcement that he was leaving Home Free and starting up this new project 7th Ave. This album, Debut, came out last week and on November 2nd, Chris put out a Christmas album called A Little Bit of Christmas (stay tuned for a review of this one). Oh yeah, he's also been releasing various other singles throughout the year. He also made me incredibly happy by collaborating with some of my other faves VoicePlay on their ACA Top 10 Bro-Country Countdown. I wrote a fairly ridiculous post about that which you can find here, if you're interested. It's been months and I'm still excited about that one. I'm not even kidding.
As you can see, Chris has been quite busy this year. I'm starting to wonder if he ever even sleeps. You know what makes this even better? He's not just releasing a lot of content; he's releasing quality content. 7th Ave has quickly become one of my favorite groups.
So, how about I introduce you to the other three? First up, there's Kelley Jakle, a very talented singer who has been involved in all kinds of projects. Perhaps most notably, she was one of the Barden Bellas in both of the Pitch Perfect movies. Sidenote: if you've never watched those, you should because they're great. Next up is Tristin Rupp - yes, her and Chris are related. She's his sister. For those of you keeping score, their brother Adam is the beatboxer for Home Free. Crazy talented family there. Tristin has all kinds of credits to her name: acting, modeling and is co-runs the "TNT Dance Factory", an online dance fitness channel. To name a few. Last, but in no way least, we have Adam Bastien. He's sung in multiple a cappella groups and on many cruise ships. Among other things. This group, y'all.
7th Ave is not an a cappella group, though they do sing a cappella every now and then. They are my favorite kind of vocal group. Namely, one where everyone is talented enough to be a solo artist which makes it even more special to hear them sing together. They each bring their own experiences and tastes to the table to create something very exciting. I've really enjoyed everything I've seen from them so far and can't wait to see what they're going to do.
That all said, how about we talk about their debut album, Debut?
"Can't Stop the Feeling". Fun fact: it is impossible for me to stay still when I listen to this. This song is so infectious as it is and I think it suits them wonderfully. They obviously had a blast with this one, as you'll see in the video. Great arrangement and vocals; fantastic energy. And the video makes me giggle. That and envy them for their roller skating ability. I say that as someone who sadly always struggled to stay upright while on roller skates. Forget trying to dance on them. There's a fun mashup that comes into play about halfway through. This is one of those that's great to watch if you're not in a great mood for whatever reason because it will absolutely cheer you up. Plus Chris is pretty priceless at the end. Check it out.
"No". Confession: I don't really care for the original version of this by Meghan Trainor. I don't hate it or anything, mind, but it just doesn't work for me. Especially not after hearing 7th Ave's version. They gave it a big band feel and, in my opinion, that's exactly what this song needed. It's so much livelier. I didn't think it was possible for me to like "No" as much as I like their version. I always love when that happens. I really like the look of the video too which always helps.
"Can't Help Falling In Love". Time to slow things down with a beautiful rendition of this song. "Can't Help Falling In Love" has been done so many times and I think it's hard for some other versions to stand out because of that. They don't have that problem. Beautiful arrangement and one that shows off their voices beautifully. Great choice to do it a cappella as well. This song, more than any of the others, has me wanting to hear them sing "Kiss Goodbye" by Little Big Town. I think they'd do a great job with it. They kept things pretty simple with the video which was absolutely the right decision as it let the words and their voices be the main focus. Lovely harmonies in this.
"Millennial Medley". And then there's this. Talk about a throwback - I definitely remember listening to most of these songs and know the others. I gotta admit that I was a total *NSYNC girl and so the inclusion of "It's Gonna Be Me" made me pretty happy. Bonus points to Chris for nailing the choreography in the video. Although, Adam's expressions during "I Do (Cherish You)" are priceless. It's so much fun, from the beginning all the way to the end.
"Should Have Been You". This song is actually on Chris' Shine album, albeit with a different duet partner for Chris. This one features Chris and Kelley and is a beautiful duet. It's all about a relationship that didn't work out, even though both of them believe that it should've. Beautiful lyric. Their voices complement each other's very nicely too. Beautiful video as well.
"Toxic". I think this might be the first time I've heard a guy sing this. Actually, "Toxic" is one of those songs that I've heard pieces of, but I don't know if I've ever actually listened to all of the original. That said, I like this. Some nice piano playing in here.
"Maroon 5 Medley" featuring Heatbox and Elliott Robinson. I do so enjoy a good medley and this qualifies. I like the way this one flows. Solid track.
"Hallelujah". I think it's safe to safe that this song is pretty iconic. It's one that's been done many times and rightfully so. It's a beautiful song and now that Leonard Cohen has sadly passed away, this is a beautiful tribute of him as well - though they released their video for it back in June. I hadn't watched it in a while and it got me. I love the addition of the dancers; they make it all the more poignant. This song, more than any other I think, really shows off what 7th Ave is capable of as individuals and as a group. You get to hear them each take a turn on lead, which I appreciate. Then the harmonies are just lovely. Especially when we get into the climax of the song about 2 and a half minutes in. This might just be my favorite song on the album.
"Uptown Funk". Let it never be said that 7th Ave doesn't have any fun. That's one of my favorite things about them. They make me smile and I kind of adore their take on this song. They really made it their own and it's always great when that happens. Another one that's impossible for me to stay still when I listen. Definitely among my favorite tracks on the album!
Bonus Track "Silent Night". Debut concludes with a lovely version of a beloved Christmas carol. Gentle and peaceful, it's a nice way to end the album and a wonderful edition to your collection of Christmas music.
That brings us to the end of this review. If you liked 7th Ave, I have their socials listed just below. Definitely be sure to check out their YouTube channel, where they have all of these videos and more. And if you really like them, be sure to check out their Patreon account where you can support them for as little as $1 per video. Or more, if you wish. Thanks, as always, for reading!
Website
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
YouTube
Patreon
That said, I think that this departure was the easiest to handle for me. I say this because Home Free is still very much intact and making great music with new member Adam Chance. And Chris has more or less been a music making machine; we never really had time to miss him because he's been producing so much content. Let's recap: he put out a beautiful piano album last December called Setting the Stage: An Evening with the Masters. He released a solo country project, Shine, in January of this year. And then came the announcement that he was leaving Home Free and starting up this new project 7th Ave. This album, Debut, came out last week and on November 2nd, Chris put out a Christmas album called A Little Bit of Christmas (stay tuned for a review of this one). Oh yeah, he's also been releasing various other singles throughout the year. He also made me incredibly happy by collaborating with some of my other faves VoicePlay on their ACA Top 10 Bro-Country Countdown. I wrote a fairly ridiculous post about that which you can find here, if you're interested. It's been months and I'm still excited about that one. I'm not even kidding.
As you can see, Chris has been quite busy this year. I'm starting to wonder if he ever even sleeps. You know what makes this even better? He's not just releasing a lot of content; he's releasing quality content. 7th Ave has quickly become one of my favorite groups.
So, how about I introduce you to the other three? First up, there's Kelley Jakle, a very talented singer who has been involved in all kinds of projects. Perhaps most notably, she was one of the Barden Bellas in both of the Pitch Perfect movies. Sidenote: if you've never watched those, you should because they're great. Next up is Tristin Rupp - yes, her and Chris are related. She's his sister. For those of you keeping score, their brother Adam is the beatboxer for Home Free. Crazy talented family there. Tristin has all kinds of credits to her name: acting, modeling and is co-runs the "TNT Dance Factory", an online dance fitness channel. To name a few. Last, but in no way least, we have Adam Bastien. He's sung in multiple a cappella groups and on many cruise ships. Among other things. This group, y'all.
7th Ave is not an a cappella group, though they do sing a cappella every now and then. They are my favorite kind of vocal group. Namely, one where everyone is talented enough to be a solo artist which makes it even more special to hear them sing together. They each bring their own experiences and tastes to the table to create something very exciting. I've really enjoyed everything I've seen from them so far and can't wait to see what they're going to do.
That all said, how about we talk about their debut album, Debut?
"Can't Stop the Feeling". Fun fact: it is impossible for me to stay still when I listen to this. This song is so infectious as it is and I think it suits them wonderfully. They obviously had a blast with this one, as you'll see in the video. Great arrangement and vocals; fantastic energy. And the video makes me giggle. That and envy them for their roller skating ability. I say that as someone who sadly always struggled to stay upright while on roller skates. Forget trying to dance on them. There's a fun mashup that comes into play about halfway through. This is one of those that's great to watch if you're not in a great mood for whatever reason because it will absolutely cheer you up. Plus Chris is pretty priceless at the end. Check it out.
"No". Confession: I don't really care for the original version of this by Meghan Trainor. I don't hate it or anything, mind, but it just doesn't work for me. Especially not after hearing 7th Ave's version. They gave it a big band feel and, in my opinion, that's exactly what this song needed. It's so much livelier. I didn't think it was possible for me to like "No" as much as I like their version. I always love when that happens. I really like the look of the video too which always helps.
"Can't Help Falling In Love". Time to slow things down with a beautiful rendition of this song. "Can't Help Falling In Love" has been done so many times and I think it's hard for some other versions to stand out because of that. They don't have that problem. Beautiful arrangement and one that shows off their voices beautifully. Great choice to do it a cappella as well. This song, more than any of the others, has me wanting to hear them sing "Kiss Goodbye" by Little Big Town. I think they'd do a great job with it. They kept things pretty simple with the video which was absolutely the right decision as it let the words and their voices be the main focus. Lovely harmonies in this.
"Millennial Medley". And then there's this. Talk about a throwback - I definitely remember listening to most of these songs and know the others. I gotta admit that I was a total *NSYNC girl and so the inclusion of "It's Gonna Be Me" made me pretty happy. Bonus points to Chris for nailing the choreography in the video. Although, Adam's expressions during "I Do (Cherish You)" are priceless. It's so much fun, from the beginning all the way to the end.
"Should Have Been You". This song is actually on Chris' Shine album, albeit with a different duet partner for Chris. This one features Chris and Kelley and is a beautiful duet. It's all about a relationship that didn't work out, even though both of them believe that it should've. Beautiful lyric. Their voices complement each other's very nicely too. Beautiful video as well.
"Toxic". I think this might be the first time I've heard a guy sing this. Actually, "Toxic" is one of those songs that I've heard pieces of, but I don't know if I've ever actually listened to all of the original. That said, I like this. Some nice piano playing in here.
"Maroon 5 Medley" featuring Heatbox and Elliott Robinson. I do so enjoy a good medley and this qualifies. I like the way this one flows. Solid track.
"Hallelujah". I think it's safe to safe that this song is pretty iconic. It's one that's been done many times and rightfully so. It's a beautiful song and now that Leonard Cohen has sadly passed away, this is a beautiful tribute of him as well - though they released their video for it back in June. I hadn't watched it in a while and it got me. I love the addition of the dancers; they make it all the more poignant. This song, more than any other I think, really shows off what 7th Ave is capable of as individuals and as a group. You get to hear them each take a turn on lead, which I appreciate. Then the harmonies are just lovely. Especially when we get into the climax of the song about 2 and a half minutes in. This might just be my favorite song on the album.
"Uptown Funk". Let it never be said that 7th Ave doesn't have any fun. That's one of my favorite things about them. They make me smile and I kind of adore their take on this song. They really made it their own and it's always great when that happens. Another one that's impossible for me to stay still when I listen. Definitely among my favorite tracks on the album!
Bonus Track "Silent Night". Debut concludes with a lovely version of a beloved Christmas carol. Gentle and peaceful, it's a nice way to end the album and a wonderful edition to your collection of Christmas music.
That brings us to the end of this review. If you liked 7th Ave, I have their socials listed just below. Definitely be sure to check out their YouTube channel, where they have all of these videos and more. And if you really like them, be sure to check out their Patreon account where you can support them for as little as $1 per video. Or more, if you wish. Thanks, as always, for reading!
Website
YouTube
Patreon
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