Music Review - 'Sound Check' Penn Masala's new CD

Their introductory song captures the less serious side of the group as they adopt the classical Indian style to sing the phrase “Penn Masala.” The remainder of the songs is either in Hindi or a mix of English and Hindi. The group's seamless fusions of English and Hindi are especially commendable, and two of the best numbers are “In Your Eyes/Na Tum Jano Na Hum” and “Where the Party At/Mehbooba Mehbooba.” Two Hindi highlights are “Churake Dil Mera” and “Koi Kahe Kehta Rahe.” The one song completely in English is called “Midnight”, and is an original composition by two members of the group. Unfortunately, the ending is a bit of a let down. The group tries to sing the classic “Jana Gana Mana”, but the song does not match up to quality of the others. They attempt to distinguish it from the classical version by altering the rhythm, but the overall effect is to make the song sound rough and unrehearsed. However, despite this sour note, the listener is left content with the overall experience.

From a strictly musical point of view, it is evident that this group has exceptional talent. The blend of voices gives the group a unified sound, and more importantly, a full sound which is one of the most challenging goals to achieve when singing A Capella music. All soloists sound as though they were hand-picked for their particular song. One of the group's strongest skills is vocal percussion, which is both prominent and steady in each song no matter how complex the beat patterns. Penn Masala’s “Soundcheck” is definitely a worthy investment, and a reasonable substitute for seeing them live.