REBECCA COUDRET, Courier & Press staff writer
Saturday, October 21, 2006
Everything was starkly simple: A bare-bones stage with just five stools and five microphones. Some lights. A small platform. Some simple choreography - not enough to distract from the music, but enough to enhance every song.
And five guys with smiles and voices that lit up a room.
The room, of course, was The Centre, and 1,050 people were on hand to see Rockapella's first trip to Evansville.
The concert was a benefit for the local chapter of the American Red Cross, and the cause was mentioned several times throughout the evening. But, mostly, the night was about the music.
Scott Leonard, George Baldi III, Kevin Wright, John K. Brown and Jeff Thatcher are Rockapella - a little bit rock, a whole lot of a cappella and plenty of Motown, Big Band, Oldies and clowning around to fill two hours with unforgettable harmonies. No matter how the five were grouped, the sounds were amazing. Smooth. Polished. Perfect.
Not all the songs were well-known; some were Rockapella originals that left the crowd hanging on every note, especially "California Sad-Eyed Girl," which was just beautiful.
Some songs were standards that had everyone clapping along.
Leonard was the thread who tied everything together, musically, conversationally and comedically.
The blond-haired guy from Indianapolis, the ultra-skinny one with the big smile and bigger "high tenor" voice, is really very funny.
From his introductions (Thatcher was billed as "our drum," bass Baldi was "Mr. Smoothness" and Leonard's fellow tenors Wright and Brown were "the girls") to his looks at the other Rockapellans to his dance antics, he was the consummate showman.
For anyone not in the know, Thatcher is Rockapella's vocal percussionist.
The sounds he creates with his mouth and a microphone make instruments unnecessary. Really.
There were numerous times where so much was happening onstage that it was easy to forget there wasn't a guitar or drum anywhere. That's just how good Rockapella is as a group, how good the men are individually, as singers and as performers.
Each of the men had several chances in the spotlight, and while the lesser known songs were an auditory delight, it was the well-known ones that got the most applause (which isn't so different from any rock or country concert).
What was amazing was that even a silly little song such as "Love Potion No. 9" was a delight when handled by Kevin Wright, and Baldi's deep tones added substance to the song.
John K. Brown offered a beautiful "Stand By Me" (even without Thatcher's "superior life form" drum sounds) and Wright captured the crowd again with "Under the Boardwalk."
All the voices were breathtaking on "Here Comes the Sun," which they've performed while touring with the Boston Pops Orchestra (think about it ...), and Leonard sparkled on the Mills Brothers' "Up a Lazy River."
The songs continued for two hours, And, yes, they even sang the "Folgers" and "Carmen SanDiego" songs. It's just too bad they won't be here tonight for the rest of you to see - and hear.
For the original article, click here.
