Reviewed by Tony Cummings

Now here's a band to bemuse all you pigeon-holers. AVB stands for the Acappella Vocal Band and with two blacks, two honkies (one of whom looks rather like Tony Campolo... na, it couldn't be) one could say that their care­fully crafted harmony sound is a cross be­tween the smooth barbershop pyrotechnics of Glad and the soulful jazz pyrotechnics of Take 6. But how does one pigeonhole vocal and electronic beat box (on an acapella album?!) which crops up on many tracks. Certainly the percussion gives the band street appeal; the title track and "It's Not Enuff" come complete with a pretty good rap! What gives the band their creative focus is song­writer/producer Keith Lancaster whose songs are often witty (the delightful "Growin' Up With King James" and "U Can't Go 2 Church") and with hooks-a-plenty and consistently clever lyrics to go with the state-of-the-art-harmonies (many recalling the golden age of doowop) one has an album which defies categories other than to say it's very, very good.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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