Naturally 7
May 5th, 2009 - Theater am Tanzbrunnen, Köln, Germany
Seven Dutch people are in Cologne today, to see Naturally Seven. We are really excited and curious! The association for choir and a cappella music in the Netherlands (BALK) has booked Naturally 7 for an upcoming festival and we are here to see if that's a good choice. Not that we can change anything about it though ;). After we find a place to park our car, we find the theater easily. The tickets are waiting for us at the entry and we are happy with the places in the tenth row. It's a bit weird for me to be in this place, because I've been here several times before, to see the Wise Guys perform open air. After their show there's always an afterparty in this theater. Today we'll see a totally different group and now the theater is filled with chairs and the open air area is filled with cars.
At eight o'clock we are welcomed with the words that tonight we'll witness the full potential of the human voice. One by one the singers of the band appear on stage and they start with the song Fly Baby. As soon as the bass singer and the drummer join in, they blow us away. This is very loud! It's a rap song and I'm not really used to that. It's clear that this group is not just a normal a cappella group. Their concept of "Vocal Play" is much more than that. They say, the difference between Vocal Play and a cappella is, that a cappella is defined as singing without instruments and Vocal Play is singing AS instruments, and BECOMING an instrument with the voice. And that's exactly what I'm witnessing now. Warren, the drummer, is positioned back on the stage on a platform where you would normally expect a drum set, and Hops, the bass singer, is also standing in the back, "holding" his bass guitar and playing it as if it's really there.
I don't know the second song and it's a bit hard to understand the lyrics, because it's all so loud. I wish for a song which is a little less R&B or rap, a little more pop, or at least a song that I know and my thoughts are heard, because the next song is Broken wings. I don't recognize it at first, because they changed it a bit. I love the way they sing it and the applause is huge. Wow, their voices are really amazing! I'm also getting used to the volume level by now.
I believe the next song is called Speed of sound. At the end it slows down until they all stop singing, the audience thinks it's the end, but then they continue. Afterwards, Roger asks us if we are having a good time. The answer is yes! He wants to know who's already seen Naturally 7 before and who is here for the first time. After that he tells us they do Vocal Play. It all started about ten years ago in church. Back then, it was just about harmony. To show us what that sounded like, they sing Bless this house. It's a prayer, and it's beautiful. Roger continues his story, because he thinks we might want to know how they get to where they are today. He tells us the story about his younger brother Warren. When he was young, he wasn't allowed to have a drum set. So he just started making noises himself. Warren then shows us his imitation of a motorcycle and a machine gun, with which he used to confuse or scare people, because they sound so real. Apart from his talent to make these noises, he can now imitate the complete drum set and to show us he takes his invisible drum sticks and starts playing the drums. Although I've seen many vocal percussionists from different a cappella groups explaining and showing their abilities, the way Warren is introduced is a lot of fun and he's got a great talent.
With Let it rain they show us how they harmonize together. After it, Rod shows us how he builds his own wall of sound by using his loop pedal. He's a great scratcher and he also knows how to make the audience laugh. It's a lot of fun to see him doing this. He tells us, sometimes he wants to build an ever bigger Wall Of Sound, and he does this with the other six singers. I love this song and to hear it live it's even better than on the CD. The song is very instrumental, but of course all sounds are made with the voice. I love Garfields harmonica sound and the trumpets are also so real. We are told that if we like this, we can buy the new album, so we can take them home with us. They like to go with us, but, only if we can cook ;)
Before the break starts, they sing Another you. The song is dedicated to the special one in your life. During the introduction of the song, they let us know their religious compassion, because if you don't have someone special, there's always God. The song starts and ends with modest violins, and in between it's energetic and persuasive. At the end, they one by one stop singing, pack their invisible violin in an invisible violin-case and leave the stage. Jamal is the final one on stage and when he finishes his violin part, the audience loudly applauses.
After the break they sing a song which is called Read between the lines, or something like that. I'm sorry if I don't get all the song titles right... During the song we hear Jamal singing a guitar solo and it's phenomenal! You'd think it can't get any higher, but it does. An amazing voice! Roger asks if someone caught that for YouTube, because he never got that high before. Probably that's the sign for some people to start filming the next song, but security doesn't really like that. In front of me a girl is tapped on her shoulder because she has to stop filming. Say you love me is another self written song and it's really beautiful. We give Dwight, the sing and song writer, a big applause. The next song is Don't shoot the messenger. It's a really cool song.
Then, it's time for the bass singer Hops to show his qualities. He's got a very low voice, which is amplified by the sound technician. His sounds are really vibrating in your belly. The audience shouts and goes totally wild and Hops seems a little uncomfortable with these reactions. His collegues think he could at least say "thank you" and when he does say "thank you" with his deep voice, the audience starts screaming again.
We have to sing along with the next song. The audience is divided in four groups. We have to sing Breath In Out Haha. Together with Naturally 7 it sounds really cool and we enjoy it. Then Rod shows us his scratch qualities with the song Come together and then they return to their roots. Roger tells us they take the church with them wherever they go. They sing a religious song and Amazing Grace and then it's already time for the final song. It's the song that made them famous, Feel it in the air tonight (they sang it in the subway in Paris and the movie on YouTube is very well-known). The song seems to go on forever. We all stand op and sing along, dance and clap. The audience is very enthusiastic.
After a huge applause, standing ovations and screaming for more, the seven singers return to sing the Simon & Garfunkle Medley - Sound of Silence/Scarborough Fair unplugged. We sit down. With just one microphone in the middle we all have to listen carefully. There are a few flat tones at the beginning, but later on it's really beautiful. The final song is a new song. They haven't recorded it yet. Roger asks every member of the group, one by one, if he's ready. When they are all ready, it's time for Ready or not, a fantastic song which makes us all stand up again to swing and dance. After that, it's really over and with a "God bless!" they leave the stage.
We buy a CD and while we are talking about the show together, four of the seven men come out to write autographs. That brings up the idea to see if we can convince them to make an announcement for the BALK Vocal Light TOP Festival. Jamal thinks this is a great idea. He tries to find Hops, who would be great to do this. But Hops is still backstage. Rod is around and is really enthusiastic if he hears about the festival. We shoot a little movie with him - Thanks!! We also have a nice chat with Roger and then we have to go, because we still have to drive a long way home.
Conclusion: Wow, this is totally different. Naturally 7 is unique and I love their Vocal Play. Their imitations of instruments are fantastic, but their voices are also amazing when they sing harmonies together. The songs vary from R&B to pop and gospel. I personally don't like R&B much, but after today I'm even starting to like that a bit as well. I'm already looking forward to their show here at the festival in October!