Everyday CD reviews

“The Pickets are back, with a new lineup and a new energy that positively JUMPS out of every track on this album. There are awesome covers of classics like Tracy Chapman's "Fast Car" or a revamped and very steamy four-plus minute version of the Police's "Roxanne," as well as their own material. Group members Dylan Foster and Michael Henry contribute originals on intense, sexy numbers like Foster's groovy "Do It" and Henry's driving "Chapel on a Cloud." And check out the very original version of Michael McDonald's "I Keep Forgettin'" - the solo on this has so much soul that it almost makes you feel bad for the misguided, heartbroken bloke in the song! The 'Pickets must really like the Doobie Brothers, as they do a rockin' cover of "Long Train Runnin'" later on - this is just one funky album that you MUST have, whether or not you're a previous Flying Pickets fan. Get this one, and get educated!”
(From Mainely Acappella review)

"(…) Everyday’ is anything but, a groundbreaking masterwork that needs to be listened to many times to be fully appreciated, especially by other Contemporary a cappella groups. A confident sound like this is fashioned by years of taking chances, experimentation, a whole lot of performing and recording together, and of achieving artistic maturity individually and as a group. This is one of the best Contemporary CDs we've listened to in a long time!”
(From Primarily Acappella review)

“Ich bin sehr glücklich mit dem, was die Flying Pickets aus Here Comes The Flood gemacht haben.“
(Peter Gabriel)

“(...) Thank you very much for the MP3 copy of Here Comes The Flood. In our opinion as publishers it is a wonderful arrangement and we were very moved by the overall feel of the whole song.(...)”
(Rob Bozas, Peter Gabriel’s Real World Music)

“ (....) The Flying Pickets have produced one of the best albums of 2004 and 2005. Possibly a decade from now I'll still be extolling the virtues of Everyday. To quote myself in regards to the Next Generation album: "I want a studio album from this group — that album is going to be O.O.C./O.T.C. — out of control and off the chain." Hip, funky, pleasing, intoxicatingly soothing and sensual, Everyday fills all of your pop/R&B needs.(...) Oftentimes simple (the tender, straightforward cover of Tracy Chapman's Fast car, the bare-boned and sublime Roxanne, and the gorgeous Here Comes the Flood), sometimes ethereal (the James Warren-penned Everybody's Got to Learn Sometimes), and all the time amazing (especially with Everyday Is a Winding Road and Keep Forgetting), The Flying Pickets have stepped up their studio game in ways I only dreamt about on the last album. The songwriting is as tight as ever on this album. Four of the songs on the album are originals penned by group members or for the group. Chapel on a Cloud by Michael Henry is probably going to be the breakout hit. It's a fun pop number, though a bit confusing. (…) My personal favorite, though, is Dylan Foster's Perfect Day. The song is just that — perfect: succint and personal lyrics, Foster's delicate tenor gliding effortlessly through the lyrics, lush background vocals, and a rhythmic pocket that propels the energy forward. (…)
The singing is as incredible as it was on the live album. (…) The one detraction is that most of the songs are mid-tempo, so there isn't a lot of diversity in aural experiences. It's such a minute problem that I was reluctant in addressing it, but I can't have an overly glowing review lest I lose my curmudgeon card.
Get Everyday. I'm sure you'll listen to it as often as the title suggests.”
(Thomas King, Recorded Acappella Review Board www.rarb.org )

“OK, so I'm supposed to be reviewing Flying Pickets' new CD
Everyday, but I can get that out of the way pretty darn quickly. It's fantastic — a no-brainer as a 2004 CARA nominee for Best Pop/Rock Album. It's exactly what you'd expect from the Pickets, and they don't disappoint. Solid grooves featuring spot-on VP, tight singing, interesting and different arrangements (wasn't sure the first track really was Everyday Is a Winding Road until about a minute or two into the song), brilliant solos, generally impeccable blend, and a healthy dose of covers and originals. Sure, there are some low 5s (the originals on this album — with the possible exception of the final lullaby — are a bit weaker musically, and especially lyrically) but overall, it's unquestionably excellent and as good a pro album as you've likely heard in a while, up there with the best in the biz.
There. Done. Buy the album. Go.”
(Elie Landau, Recorded Acappella Review Board www.rarb.org)

Everyday is an impeccably polished product geared for mass consumption. This is the most Top 40-friendly album I've reviewed, following a template straight off the radio: loud leads, loud bass, thumping percussion, lots of harmonies and arpeggios, and a bunch of other background stuff that is neatly but softly woven into the sound. The result is an excellently made album that could easily become a blockbuster.(…) This album is a marvel of engineering and production; the album oozes with professionalism, top-notch producers, and lots of money. There isn't a single wrong note, an off-beat rhythm, a vowel not perfectly blended, or a line sticking out. (…) The album is an excellent example of a super-produced album not sounding super-produced, and it is palatable for the general audience. (…)
Overall, this is a great album. Despite its unabashedly pop-infused and profit-driven musical formula, the caliber of performances and production is simply too great not to enjoy.”
(Tom Czerwinski, Recorded Acappella Review Board www.rarb.org)

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