“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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