I love the Vocal Majority

My regular night to see Concerts Association shows is Tuesday. The Vocal Majority concert did not follow the regular show time pattern. I saw the concert yesterday afternoon instead of Tuesday night.

The 140 plus men of the Vocal Majority are working men and taking only two days off of work to be in the Village instead of four was the reason for the odd booking. This was the third time the Vocal Majority appeared at the Woodlands. Previous visits were in 2006 and 2008. The Dallas-based barbershop-type group has become a Village favorite. A little over 80 of the Vocal Majority members appeared in the Village concerts this time.

The musicality of this group is utterly impressive. Individually the men are spectacular musicians but when you put them together under the tutelage of Jim Clancy they are superb. Great breath control, outstanding dynamics, stunning rhythms with movement and the astounding beauty of the musical sound are just a few of the qualities the Vocal Majority brings to a concert.

If you missed the concert there will be a chance to see a Vocal Majority concert on Suddenlink’s Day Star channel on December 21. The show will feature holiday music. Also, there are CD’s available on the Vocal Majority website if you missed the opportunity to purchase the music at the concert’s intermission. The website is www.vocalmajority.com. The Vocal Majority will appear at the Eisemann Center in Dallas December 1, 2 and 4 with its holiday show, A Dickens of a Christmas.

Vocal Majority musical director Jim Clancy shared the stage with associate director Jeff Oxley. Oxley also adeptly led the men and sang several solos. Clancy and Oxley alternated leadership during the concert. With over 200 songs in the Vocal Majority repertoire audiences can’t help but be impressed with the groups ability to perform without a sheet of music in sight. All the numbers are memorized and choreographed with movement.

The concerts at the Woodlands featured a salute to the American Bandstand of Dick Clark in the 60s. The selections were fun and sounded great. The second half turned to patriotic music in salute of Veterans Day. The group was here Thursday, Veterans Day, Saturday and Sunday. Although the group performed patriotic music in the 2008 concert the musical selections were most definitely in tune with the holiday appearance in the Village.

This year a visual was added with informative screens atop the stage during the concert. I liked when the screens displayed the names of the songs. I hated when the screens flashed pictures designed to emotionally manipulate the audience. The Vocal Majority did not need the pictures, the group is fun to watch and the music itself evokes strong emotion. Personally, I did not like the distraction of the screens while flashing photographs. I prefer just watching and listening to the Vocal Majority in all its splendor.

I am sure Villagers will see the Vocal Majority again in the future. The group puts on a great show. The Concerts Association is off for the holidays. The next production is not slated to start until January 31. Next up is In the Mood, a 1940's musical revue.