One of the big reasons I look forward to Christmas is because of the Blenders’ Christmas album. It’s unreal.
Now I want to go find my Mystere du Voix Bulgare CDs.
I also have to put in my vote for Rockapella. Two Sundays ago in Sunday School the pastor was doing a guest-teaching spot and at some point ended a sentence with “back to back.” A friend and I immediately looked at each other and said, “Belly to belly!” Needless to say, we were the only ones in the class who got it.
Gotta love The King’s Singers, too.
RR
Oh, yeah, I forgot to mention LordSong. They aren’t strictly a capella, but they do a fair bit of it. You can see a clip of them singing Lord of the Dance here, but they have since added a member, so they are better – with more depth – now.
RR
And for some real fun, here’s a typical animated peformance by The Coats
In the 80’s, I saw** Ladysmith black Mambazo** at an intimate, open air hippy venue in No. California, all others are judged against that experience
Got another one: Steeleye Span. I haven’t unpacked my vinyl in a decade or two, but I think this has a few good a capellas, Medieval-style. I recommend Gaudete.
If you’re interested in Tuvan throat singing, check out the documentary “Genghis Blues”. San Francisco bluesman and composer, Paul Peña (his song “Jet Airliner” was covered by Steve Miller), heard throat singing on the radio and figured out how to do it, and eventually traveled to Tuva for a throat-singing competition.