Juice Vocal Ensemble: Songspin

Juice, the a cappella British women's vocal trio, doesn't sound quite like anything else; it is truly sui generis. Other music that its work at various times calls to mind includes that of Meredith Monk (most strongly), Bobby McFerrin, Toby Twining, the Swingle Singers, Tuvan throat singers, and the sweet harmonies of more traditional women's folk ensembles. Sopranos Anna Snow and Sarah Dacey are traditionally trained singers with distinguished solo careers and alto Kerry Andrew, known primarily as a composer, is a prominent figure on the British new music scene. In most of these pieces they sing with a relatively straight, folk-like tone, although their astonishing virtuosity leaves no doubt that they could also negotiate the most florid coloratura repertoire.

The program is wonderfully diverse, ranging from a straightforward performance of Elisabeth Lutyens' modernist 1974 motet Of the Snow, to the group's inventive arrangements of folk songs, to new pieces by composers like Gabriel Prokofiev, Morag Galloway, Paul Robinson, and Juice member Andrew, written to showcase the singers' distinctive abilities and aesthetic proclivities. One thing that immediately stands out in their performances is that (almost) no matter how demanding the music in the extremity of it range, the density of its harmonies, the eccentricities of its timbres, and the complexity of its rhythms, the singers make consistently beautiful sounds with astonishingly clean intonation. The instances where tone or pitch falter, as in parts of Luna-cy, are few and far between. This could be a good starter album for fans of vocal music willing to venture out into the realm of new music; the human voice softens the effect of dissonance more than any other instrument, and chords that might be jarring if heard played by a piano or a choir of clarinets can have a cushiony warmth when sung in tune and with lovely tone quality, as they are here. Standout performances include the ensemble's profoundly creepy arrangement of the disturbing English folk song Cruel Mother (Down by the Greenwood Side), Paul Robinson's whimsical The Triadic Riddles of Water, David Breslin's Skuld, and James Lindsay's kinetic Sanbiki no kashikoi saru. As with most of Nonclassical label's releases, several tracks are devoted to inventive remixes of some of the pieces. The sound is clean, detailed, and realistic.