Customer Reviews:
| Showing reviews 11-13 of 13 | | « PREV | | |
 Captures The Feel June 3, 2008
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
Mickey Rapkin, who himself sang a cappella with Cayuga's Waiters at Cornell University, covers a year in the life of three a cappella groups, two male, one female. People unfamiliar with this college subculture will get a good introduction to the competitions groups have with each other, both formal and informal, the clash of egos, the battles over trivial issues, and the other social aspects of collegiate a cappella singing groups collectively referred to in his book as "aca-politics."
While one of the groups described is a female group, it is clear that Rapkin is more intimately familiar with the male group experience, which is fine. Female groups have a different social dynamic, and mixed groups (which are barely mentioned in this book) are different from both. I am not bothered by the relative lack of coverage of these other social dynamics since it is clearly not the point of the book to be completely comprehensive, but rather to describe the experience from the point of view of three specific (and very different) groups.
I do have to penalize a star, though, for a number of errors concerning the history of a cappella music. (For example, he refers to The Manhattan Transfer's "Mecca for Moderns" as an a cappella album when, in fact, it contains only one a cappella track.) However, this book is not intended to be a historical tract; it intends to convey the feeling or the experience of being in a group, while at the same time discussing (and not impartially) the merits and drawbacks of the recent commercialization of the art form. To my knowledge, this book is unique for what it does and it is definitely a worthwhile read to anyone interested in music, even if the a cappella scene is somewhat alien.
 Informative, Insightful, Touching, and FUN! June 1, 2008
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
I must admit, I'm a big fan of collegiate a cappella since attending college in the late 90s (listening to the NYU NHarmonics, NYU APC Rhythm, and UPenn Off The Beat)...so I was eagerly awaiting the release of this book. I'm happy to report that it did not disappoint AT ALL! Whether you are a fan or completely unfamiliar with collegiate a cappella, the stories of triumph, tragedy, and yes, even tales of glory that are woven in the page of Rapkin's book are accessible to all. But I will say, if you are in a college a cappella group, if you ever have been part of one, or ever want to be...this book is a MUST! Everyone else can read and marvel at how guys that sing in 8-part harmony while wearing goofy-looking robes can be some of the most successful with the ladies at UVA...
Perfect Summer Read! May 31, 2008
6 out of 7 found this review helpful
After reading about it in Rolling Stone and USA Today on the same day, I decided to buy it. AND IT'S GREAT. It reads so well and is so funny, kinda like the movie Bring It On, but this is about college singers. I had no idea that this whole world existed and I didn't even go to college that long ago. It didn't matter that I didn't know about a cappella, though, because the author gives you all the background you need, while also keeping the story going. Apparently, Mickey Rapkin's an editor at GQ; I'll have to look out for him.
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