The King of Hearts concert, which took place Feb. 22 in Camp Concert Hall, was a brilliant performance form the a cappella groups from Cristopher Newport University (Expansion), George Washington University (Troubadors) and University of Richmond (Choeur du Roi).
Up first was Expansion from Christopher Newport. The group had decent vocals, but lacked a truly defining voice. The group harmony masked some unimpressive lead singing at times, but at others the lead vocals wowed. The strength of the group cohesion was especially seen during a rendition of Bruno Mars' "Treasure." The main singer lacked the pitch to nail the song; however, his song-mates picked him up with excellent back-up vocals. What Expansion lacked in raw singing power, it made up for with stage presence and charisma. The fluid movement of members around the stage and the colorful dance moves brought the crowd into the act.Overall: A/A-
The next group was the George Washington Troubadors. The group seemed a little flat early on and lacked the stage presence of expansion. Even so, the Troubadors countered this with the strength of an impressive set of main vocals. The harmony was decent but sometimes overshadowed the lead vocals, making the lyrics hard to understand. What is clear is that the female leads were amazing for George Washington. The voices were unique and had authority. I was thoroughly impressed with their ability on the stage. Overall: A
Last but not least is the Richmond Choeur du Roi a cappella group. The freshman talent was on showcase as two girls performed riveting solo acts. The variety of music performed, from rock to country, offered a little something for every member in the audience.
The best set of the night came from Choeur du Roi. I'm not just saying that because it's Richmond. The rendition of Great Big World's "Say Something" was nearly flawless. If you hooked up a recording of the song I doubt you could tell the two apart. The song stole the show and provided proof of the power of UR a cappella. The only knock I have is that the back-up vocals occasionally dominated the main voices. Overall: A
In all, the King of Hearts concert lived up to the hype and offered a fun night of music. This just showcases the great tradition of the University of Richmond.
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