‘Ballad’s’ by The Idea of North is Eastside Radio’s album of the week.

This week’s featured album comes straight from the lungs of the deep south as the ensemble hail from Adelaide and use nothing but their voices. If you haven’t already heard of The Idea of North well you are in for quite a pleasant surprise as four Australian artists’ come together to bring you stand out quality music with just their trusty singing, no instruments needed. Some may describe the group as an A Capella ensemble others may say their a jazz quartet, but one thing’s for sure is that they are hard to resign to a single sound as they cross many musical genres such as jazz, folk, gospel, pop, classical and comedy.

If you are looking for natural talent then this is the album to give a listen to. The work on this album is made up of tracks the ensemble have been touring the globe with for the past seven years. Having gotten together over two decades ago, the group have released a total of 11 albums however their latest release ‘Ballad’s’ amalgamates their best arrangements they’ve performed since conceiving the album’s concept after a concert of ‘Ballad’s by Candelight’ in the group’s home town.

Having won the ARIA award for best jazz album twice for albums ‘Feels like spring’ and ‘Smile’ you can be sure that an album that consists of what they regard as their finest work is sure to be a big hit with fans and new listeners. The ensemble are constantly touring and bringing their highly talented techniques to small towns and big towns around the country. Just last Thursday they played in Marrickville and on Saturday they ran a public singing workshop in Willoughby, and so are relentless in getting their new work across their fans on a national basis but they don’t stop there! Over the years, The Idea of North have worked internationally as their global fan base grows, most notably in the Asian market.

With a mix of covers and original compositions, not only will you hear their outstanding harmony work, but they also make a conscious effort to showcase each individual artist’s talents like in their cover of ‘Too Much Heaven’ that brings you back to the 70’s Bee Gee’s mood. Another unique cover that gives the original a fresh approach is their cover of ABBA’s ‘When All Is Said And Done’.  Along with the ensemble’s four members soprano Sally Cameron, alto Naomi Crellin, tenor Nick Begbie and bass Andrew Piper the record features guest artists’ Kristin Berardi, tenor Ed Fairlie and the Japanese vocal percussionist Kaichiro Kitamura.

If you want to get hold of an album that leaves out the fuss, the noise and the unnecessary sound effects and just truly focuses on the talent pick up ‘Ballad’s’ by The Idea of North. An album that proves that you don’t need computers or fancy gadgets to produce something of the highest quality, from artists who are deeply passionate about what they do who have given us a collection of what work they are most proud of, now it is your turn to give it a listen and hear the stunning tones that these voices can create when they are combined. And we can be sure you’ll be looking up their next live show near you pretty soon after…

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