I've tried to get away from picking on album titles as a way to introduce a review, but when a group names its album Vitality — which at least one online source defines as "the state of being strong and active; energy" — and that is a lot of what's missing from the album in question, it's hard not to start there.

To be fair, I don't doubt that the young men and women of Kol Sasson love singing this material and mean it when they do. Earnestness is not in short supply here. But with rare exception, anything that will send your pulse racing or your heart soaring or transport your mind is woefully absent.

It's not like the group sings poorly, either. The notes are (mostly) there. The intonation can be a bit nasal and occasionally shrill in higher registers, but especially in the softer moments, can also be tender and beautiful. Aided capably by Liquid 5th, everything is edited and tuned neatly and the blend is perhaps a bit artificial but nevertheless cohesive.

In truth, it's not just the energy. It's also the arranging, which feels almost retro in its reliance on sustained big block chords, homophonic rhythmic patterns in the backing vocals, and/or the misplaced and clunky aca-syllables that stick out like a sore thumb (the "zha na na" of Vehi She'amda and the "ding-dinga dinga ding-ding" of Ish Shel Laila just to name two of several). This decidedly uncomplicated approach to arrangements occasionally yields positive results — Trampoline for one — and when it is at least used crisply and more rhythmically (and less droningly), it can elevate a "bop" like Hazug Hazeh or Hypotheticals. On the flip side, there are moments when the arrangement not only doesn't help, but it actually hurts. On Trampoline, all the bouncy, funky edges of the original are not just smoothed over but they are obliterated entirely. The vp tries its darnedest but the arrangement of the backs isn't sync'd with the rhythm section and just drones on with its pad chords. Mango Tree should probably be an easy lift to a cappella given the jazzy stylings of the original, and yet here is reduced to sounding like it was auto-programmed on a Casio shuffle rhythm by a one-person band on a cruise ship.

But even when the arrangement is average or better, I frequently couldn't help but be left wondering if the group truly knows what they're singing about. And if the musicians do know what they're singing about, why doesn't this show up and come through more in their performances? The worst offender is Lo Levad which is delivered in a manner I can only describe as "matter of fact", and which is surely not aided by the transposition down from the original key, or the plodding arrangement, or the dainty vocal ornamentations that feel wildly out of place. Not far behind is Vehi She'amda, which perhaps thinks that speed — it's probably 1.5x the speed it should be — is a substitute for energy (narrator: it isn't). Indeed, the absence of "vitality" from so much of this album is especially striking when a soloist like Elyse Broder comes along on The Mountain and infuses the song with more emotion than even the original has for me. Ditto for Hannah Wandersman and Rebecca Ashkenazy on at least the front halves of Ish Shel Laila and Gam Ki Elech respectively (both are straining a bit by the end with their riffing).

Though I've never reviewed Kol Sasson before, I have heard them sing live on occasion — which is in part why I know that the lack of energy showcased here is not necessarily indicative of their music-making in concert. I wonder, perhaps, if they might consider a shorter release (EP?) and take some of the funds they might otherwise spend on studio time to obtain a few arrangements-for-hire. It's not unique to Kol Sasson by any means — many groups face this issue — but their in-house arranging talent — at least right now — simply is not in the first, or even second tier of what qualifies as the best (or at least better) arranging at the collegiate level. With a concerted effort, I believe the group can bring more "vitality" next time, but it also needs to be singing arrangements that energize the members to do so.

At the end of my review of Kol Sasson's previous album, In the Moment, I challenged the group to focus more on the overall musicality of the album and each individual track, as I thought there was a lot of untapped potential. And while Kol Sasson has made some progress with its latest album, Vitality, the group still has some room to grow.

To be honest, my hope that a growth had taken place was starting to dash after the very first track. For better or worse, Tori Kelly's Expensive is a track that has been covered by a number of a cappella groups in the past and I've therefore become quite familiar with the song. One moment that I really pay attention to is coming out of the 2nd pre-chorus and into the 2nd and final chorus, where there is a build on the repeated "no, your money don't buy love," followed by a two beat break and then what should be a wall of sound going into the chorus. I say what should be, because Kol Sasson doesn't come back into that chorus with a lot of firepower to differentiate it from the other verses. I am ready to jump up and dance, and the moment to jump up never comes. Overall, the tone of the track is more subdued than the original, and I don't get the feeling that the group is really into the song. Instead of opening with Expensive, I wish the group had opened with the second track, the Hebrew work Hazug Hazeh, which has more of that driving feel and emotional bite that I hope for in an opener. Rebecca Ashkenazy gives a finessed and edgy solo line that the backgrounds and vp Yona Levitt support really well ... and that's when I start dancing!

Playing to Lose is another great example of the group locking into the music — starting with a beautiful solo line from Hannah Wandersman where she shows off tremendous range, and the backgrounds are right there with a good energy and attention to dynamics from the verses to the chorus. Kudos to Ashkenazy and Keren Binyamin for giving the backgrounds enough material to make those great choices in supporting Wandersman. The Mountain is also beautifully done from top to bottom, and may be my favorite track on the whole album from an emotional standpoint.

As the album goes along, however, the energy starts to fall off again. I don't feel the Lovers Medley — I just feel like there is continuity between the tracks involved, and it could have been integrated more seamlessly. It's a good example of why I've never been a fan of medleys; they are incredibly difficult to integrate completely in the best of times, and very often, less is more. And Mango Tree just feels "flat" — again, just sounding like the notes are being sung off the page without any of the energy that we saw in Playing to Lose or Hazug Hazeh.

While I'm ultimately giving this album the same rating as the group's previous album, Kol Sasson has shown that it has taken our criticism to heart — the group made an effort in pouring its emotions into some of the tracks, and I greatly appreciate that as a listener. Now, we just need to make sure that it happens throughout the whole album. I look forward to hearing the next album soon.

Kol Sasson has become one of my favorite groups to review for RARB. Not just because they're good (which they are), but because they seem to consistently improve and learn lessons from previous projects. When I reviewed In the Moment a couple years ago, I said it was "two steps forward, one step back", and I'd say the same about Vitality, though for different reasons.

The big upgrade on In the Moment was arrangement detail, and the big upgrade here is the revitalized (heh) energy levels from the vocalists, especially the soloists. Expensive lacks on the execution factor for dynamics and the arrangement's too literal vocable choices, but I still appreciate the fun the group is having during a lot of moments. Hazug Hazeh ups the ante even further, however, by being so extremely fun in its entirety, matched by a great solo by Rebecca Ashkenazy. Is the track perfect? Not quite, but sometimes the fun factor simply supersedes everything else. Playing to Lose holds an interesting dynamic arc and maintains the momentum from the previous songs quite well, too.

We then arrive at the "step back" of this album, and that is consistency. While the previous tracks have a ton of personality, Vehi She'amda is a super dry cover that lacks a lot of the subtlety, arc, and especially the vulnerability that makes Yonatan Razel's masterpiece really shine. The overpowering "zha nah nah"s are also super distracting from the lyrics. They don't feel like natural expressions from the voices, and they sound poorly balanced/blended in the song as a whole. Given that the original is one of my favorite Jewish liturgical compositions and recordings of all time, this feels like a major missed opportunity.

Consistency continues to be a sticking point. One moment, Kol Sasson is nailing a low-voiced solo and entrancing the listener with Elyse Broder on The Mountain. Then right after, on Lo Levad, it comes off more like the group is walking through the motions to perform an almost obligatory-feeling Hebrew song. Hypotheticals comes next and Rebecca Ashkenazy, now two for two, helms a super eccentric jazzy switch up. If it weren't for the ill-fitting and slow-to-start intro, this would probably be my favorite song on the album. This is followed up by another attempt at jazz influence with Mango Tree and this time, however, the group falls flat.

The next three songs lose a lot of the earlier album momentum, with Ish Shel Laila and Trampoline being both solid but safe, while Lovers Medley: Perfect / Lover / Let's See What the Night Can Do is a meandering mashup that never takes off. Thankfully, however, the album ends on a stronger note with Gam Ki Elech, which isn't a showstopper closer but has a lot of strong execution on the details level.

The common theme here is that Kol Sasson has begun really tapping into some amazing sounds, combining some risk-taking song choices, solid arranging, and fantastic solos to create a super enjoyable listening experience. Doing it consistently, however, is no small feat. The lows on this album arguably stick out more than on previous Kol Sasson projects because of the contrast in quality, even if they're not lower in a vacuum. Lifting the lows up to this new standard of quality should be the group's next goal.

Normally, consistency is a much bigger sticking point for me when scoring an album overall. This album is an exception for me because the high points have been so satisfying to hear, so I'm inclined to say it is a step up from Kol Sasson's past two projects. I'd love to see the group continue to build on the high points of Vitality, and the thought of that alone makes me excited for whatever comes next.