Holding Out For A Hero, the latest single from The Scopes of Imperial College London, is a mixed bag. The arrangement is interesting and full of fun style changes that flow well together: from a great madrigal intro to a little tribute to John Williams’ score from Superman, the arrangement is completely engaging. The soloist also has a beautiful tone in her lower register that I could listen to all day.

The problem with Holding Out For A Hero is in the production. It’s too perfect. It ends up sounding sterile for 80% of the track. There’s a slow section after the bridge that feels the most genuine — and it’s not auto-tuned for effect or anything, it’s simply pitch- and rhythm-corrected to the point of losing the human element. It's unfortunate, because the vocals are solid and blend well. Bottom line, if the passion would be allowed to shine through from all of the voices, this track could easily be a runaway success. As it is, it comes across as mediocre, which is really too bad since the talent is evident. But, I do want to give props to the percussion choices — the vp and the solo bring what life there is in this track to the forefront, making it a worthwhile listen for these lines.

Still, I’m glad The Scopes are now on my radar. There’s a great deal of potential that just needs to be produced the right way.