A cappella group performs in an all ‘natural’ vocal tradition

Naturally 7, of viral subway stunt in early millenium, to take WUD stage Saturday

Photo courtesy of EMI Germany

Preferring to call their music ‘vocal play,’ the seven singers that make up Naturally 7 have been ‘playing’ together for 12 years.

By Francis Bea
Thursday, February 3, 2011 8:16 p.m.
Updated Thursday, February 3, 2011 10:41:31 p.m.

Don’t call seven beat boxers, R&B singers and rappers an a cappella group. The terminology doesn’t suit their style. “Vocal Play” is more like it.

Twelve years ago, a group of brothers, friends and friends of a friend began the non-traditional route of pursuing a career in a cappella as the group known as Naturally 7. Their beginnings were of a Christian background — all members having grown up at the Seventh-day Adventist Church in New York City.

“We came from a church background with a rich heritage of a cappella music, so we fell in love early,” the band said.

The aspirations were cemented after winning a cappella competitions in New York and San Francisco. Why might the name Naturally 7 sound familiar? Back in 2006, you most likely watched seven black men beat boxing and singing a remix of Phil Collins’ “In the Air Tonight” with a R&B twist in a French subway to awestruck onlookers.

There were no instruments used, but it sure as hell sounded like a band was supporting the singers. Their YouTube video went viral.

“We sang for the VP [of EMI] in a restaurant the day before and she was so moved she asked if we would break into song on the subway during rush hour the next day. We agreed to do it and it was posted on YouTube the next day…millions of views later…the rest is history,” they said.

Only a couple of times has the genre reached the Billboard Charts in the past, thanks to Billy Joel and Bobby Mc Ferrin. But millions of eyeballs and ears is the second best thing. The members’ motivation for pursuing a cappella and vocal play, although having long moved away from performing Christian songs is remarkable, but grounded with respect to their spirituality.

“We chose a cappella because it chose us,” the group said. “Just to clarify, a cappella is not solely rooted in singing cover songs like you watch on ‘Glee,’ and NBC’s ‘The Sing Off.’ A cappella is singing without the aid of instruments and has the ability to be original music or a cover.”

Embodying the instruments, coupled with R&B or soul singing, is their signature style. This is what they call vocal play. Their ability to mimic instruments from drums and cymbals to trombones allows them uninhibited access to performing any music desired, without the need for a backup band.

Naturally, when naming the band, “Naturally 7” was the unfettered choice.

“”Naturally” refers to the fact that what we do is all with the instrument that we have inside of us…,” the group said.

Add to this mix, seven is their “spiritual number of completion,” and just so happens to be the perfect number for mimicking a group complete with a band.

“It happens to work well for what we do. If you have bass, drums and a lead vocal…you still have enough members to have any other instrument of your choosing plus three part harmony. This allows us to cover the full musical spectrum of a band,” they said.

One has to wonder, for a successful group that has toured with the likes of Michael Bublé, if there is any instrument that Naturally 7 has yet to master (imitating vocally, that is).

“Piano. It’s probably the most recognized instrument in the western world, but its sound is the furthest from the voice,” they said. “It is a string and percussive instrument in one. That makes it difficult to produce vocally.”

Naturally 7 will be performing at the Wisconsin Union Theater at 8 p.m. Saturday.
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