UW-Madison’s extremely talented all-male acappella group Fundamentally Sound held their spring performance this weekend and it was, by far, one of the most crowd-pleasing shows I’ve ever attended. The theme, “As Seen on TV,” provided some great comedy between acts, but of course the music outshone everything else. With a diverse set that some groups could only dream of, Fundamentally Sound rocked Music Hall. The 16-member group that enjoys “long walks on the beach and a good mani/pedi” let their personalities shine through their performance and their infomercials.
“As Seen on TV” featured a perfect mix of Top 100 hits, mellow tunes and even some rap and musical theater. Beginning with “Home” by Phillip Phillips, the distinctive arrangement and the entertaining performance gave the show a great start. Following that was the soulful “Sleep,” featuring the phenomenal soloist Kierre Cribbs, and “Youth of the Nation,” a very different but incredibly well-done song that featured rapping soloist and arranger James Housworth.
After, the group brought everyone in the room back to our teeny-bopper days with an amazing boy-band medley that included songs like “I Want It That Way” and “Bye Bye Bye.” “We All Need Saving” and “Mirrors” followed with strong soloists and soft harmonies to mellow the mood a bit before the ever-popular “Sexy and I Know It,” which always gets a great crowd reaction from soloist Karan Aditya wiggling around the stage and serenading.
After the “FS Theme Song” with a few alumni, an original song, “Beyond You,” was performed with smooth rhythms and a classic melody. The show closed with Fundamentally Sound’s ICCA set that took third place in the Midwest Region. This set included four songs—a mix of pop hits, soothing acoustic, theater and rap—that acted as a perfect example of the diversity of talent within the group.
One major highlight of the show was beatboxer Peter Anderson, who stunned the audience in a great way with his solo performance throughout the show. As well, the audience involvement in the performance was unique in that it allowed the audience to vote via Twitter or Facebook for an extra song in the set, which ended up being “I’ll Make A Man Out Of You” from Mulan.
Overall, the Fundamentally Sound show was a phenomenal one and I hope to see more incredible performances from this group in the future.
