Straight No Chaser – Yacht On The Rocks (2023) [Official Digital Download 24bit/44,1kHz]

Straight No Chaser – Yacht On The Rocks (2023)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/44,1 kHz | Time – 52:27 minutes | 611 MB | Genre: Pop
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Arts Music

“Yacht on the Rocks” is the new full-length album from RIAA certified Gold acapella group Straight No Chaser. The album is a trove of yacht rock classics like “Escape (The Piña Colada Song),” “Sailing,” “After The Love Has Gone” and unique mashups including “Waves of Toto” featuring David Paich of Toto. Yacht on the Rocks is produced by Produced by Nicholas Niespodziani, singer, guitarist, and spiritual leader of Yacht Rock Revue. The band sets sail on The Yacht Rock Tour this summer across North America with chart-topping yacht rock pioneers Ambrosia (“How Much I Feel,” “Biggest Part of Me,” “You’re the Only Woman,” and “Holdin’ on To Yesterday”) appearing on select dates.

After years of deftly transforming holiday and pop songs, Straight No Chaser are setting sail into a new chapter of their career. The highly-acclaimed a cappella group, who recently celebrated their 25th anniversary, are branching out into yacht rock.

The nine-piece act – Walter Chase, Jerome Collins, Seggie Isho, Michael Luginbill, Steve Morgan, Jasper Smith, Randy Stine, Tyler Trepp and Freedom Young – came up with the concept for Yacht on the Rocks while on tour. Jerome frequently played yacht rock classics from his dressing room, blaring them into the backstage hallways. It occurred to him that these might be the right type of songs for Straight No Chaser to tackle next.

“I noticed that when most people walked by they were enjoying it and knew the words,” Jerome recalls. “We’d been talking about doing a themed album for awhile, and a light went on – we should make a yacht rock album. People have asked me, ‘What is yacht rock?’ And you’re going to have so many different answers: It’s a style, and it’s a vibe. You can hear yourself on a boat or on the beach, chilling. It’s good time music.”

“We were all singing the songs already backstage,” Seggie adds. “We thought, ‘Why don’t we consciously put a track-list together and record this album?’ We want people to relax and have a good time. Listen to some good music and forget everything that’s happening.”

Several of the group members – Mike, Freedom, Tyler, Walter and Steve – worked on arrangements for the album. The focus was on songs that evoked the uplifting spirit of yacht rock and that would be an apt showcase for the singers’ collective voices. The LP opens with “Escape (The Piña Colada Song),” which sets the tone for the rest of the album. Other highlights include “What You Won’t Do For Love,” “Sailing,” “Ride Like the Wind,” “Lovely Day” and “TOTO,” which features vocals from Toto co-creator David Paich.

“One of the songs we’re known for is ‘Africa,’” Seggie explains. “That’s a nod to our college days, where it was one of the first songs we’d do at shows. The song has become synonymous with Straight No Chaser. But for THIS album we decided to do a mash-up of Toto songs, which culminates in this big, surprising climax.”

To record the album, Straight No Chaser tapped Nicholas Niespodziani of famed yacht rock band Yacht Rock Revue as the producer. The songs were laid down in Las Vegas, Atlanta andNashville over the past year, marking the first time the group returned to the studio since the pandemic (their last album, Social Christmasing, was recorded virtually). “I don’t think there’s anyone out there that knows yacht rock better than Nick does, so he was able to really help the arrangers find the right groove for each song,” Seggie notes of working with Niespodziani.

Yacht on the Rocks may see Straight No Chaser embracing a new genre, but the album shares its upbeat vibe and fun, pop sensibility with their previous work. While they’re best-known for their holiday albums and tours, Yacht on the Rocks means they can perform sunshine-filled tracks during the spring, summer and fall.

“We hope this shows off our personalities a bit more, and shows that we listen to and perform more than just Christmas music,” Jerome says. “We love being part of that time of year, but now we’re stepping out of our box to show people that now you can listen to us in every season. I can’t wait to perform these songs for both our longtime fans and new ones.”

Originally formed while attending Indiana University in the mid-‘90s, Straight No Chaser has built a flourishing career by focusing on connecting with fans and giving them moments of escapism. After going their separate ways, the group gained new momentum in 2006 when Randy uploaded their 1998 performance of “The 12 Days of Christmas” to YouTube. Over the next decade, the group surpassed a series of remarkable milestones while growing a devoted fan base through extensive touring.

To date, the band has sold more than three million albums worldwide, accumulated ticket sales of over 1.5 million worldwide, and earned 100 million-plus YouTube views and over one billion streams. Alongside their successful headlining tours, the group has performed dozens of major television performances and collaborated with everyone from Sir Paul McCartney and Sir Elton John to Stevie Wonder and Kristen Bell. In addition, two of their eight LPs, Holiday Spirits and Christmas Cheers, have been certified gold.

Straight No Chaser plans to incorporate the songs from Yacht on the Rocks into their live setlists going forward, without forsaking the beloved tunes that have brought them here. The album represents a group of genuine friends who continue to love every moment of their unexpected musical career.

“I couldn’t imagine wanting to do anything else and, hopefully, I don’t have to imagine doing anything else,” Seggie says. “People have now been coming to see us for a decade and it’s a tradition in their lives. We’ve watched families grow. The fans are the reason we exist and the reason we get to try cool new things, like venture into yacht rock. We owe everything to them.” “The saying is, if you love what you do you never work a day in your life and we don’t take that for granted,” Jerome adds. “We’re living a dream that we never thought would happen. And we’re just scratching the surface. We still have so much more to go.”

Tracklist:
01. Straight No Chaser – Escape (The Piña Colada Song) (03:44)
02. Straight No Chaser – Sailing (03:40)
03. Straight No Chaser – Toto (feat. David Paich) (04:21)
04. Straight No Chaser – Heart to Heart (04:00)
05. Straight No Chaser – What You Won’t Do for Love / Just the Two of Us (03:04)
06. Straight No Chaser – Biggest Part of Me (03:54)
07. Straight No Chaser – Reelin’ In the Years (03:03)
08. Straight No Chaser – What a Fool Believes (03:44)
09. Straight No Chaser – Lovely Day / Back Pocket (03:39)
10. Straight No Chaser – After the Love Has Gone (04:14)
11. Straight No Chaser – Ride Like the Wind / Steal Away (03:51)
12. Straight No Chaser – Easy Lover (03:29)
13. Straight No Chaser – Lido Shuffle (03:13)
14. Straight No Chaser – Taking It to (Dancing in) the Streets (04:25)

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