"As it is, there are many parts, but one body."

This week's feature video comes from Dartmouth's A Capella group, X.Ado. The song is "Listen to Our Hearts" by Steven Curtis Chapman. Soloists are Kevin Oh and Andrew Kang.
I unfortunately was not able to attend RoF's practices this week, so I'll blog today about today's feature video.
Upon listening to this video, the first thing that most people will note is the soloist's breathtaking voice. His deep, rich tone is likely to sweep any girl off her feet.When I was first introduced to X.Ado through this video, I immediately became obsessed with Kevin and began to watch every single video Youtube had of this fascinating creature who had captured my heart. (He also has a personal youtube channel, monkeybz, in which he displays his mind-blowing guitar/vocal skills. His cover of "La Vie En Rose" is to die for.) However, as I listened to X.Ado's rendition of Listen to Our Hearts, I realized that the real magic in this performance happened behind the soloist.
Sure, Kevin is absolutely fantastic at singing this song. But without the background vocals, his voice would not shine as much as it does. The vocalists in the back blend together with almost flawless precision. Not one voice sticks out as its own. Each section moves as if it were one person, and all four sections come together as majestic one instrument. I think the combination for a perfect A Capella performance consists of a soloist who helps the background vocals to shine and background vocals that enhance the soloist. Unity for the win!
I think the concept of unity is especially interesting in a Christian A Capella group, because the groups moves together and sings for a defined purpose. I post the lyrics below in hopes to enhance your viewing experience. Whether Christian or not, I hope that you'll be able to experience the passion and emotions that are captured in X.Ado's performance. Just take a moment to imagine the passion behind the lyrics of this song. For whether he is confessing his love for God or his love for a cheeseburger, every performer hopes that he can effectively convey to the audience what's in his heart through his music.

Here are the verses for this song:
How do you explain,
How do you describe,
A love that goes from east to west,
And runs and deep as it is wide?
You know all our hopes
Lord, you know all our fears
And words cannot express the love we feel
But we long for You to hear

So listen to our hearts (oh, Lord, please listen)
Hear our spirits sing (and hear us sing)
A song of praise that flows (a simple song of praise)
From those You have redeemed (from those You have redeemed)
We will use the words we know
To tell You what an awesome God You are
But words are not enough
To tell You of our love

If words could fall like rain
From these lips of mine
And if I had a thousand years
I would still run out of time
So if You listen to my heart
Every beat would say,
Thank You for the Life, thank You for the Truth, thank You for the Way. 

Currently on RoF's playlist:
Oh Happy Day from the movie The Sister Act 2
Seasons of Love from the Broadway musical RENT
True Colors (w/ revised lyrics) by Cyndi Lauper [also seen on GLEE! :D]

"As it is, there are many parts, but one body." 1 Corinthians 12:20