A cappella group Pentatonix offers powerful vocals in their takes on top 40 hits

Pentatonix, the winners of the third season of the NBC show 'The Sing-Off,' showed they're more than a YouTube sensation at a sold-out concert at Boston's House of Blues.

By Saba Hamedy,?Contributor / February 25, 2013

Pentatonix released their first EP this past June.

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From ?cello beat-boxing? to an interactive audience sing-along, vocal group Pentatonix had no problem amping up the crowd at their recent sold-out concert at the House of Blues in Boston.

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The five-person a cappella group, which was the winner of the third season of NBC?s ?The Sing-Off,? are not your average YouTube sensation ? they?re better. ??

With Scott Hoying?s spot-on solos, Mitch Grassi?s unreal high notes, Avi Kaplan?s sultry bass, Kirstie Maldonado?s pitch-perfect diva vocals and Kevin Olusola?s beat-boxing/percussion perfection, the group is a unique mix of individual voices that beautifully blend into one.

It?s so perfect that it?s almost robotic, too good to be real ? but it is.

What was once just popular among ?choir nerd extraordinaires? (as Hoying called himself and some of his fellow group members during the concert), a capella music has transformed into a pop culture phenomenon, partially due to shows such as "The Sing Off" and "Glee" and even more recently with films such as "Pitch Perfect" (which made over $100 million in the box office) and ABC Family's "The Mistle-Tones." Pentatonix has scored YouTube hits in the millions and currently boasts about 230,000 Facebook fans and more than 71,000 Twitter followers.?

In a time where people glorify electronic beats and synthesized vocal chords ? such as those remixed by Swedish DJ Avicii - and synthesized vocal tracks - such as top-of-the-charts songs like Carly Rae Jepsen's "Call Me Maybe"?? Pentatonix offers a refreshing twist to top 40 hits.

With little choreography and only some minor light effects (different colors for different songs, spotlights on individual group members, etc.), the group stayed away from a flashy routine and kept the performance simple but still fresh to avoid simply replicating their YouTube videos.

Highlights of the show:

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/6qOsb4Pukkc/A-cappella-group-Pentatonix-offers-powerful-vocals-in-their-takes-on-top-40-hits

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