Nothing but new?

The Essentials have ushered in a new decade with a new member, new sound, new CD, and renewed enthusiasm.

Called "one of the finest acappella groups in the world" by one reviewer and "musical geniuses" by their mothers, The Essentials continue to sell-out shows while reinventing themselves and are now emerging on the international stage with some new twists on some age-old ideas.

"It's been a great journey so far but that was really just a warm-up," said band member Dan Speck. "Since Janet joined the group in the last year, we've basically reinvented ourselves. But we won't ever get away from what got us here - strong vocal harmonies and performances, tied to unforgettable melodies. Maybe we should have called the CD Nothing But New instead of Nothing But Blue!"

Dan's brother and bandmate Thom Speck added, "Nothing But Blue sounds so slick and is really interesting to listen to. Basically there are two conflicting acappella-percussion philosophies in the world; some groups insist on real drums and some insist on 'vocal percussion' or 'mouth drums'. It's a serious divide - a Hatfields and McCoys sorta thing. We decided to blend both real and vocal drums on this album. We ended up with thick harmonic tones, great grooves, and as always, magical studio performances. Plus, Darryl Neudorf, our producer and engineer did an awesome job of stirring in just the right amount of technology so it sounds very 'authentically us' while being hip and radio-friendly. And what I like is that the album is a mix of cover songs and originals."

The Essentials' newest member, Janet Turner, is a singer/songwriter who wrote two of the ballads on the album.

Janet was born in London, Ontario but moved to Toronto a few years ago. Coincidentally, this was the same journey that The Essentials had taken a few years earlier as a group.

The Essentials began as a group of guys singing acappella doo-wop songs in the parking lot of the Merla Mae Ice Cream parlour in London, Ontario. Their unique range of voices and arrangements of songs from the 50's to modern day struck a chord with audiences near and far.

Their success led them to tours from Vancouver to Halifax in Canada, from San Francisco to New York City south of the border, and even across the pond in Europe.

"I was excited to join The Essentials," said Janet. "I used to go and see them perform around my hometown of London, Ontario. Actually, I first met them at the Remember December CD release show. At that point, I had no idea that I'd be in the group a year later."

Some fans were shocked by the addition of a girl to a formerly all-male acappella group, but everyone that hears the new sound is impressed with the blend and loves the chemistry on-stage.

The addition of a female was something that the group had been discussing for years.

"We always thought that we'd only add a female if the right one came along and she's it," said bass singer Jo3 Oliva. "Janet is a great combination of songwriter, singer, performer, and has a natural ear for harmony. Adding her to the group really did mark a turning point for us. We've had members come and go but it seems like it was all leading up to this moment. New member, new sound, and fresh ideas all bundled into a CD that's energetic and fun to listen to and that everyone can sing along with. And, we were doing this long before Glee became a hit TV show!"