Blog Can UW MadHatters' college a cappella help us appreciate pop?

College a cappella often gives off a whiff of unctuous irony for some of us. Then again, these singing scholars work hard to lavishly harmonize and beatbox their way through pop standards and recent hits. Some even manage to balance good taste with the need to simply pick songs that will sound funny in their new vocal arrangements. The UW MadHatters have racked up four studio albums with college-referential titles in the process, and celebrate the latest, Random Play, with a show Saturday at the Orpheum Theatre. The song selection's actually pretty well-rounded, so I took a spin to see how well the male ensemble tackles the demands of soul, hair metal, country, and Coldplay—and whether a little change of scenery can help us embrace songs we ordinarily wouldn't.

Various, "Heard It Through The Grapevine"
The challenge: Haven't Gladys Knight And The Pips and Marvin Gaye already said the final word on this one?
The approach: Slowing it down, which helps the beatboxed rhythm section and copious backing-vocal frills ("sha-la-ding-ding-dong!") sound funky and not too silly. The lead takes a more polished route than Gaye would likely prefer, but at least keeps the grit and a strong falsetto.
Pop-history thesis: A tasteful little bridge between one heavily vocal tradition and another.

Bon Jovi, "Livin' On A Prayer"
The challenge: Do these refined harmonies dare the territory of fists that are at once pumping and crushing beer cans?
The approach: You can't not do Bon Jovi in an over-the-top fashion, and the same rule pretty much applies to college a cappella. The "guitar solo" is actually pretty hysterical and accurate: What sounds like two guys go back and forth in different octaves, trading melodic snarls and squeals that evoke wah-wah pedals and pinch-harmonics. Plus, the guitar part on the intro and verses already used a talk box for that "wah-uh-wah" effect, so the MadHatters have that covered. Plus, however they're getting the drum sounds, those toms bonk some very fitting hair-metal cheese into the mix.
Pop-history thesis: '80s tackiness is even more fun for people too young to remember it.

Michael Jackson medley
The challenge: Why jam a bunch of Michael Jackson hooks into one track?
The approach: "Billie Jean" slips into "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" slips into "Black Or White" slips into "Thriller" slips into "You Are Not Alone" slips into "Bad."
Pop history thesis: It's a nicely arranged tribute to a font of pop inspiration, but actually feels like one of the more cautious tracks on the CD.

Brad Paisley, "Online"
The challenge: Can winking a cappella come off as winking pop-country?
The approach: The song's about a dorky "sci-fi fanatic, mild asthmatic" who lives with his parents but creates a cool persona for himself online. (The video for the original starred Jason Alexander and his Seinfeld mom, in case the character sketch was too subtle.) The MadHatters seem to get the saving grace of this song: Paisley's not gloating too hard over what a helpless dweeb the protagonist is, sharing a little bit in the self-deprecation. Plus, the members have pretty much grown up amid the silliness of social networking, and seem to really be saying that we've all shared in these web-driven delusions.
Pop-history thesis: The painfully timely isn't always that painful.

Coldplay, "Swallowed In The Sea"
The challenge: Can 15 singers really do justice to Chris Martins' ego?
The approach: The all-vocal treatment at least makes you appreciate the care Martins takes with his mounting, yearning melodies. The lead here plays just enough into Martins' mopey grandeur. The beatboxing does sound a little silly, but maybe this song needs a bit of that.
Pop-history thesis: Even a big group of dudes singing together can sound less pompous than Coldplay.