In each of the major professional American sports, there is a yearly tradition where the "best" players are voted or selected to participate in an All Star Game. As a kid, I loved the baseball and basketball events because I could watch the signature players of the era do the things which made them precisely that. Hyannis Sound is, and has been for quite some time, the "All Star" team of male collegiate a cappella singers (and recent alum), often from the East Coast. With Over The Bridge , they once again show why they are the signature group for male collegiate (sort of) a cappella, but they also hover around the reason why I don't care about professional All Star Games as much anymore: there's something missing.

Let's back up for one moment, and point out that, as always, Hyannis Sound has crafted an album with consistently excellent solos, solid arrangements, and top-notch production (from an all star collection of sound alum including Tim Bongiovanni, Alfredo Austin, Jeff Eames, Colin Egan, and most notably Ed Boyer). As I have generally found to be true, this is pretty much the shiniest, brightest of what college a cappella has to offer. In other words, it's a mix of covers from the past four decades, performed very well, and it passes the ear test and the easy listenability test with flying colors. Several arrangements, paired with completely appropriate production choices, combine to form some of the best tracks I've heard all year.

Choices has a terrifically chunky, chewy guitar texture and the always impressive Kevin Pidgeon on the solo. Somebody That I Used to Know , a song which is rapidly approaching its expiration in the a cappella community, is nevertheless unique for its sinister tone and repressed rage bubbling beneath and just up to the surface. I Won't Give Up is lush, with gorgeous, nuanced mixing by Mr. Boyer. There's the typical array of cutting edge guitar ( Peace of Mind ) and keyboard ( Carry On Wayward Son ) solos, and everything sounds really good here.

What's missing, exactly? I suppose it depends on your perspective. The reason I eventually got bored with the All Star Games was that I realized the athletes didn't take it seriously; they were coasting on talent and enjoying themselves without investing themselves in the outcome, and that ruined the magic just a bit for me. I can't say Hyannis Sound is really coasting here, because they obviously worked hard to put this album together. The problem is that it doesn't feel like there's any real degree of difficulty, considering it is Hyannis Sound making the music here. This group is, as with past iterations, comprised of some of the most talented arrangers, soloists, and producers in college a cappella today. It may be unfair, but that carries with it certain expectations. Just as the Beelzebubs are forever tasked with being trendsetters because of their consistently high output over the years, Hyannis Sound creates similar expectations. In that regard, and really only that regard, there's just a little something missing from this album for me. Maybe it's unfair, but that's what comes with being an All Star.

For most people, including most critics, this album is going to be just fine. In fact, it'll be better than fine — it will be one of the best collegiate-style albums of the year. It's got some of those moments you look for when you watch the NBA (Lebron pulling off some spectacularly athletic dunk) or MLB (Miguel Cabrera hitting a clutch home run) events, and it's very entertaining. There's just a hint of unrealized promise lying under the surface — more original songs, more unique arrangements, I don't know exactly what it is, but I know that they're very, very close to making the best album their instrumentation has to offer. For now, though, I'll pull those highlights together, sit back, and enjoy the spectacle for what it is.