Since winning NBC’s The Sing-Off in 2011, Pentatonix has become very well known throughout the music industry. The acapella group has released 7 albums, including everything from originals, to covers, to christmas hits. Their newest album, PTX, Vol. IV – Classics, breaks away from their usual sound and reaches into popular classics from artist such as Queen, John Lennon, and Dolly Parton. The album debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard Top 200 Album chart, and has sold over 50,000 albums. The album includes the five singers, Mitch Grassi, Scott Hoying, Kevin Olusola, Kirstin Maldonado, and former member Avi Kaplan, who has recently announced his departure from the group.

The album has a whole new sound and something for everyone. The classics from different styles allow more people to enjoy the songs, and gives people a familiarity to the music. The group performs them amazingly, with great harmonies and their own personal touch to the well known songs. The way they use their voices to replace instruments in this album, such as in “Bohemian Rhapsody”, by Queen, is very creative and impressive. Their music video for the song was fun and different than most of their previous videos.

Pentatonix surprises the listener with each new song, changing tempo and sound. From “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” by The Andrew Sisters, a jazzy classic, to “Over The Rainbow” from The Wizard of Oz, with a beautiful angelic sound. Alongside their cover of “Imagine” by John Lennon, the group’s music video highlighted differences between the members while showing the similarities. For their performance of “Jolene” by Dolly Parton, the group has Parton herself sing lead as the others serve as backup singers and accompaniment.

With the other few classics on the album, “Take on Me” by a-ha, and the infamous “Can’t Help Falling in Love”, a cover of “Fools Rush In” by Elvis Presley, Pentatonix shows that they can take on any song and perform it flawlessly.