Society always celebrates the records that top the Billboard 200 album chart. Back of The Billboards is a Music Times weekly segment that looks at the opposite end: the new record that finished closest to the back of the Billboard 200 for the previous week. We hope to give a fighting chance to the bands you haven't heard of.
Week of 11/29/2013
WHO: Fifth Harmony
WHAT: Better Together: Acoustic
SPOT: 189
Fifth Harmony has to be Extended Played-out by now. Better Together: Acoustic is the fifth five-song set that the group's released during 2013, although all five feature the exact same setlist. There's been the original package, the Spanish language versions, and the remixes. And now there's an acoustic EP in both English and Spanish.
If we had a choice, we'd recommend the unplugged version (unless Spanish is your primary language, of course). The five tracks featured on the standard Better Together overloads the five-piece's vocal performance with "club-worthy" synths and electronic beats (dance music can still be subtle, guys). Replace those implements with their "acoustic" counterparts, like the piano, and the same tracks become much more intimate experiences. Although we might protest the clearly programmed percussion during "Better Together" doesn't qualify as "acoustic."
Be forewarned: Dialing down the instrumentals leaves the group's vocals much more exposed. Which is how we like it, and is how it should be considering they were contestants on The X Factor and all. Some listeners might prickle at the voice cracks suddenly exposed however. It's all a matter of taste, but we love the personality it brings to the straightforward approach that was the original EP.
