Five voices, amazing harmonies, and heart-warming lyrics is all it takes to create an album that will get stuck in people's heads to the point where they know it by heart. Two-time Grammy Award winning band Pentatonix began with Scott Hoying, Mitch Grassi, and Kirstin Maldonado in their hometown Arlington, Texas. They soon added Avi Kaplan and Kevin Olusola into the band and became insanely popular worldwide in a matter of five years. Pentatonix are well known for their covers, one of their most popular ones being “Daft Punk,” which won a Grammy in 2015. Now, they have their own original album called Pentatonix which first came out on October 16, 2015. It hit number 1 on the Billboard 200 charts on October 22, 2016.

     In Pentatonix, every member serves a distinct purpose. Scott Hoying is the baritone. He's one of the main singers. A baritone is an adult male who can sing the second to lowest note. Mitch Grassi is the tenor and Kirstin Maldonado is the soprano. They either provide breath-taking harmonies, or are the main singers, depending on the song. A tenor can sing the second to highest note, while a soprano can sing the highest note. Avriel “Avi” Kaplan is the bass. He plays a major part in the band; he is able to sing the lowest note and makes the song come to life. Finally, Kevin Olusola is the beatboxer. He makes drum-like sounds with his voice. Pentatonix’s originality shines because of the fact that most, if not all, of the music you hear in their videos, come from their voices. The sounds you hear, unlike most pop music, aren't  from someone sitting behind their computers adding beats and bass drops. Pentatonix can do all that and more, without editing their music. In my opinion, it’s iconic.

     Pentatonix is for people who love R&B-based pop music. Each song has its own unique sound. For example, in “Water,” Kirstin sings, “Just your love and not another / cause your embrace keeps me warmer / could I tell you this time / how I wish you were mine.” This song includes amazing harmonies provided by Scott and Mitch while Kirstin sings. The lyrics make you stop and smile, and can be relatable to many people. In “New Year’s Day,” they sing, “Take me all the way / hear me when I say / let’s kiss the past away / like New Year’s Day.” This chorus will not fail to make you tear up every time you hear its soulful echo. Kevin and Avi’s bass and beatboxing give the song emotion.
     In “Rose Gold,” Scott sings, “We could be timeless, we could be classic / we could be stars, we could be rose gold.” This is sung with so much passion, almost as if he is singing right to you. The final song on the album is “Light in the Hallway.” This is personally one of my favorite songs because you can hear how much it means to Avi. “So count your blessings every day / it makes the monsters go away / and everything will be okay / you are not alone / you are right at home / goodnight, goodnight.” This song will give you chills every time you listen to it. Get your tissues ready, because the combination of the lyrics, Avi’s sad voice, and Scott, Mitch, Kirstin, and Kevin’s harmonies in the background, will make you unable to listen to this song without crying.
     As a whole, Pentatonix is an exceptional album that deserves all of the success it’s received. Every member of Pentatonix is extremely talented in their own ways. Hopefully, they will come out with another original album in 2017. They are currently on a world tour, which ends on November 22, 2016. While on the road, Pentatonix have continued to work hard and release covers. Before you can stop yourself, you’ll have every one of their albums memorized until the only words that can escape your mouth are song lyrics.

"Pentatonix Scores First No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart."        N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Oct. 2016.

"PENTATONIX LYRICS - Water." N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Oct. 2016.

"PENTATONIX LYRICS - New Year's Day." N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Oct.      2016.

"PENTATONIX LYRICS - Light In The Hallway." N.p., n.d. Web. 23      Oct. 2016.

"PENTATONIX LYRICS - Rose Gold." N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Oct.            2016.