''PTX, Vol. IV: Classics'' is the fifth

extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.

album by the

a cappella ''A cappella'' (, also , ; ) music is a performance by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Ren ...

group

Pentatonix Pentatonix (abbreviated PTX) is an American a cappella group from Arlington, Texas, currently consisting of vocalists Mitch Grassi, Scott Hoying, Kirstin Maldonado, Kevin Olusola, and Matt Sallee. Characterized by their pop-style arrangements ...

. It was released by

RCA Records RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also A ...

on April 7, 2017, and is their first EP since 2014's ''

PTX, Vol. III ''PTX, Vol. III'' (Volume 3) is the fourth extended play album by the a cappella group Pentatonix. It was released on September 23, 2014 by RCA Records, although it was released earlier in Australia on September 19, 2014. The extended play contain ...

''. It is their final release with original member Avi Kaplan, who left the group later that year. Their second work after '' PTXmas'' to not feature any original material, the album marks a departure from the group's typical sound, which mostly consists of either modern

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * ''Pop'' (G ...

songs or

Christmas music Christmas music comprises a variety of genres of music regularly performed or heard around the Christmas season. Music associated with Christmas may be purely instrumental, or, in the case of carols or songs, may employ lyrics whose subject ma ...

, choosing instead to focus on

standards Standard may refer to: Symbols * Colours, standards and guidons, kinds of military signs * Standard (emblem), a type of a large symbol or emblem used for identification Norms, conventions or requirements * Standard (metrology), an object th ...

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...

, and older pop music. " Jolene", featuring the original artist,

Dolly Parton Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman, known primarily for her work in country music. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton made her album d ...

, earned her and Pentatonix a Grammy Award for Best Country Duo/Group Performance.

Critical reception

The group's cover of " Jolene", originally released as a single and later included in the EP, was particularly praised. Julia Brucculieri of ''

The Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...

'' called the version "a hauntingly beautiful a cappella update" Markos Papadatos of Digital Journal called it a "stellar version", stating that "Pentatonix proves yet again that they can do no wrong with anything they sing or cover. The addition of Dolly Parton helps elevate 'Jolene' to a higher level, and they prove that it is possible for heaven to be a place on earth. Their a cappella rendition earns five out of five stars." Stefan Kyriazis of the ''

Daily Express The ''Daily Express'' is a national daily United Kingdom middle-market newspaper printed in tabloid format. Published in London, it is the flagship of Express Newspapers, owned by publisher Reach plc. It was first published as a broadsheet i ...

'' called it a "remarkable new version of the old standard. 'Jolene' was released way back in 1973 but has never sounded fresher." Sara Vallone of the ''

Independent Journal Review The ''Independent Journal Review'' (IJR) is a conservative American news and opinion website based in Alexandria, Virginia. The publication was founded in 2012 by Alex Skatell. Skatell serves as its CEO, with Camden Stuebe as President and Shus ...

'' stated that "Pentatonix just did justice to Dolly Parton's 'Jolene'", and that "Parton is proving once again just how timeless she truly is". The cover eventually won the Grammy Award for Best Country Duo/Group Performance. Parton had been nominated for Best Female Country Vocal Performance twice for the song, first for its 1973 original release and then in 1976 for a live version; this resulted in the song earning her a Grammy 44 years after its original release. In an online review, Brandy McDonnell of ''

The Oklahoman ''The Oklahoman'' is the largest daily newspaper in Oklahoma, United States, and is the only regional daily that covers the Greater Oklahoma City area. The Alliance for Audited Media (formerly Audit Bureau Circulation) lists it as the 59th larges ...

'' called the group's cover of " Bohemian Rhapsody" "an incredible rendition ..that highlights the quintet's sterling harmonies and vocal effects."

Commercial performance

''PTX, Vol. IV: Classics'' debuted at number four on the ''Billboard'' 200 with 54,000 album-equivalent units, of which 50,000 were pure album sales.

Track listing

Personnel

Pentatonix * Scott Hoying –

baritone A baritone is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the bass and the tenor voice-types. The term originates from the Greek (), meaning "heavy sounding". Composers typically write music for this voice in the r ...

lead Lead is a chemical element with the symbol Pb (from the Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a heavy metal that is denser than most common materials. Lead is soft and malleable, and also has a relatively low melting point. When freshly cu ...

and

backing vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are use ...

* Mitch Grassi –

tenor A tenor is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The lo ...

lead and backing vocals * Kirstin Maldonado –

alto The musical term alto, meaning "high" in Italian (Latin: ''altus''), historically refers to the contrapuntal part higher than the tenor and its associated vocal range. In 4-part voice leading alto is the second-highest part, sung in choruses by ...

lead and backing vocals * Avi Kaplan – vocal bass,

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

lead and backing vocals * Kevin Olusola –

beatboxing Beatboxing (also beat boxing) is a form of vocal percussion primarily involving the art of mimicking drum machines (typically a TR-808), using one's mouth, lips, tongue, and voice.

, backing vocals, lead vocals on "Imagine", vocal flugelhorn on "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" Additional personnel * Pentatonix, Ben Bram –

production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stati ...

, arranger, engineer *

– lead vocals on "Jolene" * Andrew Kesler – arranger * Ed Boyer – mixing *

Bill Hare Bill Hare is an American Grammy Award-winning audio engineer known for pioneering contemporary recording techniques in a cappella. He was the first to record voices individually, and the first to mic singers exactly as one would mic instruments. ...

– mastering

Charts

References

{{authority control 2017 EPs A cappella albums Covers albums Pentatonix EPs RCA Records EPs Sequel albums