In 1994, Princeton Nassoons diversify their songbook

The Princeton Nassoons added a little variety to their usual mix of old standards and easy listening favorites on this year's album, The 1994 Princeton Nassoons.

The album's centerpiece is an Indian ballad, "Lagta Nahin Hai Dill Mera," expertly sung in its original tongue and backed up by solid chords from the bulk of the group. Other additions were a female soloist on "I Need You," a novelty for a traditional men's Ivy League a cappella group, and a beautiful version of "I'll be Seeing You." This live recording is a memorial tribute to a deceased classmate and includes the Nassoons with fellow Princeton groups the all-male Tigertones and female Tigerlilies.

Variety is of utmost importance in a group that records almost every year but only changes about half its repertoire. Much of the album is full of well-done renditions of songs like "Moondance," "Please" and "Exactly Like You." Every album can benefit from the inclusion of a few standards like these, but so many can often detract from the skill of the group.

"I Cover the Waterfront," however, gave the Nassoons bragging rights to the traditional style. From the opening quartet to the final chord the song was musically flawless and embodied the spirit that has kept Princeton groups at the top of Ivy a cappella.

The Nassoons flirted with more modern arrangements with covers of "Faithless Love," and a very original arrangement of "Diamonds on the Souls of Her Shoes." "Diamonds" had an amazing duet of solos including an overlay from another Paul Simon tune "Call Me Al," but a few oddities kept it from achieving true greatness. The biggest question mark was the inclusion of a dissonant "what are you talking about" in response to the solo line. The line cropped up many times over the course of the song and interrupted its mellow progression with an odd structure that seemed to clash with the song's laidback spirit. And although it did not detract from the song, the opening did not attempt the complex Zulu lyrics of the original but instead borrowed the hook from "The Lion Sleeps Tonight."

Another interesting lyric swap was their rendition of "Princeton is Free," sung to the tune of "Under the Sea." While the soloist is not as strong as the soloist who performed it at Duke in January it still provides a few chuckles for students with rising post-college debt.

The album features the best opener of any collegiate a cappella recording, a recording of the 1941 Nassoons singing the "Nassoon Signature," a lively five-part melody introducing the group.

A few doo-wop tunes rounded off the album, including a wonderful "For What It's Worth." The basses on this track were strong and the solo was easily heard, two engineering problems that arose on many of the other cuts.