At long last, Above & Beyond have released Acoustic II, the follow-up to their 2014 orchestra album, Acoustic. As with the previous effort, Acoustic II is comprised of renditions of the songs from the English trance trio as performed by an 18-piece orchestra.
Above & Beyond fans will recognize tracks like “We’re All We Need,” “Sticky Fingers” and “Blue Sky Action” from the album’s track list. As a whole, the project speaks to their musical versatility – especially when you take into account that the trio themselves will be providing much of the instrumentals for the album’s accompanying live tour.
A SoundCloud blurb reads:
Reaching back into their individual musical histories, each member of Above & Beyond performs different parts of the arrangements, including Jono on Rhodes, Tony on guitar and vocals, and Paavo on grand piano. Celebrated A&B collaborator Zoë Johnston sings on re-imagined dancefloor anthems like “We’re All We Need” and “Alchemy”, and is joined by a host of other contributing vocalists from Above & Beyond’s past and present. Completing the ensemble, string quartets and percussion sections provide a big room feel of a completely different kind.
Above & Beyond embarked on their completely sold-out Acoustic II tour on April 28th, and will close it out with a performance at the Sydney Opera House on June 6th. After that, they will begin the North American leg of a tour consisting of regular DJ sets.