Leonid Vorobyev is the founder of this band - really an orchestra - and the musicianship is unparalleled. Leonid plays bass guitar, but the group features any number of string, brass, and woodwind musicians in addtion to keyboards, drums, and guitars. They started off as a Chicago tribute band but as you can see on their YouTube channel they cover other classic artists including Earth, Wind and Fire, the Carpenters, Stevie Wonder and one of my faves, Lighthouse, including a tight cover of "One Fine Morning."
The vocals are also out of this world. For example, you might wonder who could handle Philip Bailey's vocals in the Earth, Wind and Fire song, "Fantasy" - they have that covered. And while their female lead doesn't sound like Karen Carpenter, she presents just as much sweetness and emotion in covers like "Superstar."
Most of the band is from Russia, with additional musicians from Belarus, Ukraine, and Moldova. The band tours frequently in the US so check out their schedule to see if they're coming to a city near you. Meanwhile, enjoy this cover of "Wishing You Were Here," featuring Leonid himself on vocals.
Previously on YouTube Stars: ↯ Maphra ↯ Elle Cordova ↯ Leo Moracchioli ↯ Professor of Rock ↯ Minniva ↯ Geoff Castellucci ↯ Tori Holub
