All Angels album review

[Oksana]

Hi everyone!

All Angels did release their CD in Canada already, didn't they? But I can't find them on iTunes or PureTracks! I'm really disappointed... I was looking forward to listening to it.

Oksy

[postscript]

roger said:

Wrong Dave, Peter! Today is the birthday of Dave Gibson who has not visited this forum for a while. Admin Dave was clever enough to get himself born during the summer months! Never mind, I'm sure Wrong Dave will appreciate the thought.

Best wishes,
Wrong Roger!

That sort of exchange really brings out the flavour of this site--the ability to leg-pull, tease and trip one another up with such good humour.

However, there is a serious point. When i realise there is the danger of confusion I always (well usually ) add the first letter of the second name, just to make sure. A suggestion for general posting practice?

Peter S.


If this was Amazon, I'd report this review as invalid!
Richard

[roger]

Hi Oksy,

Not yet, I'm afraid. I believe the Canadian release is not likely to be before next spring.

Sorry!
Roger

[nicola]

stevehome said:

Hi Nicola,

I await your review with baited breath, after your decimation of Angelis, I hope the girls fair better

Steve H

You make me feel bad, Steve.

As for now, night night. Just got back from a Katherine Jenkins concert and I am very tired!

[Oksana]

roger said:

Hi Oksy,

Not yet, I'm afraid. I believe the Canadian release is not likely to be before next spring.

Sorry!
Roger

Spring?! Wow.... that's not good news.... I though they would be releasing it before Christmas since it has Silent Night on it...

Oksy

[Dave]

Thanks Peter for the birthday wishes! Now, you won't have to remember Wrong Dave next June, by which time it will be Right Dave anyway!

Nicola, I always look forward with interest... and some trepidation to reading your reviews, you have very high standards and some record producers would do well to think of you before they release their albums!

You may be a tough reviewer but with the amount of music you listen to, you have more right than most to criticise - favourably or unfavourably - the albums you buy. But I'm still a bit nervous about your next album review in case it makes me want to take the album back after reading it!!

Cheers, Dave

[Richard]

Hello folks!

I was so tired when I got home last night I fell asleep and didn't listen to the album. Hopefully I will tonight.

Best Wishes,

Richard

[nicola]

Hey Dave,

The main thing I look for in an album is emotion and diversity. It's different for everyone, but that's what I personally look for. Emotion doesn't have to come from the vocals, it could be a weepy violin, or a sweeping orchestra, or a tentative piano.

Diversity is a huge problem for me, as not many artists branch away from their comfort zone (e.g. Katherine Jenkins). If an album does sound samey, that samey sound better be good and have a twist that makes it different to other CDs (that twist can come in any shape or form). That's all I can say!

All Angels then, don't fit this criteria for me. After reading what you said I tried really hard to say good things about it and find reasons why I would play the CD again. In a nutshell this recording is too laid-back on the part of girls. It sounds like they are singing the shopping list; sorry! However, it's technically brilliant.

First of all, I wish, for simplicity's sake, I knew who was singing which vocal! It makes explanations in a review a bit more difficult. Their vocals mix extremely well, particularly on 'Salve Regina'. On a purely technical level they tick all the boxes; there is one particular girl who sings the beginning of 'Steal Away' that is stunning as a soloist.

I do like 'Steal Away' because I love vocal groups singing acapella - there is no better way of showcasing a groups harmonies and the blending of voices.

The most emotive performance is probably 'The Windmills of Your Mind'. It's the only song on the album that sounds like a story is being told by the girls in their voices (in this case it seems to be one girl). I haven't heard the song before, and that's always an up when I buy a CD.

'Songbird' is a very pretty song, I have always liked it, but All Angels rendition pales next to Eva Cassidy's version. Eva projected so much emotion into hers that that is what made the song so simply powerful. All Angel's do not do the song this favour.

'Pokarekare Ana' - beautiful introduction. I prefer this arrangement of the song to Hayley's but Hayley's is superior in other aspects. Because of it's simplicity and the essence of individual honesty that this song brings it seems wrong that four girls harmonise around it. This song has lost something in this transition.

'Angels': the soloist in this is wonderful, I love the delivery, but I don't like it when the other three girls join her. Actually, throughout the whole disc I am always yearning for a soloist. It's not that I don't like quartets of choirs, because I am a big fan, but it's just one of these girls in the higher register seems to be achingly superior to the others.

The tracklisting is okay. It could have been better, but it could have been a lot worse, it could have been the tracklisting for Angelis! This tracklisting does have some of the old predictable songs such as 'Silent Night' and 'Ave Maria' but over all there was an attempt to give something different as opposed to other similar groups. There was no 'Pie Jesu' or 'Somewhere Over The Rainbow' or 'The Water is Wide', thank goodness. 'Songbird', 'Salve Regina' (when can you ever go wrong with Pachebels' Canon?), 'The Windmills of Your Mind' were very welcome. I would have liked to have seen some more variety of style on the CD, for example, did all tracks have to be interpreted in all the exactly same way? I long for drums... I long for drums. Was there any percussion on this CD? I do not recall any.

Overall, this CD won't frequently reach my CD player. The girls are brilliant, there is no doubt, but the arrangement and production stops it from being something exquisitly beautiful. As it stands, with its souless delivery and samey run through it's not much more than background music. It seems to have been recorded with the purpose to 'chill out' its listeners. This disc, and a million others, does such a thing. Hayley's 'Pure' is very similar to this disc, actually, but Hayley went an extra step to make it peaceful to listen to, but also have an emotional impact and to give it something special.

I'm really sorry, I didn't want to feel this way: but I'd give this CD a thumbs down. That doesn't mean I do not like the girls! They have beautiful voices, please believe me!

[postscript]

You deliver a very interesting report, Nicola. I look forward to my chance to purchase and play and, especially following your report, to study and contemplate.

Peter S.

[roger]

Hi Nicola,

Thank you for being brave anough to venture your opinion of the CD!

The first voice you hear in 'Steal Away' is Charlotte and the one you describe as "achingly superior to the others" is Laura (who was Choirgirl of the Year in 2005).

It is odd how opinions can vary so much. I think we are all agreed that all four girls have exceptionally beautiful voices but I don't agree that "the arrangement and production stops it from being something exquisitly beautiful". For me, it is that which makes the album so exceptional.

Roger

[jons]

nicola said:

achingly superior to the others is Laura

YES,YES,YES, someone agrees with me, She is superb!

[grant]

My copy arrived this morning - At last!!

Managed to find a quiet time this afternoon to play it and, well, I think it is Brilliant!!!!

I do agree with some of Nicola's comments, but if a 'sound' works, why change it?

Technically and musically I cannot fault it, particularly the choir parts which I think are quite beautiful.

I was particularly looking forward to hearing the girls version of Pokarekare Ana and was not disappointed. I think, at the moment, it is my favourite track and actually managed to send shivers down my spine. No one but Hayley has done that to me in recent times.

So all in all I think I would buy it - Errrrmmm I already have haven't I?

10 out of 10 girls - a superb effort!

Grant

[Dave]

Hello Nicola, thanks for your review, which I enjoyed reading! I had a rough idea of how you might view it from things you'd said in the past about other Crossover artists, including our very own Hayley!

From my perspective, I see All Angels as a very good album, certainly to my ears it's much better than Angelis - because they are better singers and it is, I think, a better production. It is also more classical than Angelis and that suits me fine. But it was always going to be a hard job to persuade the general public to prefer it over Angelis - most of the many casual buyers probably have no idea which is "best" or even which is which!

All Angels have beautiful voices and yes, Daisy who is I think the one leading "Windmills" (Roger?) and also she's the first voice you hear in "Songbird", shows her ability to project real emotion as well. Her greater "Real World" singing experience certainly stands her in good stead on this album.

I love this version of 'Windmills' ... and as for Songbird, well I love that too, even though for me, like you Nicola, Eva Cassidy's arrangement and rendition is the definitive version.

Laura is probably the higher soprano voice that stands out for you as she is prominent in several tracks and has a lovely clear and strong voice, as you might expect from a recent Chorister of the Year. I can recognise Laura in several tracks but I am still having problems identifying Melanie and Charlotte. I'll get there in the end!

I suspect that Melanie leads in Pokarekare Ana but i'm not yet ready to put money on it in case it's Charlotte. Like you, I love the new choral introduction to Pokarekare Ana but thereafter, I can't help comparing it (Fiona Pears' arrangement) with Hayley's definitive (for me) version and it isn't quite as enjoyable. If i can stop making the comparison, I am sure I will enjoy it more!

Ave Maria with its choral flavour and Silent Night (Laura is my guess at the a capella first voice you hear) are nice enough but a bit on the "safe" side. The rest of it, well I've run out of time now but they are all thoroughly enjoyable for me and I will be listening to this album many many times between now and Christmas.

But I can't help wondering what it would have been like if they'd been together for 6 months not 6 weeks when they recorded it... and if they'd spent 3 months making it not 3 weeks. Spectacular is my guess... and I hope they can stick together long enough to make a few more before they start moving on to what I think will be highly successful individual careers in music, theatre... or as airline pilots!

Cheers, Dave

[jons]

Its interesting to compare Eva Cassidy’s version of Songbird to All Angels version. Eva’s voice was not just her heart and soul, but it was an Oscar wining actress giving that Oscar wining performance. All Angels version can’t compete with that. Compare Daisy’s voice to Laura’s: Daisy seems to struggle with note transition and sounds a bit weak; Laura has no trouble with note transition (what is the technical jargon for that anyway?) and sounds warmer, with more oomph. However, as I mentioned above neither of them have Eva’s soulful voice. But that’s not what they are trying to emulate.

At first I had a feeling of ‘The All Angels are being over-hyped because they will help promote Hayley’. People should give honest opinions and they are doing. For me All Angels are better than I thought they was. I like Laura. I think she is elegant and deserves an album of her own. Daisy seems to be getting all the attention however. Her voice does work well on Windmills and especially on Angels were the weaker voice fits that track perfectly.

[Steve H]

jons said:

For me All Angels are better than I thought they was.

Thanks for that review Jon, your quote says it all.

Beat Wishes

Steve H