Great tunes, great voice
Keith A. Morse | Aurora, CO USA | 11/24/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Annie Haslam, most famous as the voice of the folk-prog group Renaissance, hasn't lost a bit off her voice. If anything, she is singing better now than she was in the 1970s.
The collection is mostly standards: a mix of religious carols and secular "holiday" tunes with one original composition, the title song.
I can't comment on the improvement of the remastered version over the original, but I can say that the remastered version sounds very good.
Perhaps the best tune is her rendition of "Away in a Manger," sung with little or no instrumental accompaniment. Some of the instrumental arrangements border on the cheesy, in my opinion, but the jazzy piano on some of the selections sounds very good.
Haslam hits all the high notes -- and there are some high ones. In an age of pop music dominated by caterwaulers, breathy reciters and no-talent groaners, hearing someone who can actually carry a tune to the highest heights is quite a treat.
My one quibble is that she slides into some of her notes when I think it would sound better if she just moved from note to note.
"
A marvelous performance of the Christmas carols
lucas biela | Combs-la-Ville, FRANCE | 01/01/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Annie Haslam was in the 70's the singer of the folk-prog band Renaissance. She was then one of the very few women to sing on the prog scene, and so brought a breath of fresh air in the progressive music thanks to her beautiful voice. 'It snows in heaven too' is a collection of Christmas carols. Annie Haslam being inspired by Joan Baez, she probably was influenced by the Christmas album Joan released in the sixties. On this record, Annie's voice is fresh, clear as the springwater. She is only accompanied by piano or harp, and drums on 'the little drummer boy'. The arrangements are good, and vocals are as good as in the Renaissance days. Annie's interpretations of Christmas carols are very delightful, and you have to take an ear to them if you haven't still listened to them."
I Heard The Angel Singing
El Lagarto | Sandown, NH | 12/08/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I absolutely love Christmas music - authentic Christmas music. I can listen to Carols from Trinity all day long. However, Christmas is a time for marketing mischief as one hack after another slaps something together in hopes of making a few easy sheckles. Examples abound. Here are just a few Christmas CDs I won't be buying. Christmas At The Rehab - Britney Spears. I'm Dreaming Of A Desperate Christmas - The Cast Of Desperate Housewives Perform Holiday Favorites. A Christmas Carol read by Borat.
The good news is, It Snows In Heaven Too shines out; its appeal is universal. This is the kind of CD you will return to year after year, and enjoy every time. The blend of secular with religious is nicely done; there are many standards as well as a couple of surprises. The arrangements are spare - thank goodness - no goopy strings, cloying choirs, ham-fisted extras. The emphasis is always squarely where it belongs, on Ms. Haslam's extraordinary voice.
Ms. Haslam gives a Christmas concert every year in beautiful Bucks County, PA, near where I live. I was fortunate enough to attend one of them and I am pleased to report it was a deeply moving, spiritual event. Not only is Ms. Haslam an extraordinary performer, she is also an extraordinary human being who brings out the best in others. That, dear friends, is what great Christmas music can do, it can appeal to the spirit and cause one to forget the commercialism.
It is said that Haslam has a 5-octave range. I'm not certain if this is technically accurate, if true, it would make her a very rare bird indeed. I will say that she possesses an exquisite voice, and her high notes are sweet as candy. But what I notice most about her singing is the gorgeous diction. Today, her English accent is almost gone, but she caresses each word as though she were on the boards at the Old Vic. Haslam sings with the utmost care, precision, and clarity - absolutely enchanting considering today incomprehensibility is fashionable if not de rigueur. In an age of mediocrity, and a season of wretched excess, treat yourself to the real thing. This is Christmas as it should be."
Track Listings (16) - Disc #1
