Search - Evelyn Glennie, King's Singers :: Street Songs

It can ,and should ,be more deep

Sen Peng Eu | Kaohsiung, Taiwan | 06/11/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"In recent years the repertoire (even members) of King singers seem to be more and more various. Well,this's ok, but at the same time it's more important to keep a still high-standard performance. And I find it's really hard in recent cds of king singers. For this CD, the harmony is nearly perfect, but the music can be more deep. When I retrospect those great cds recorded by king singer's, for example, the english madrigals and beatles connection, I feel a bit unsatisfied with this one. It sounds sweet, with some excellent new songs (Lalela Zulu, Poor Roger, etc) and good percussion by Evelyn Glennie, but it can ,and should ,be more deep."

A fascinating entry in the k's catalogue

Gontroppo | 06/02/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Street Songs is a beautiful, thought-provoking, and ultimately fascinating album. On the first listen, I admit I wasn't sure how I felt on the whole about the album, but I kept listening, and I'm very happy I did. I originally bought Street Songs because I heard the lads sing "Horizons" in a concert, and thought it was one of the most achingly beautiful pieces of music I had heard in a long time- and I was right. Watch for the unresolved chord at the end of the last verse, and Nigel's breathtaking opening and closing melody. From the beginning I loved "Horizons," so it was a question of listening to the other tracks. How can anyone not catch on to the infectious joy of "Lalela Zulu"? The set of children's songs interspersed throughout the album are noteworthy as well, especially the haunting final song. The pairing of Evelyn Glennie with the King's Singers was brilliant- the songs they perform together obtain an often unearthly sound well worth a listen, as with her solo tracks.
One last note- Street Songs was tenor Paul Phoenix's first recording with the group. Listeners familiar with the Singers' next album, "Fire~Water" will be able to sense that at this point, the group wasn't entirely settled into their new sound. But let it be said: this is not enough to detract from the overall sound of the album, which is excellent. Only by comparison is this discernable. Street Songs is an album I recommend to many of my musical friends, if they're ready to try something a little different, a little fun, a little new, a little unsettling, and in the end, very satisfying."