Go to the Rock
The Refiner's Choir
Independent
2000
12 tracks
Anyone who ever said church music is boring should listen to Go to the Rock. While the religious implication is clear, the music imbues this title with a positive pun. This music truly does rock. Quirky, with a slight leaning toward the eclectic, this is a release that should appeal to a broad audience.
Who would have thought that Saskatoon, a small city sitting on the edge of Saskatchewan's agricultural prairies populated largely by Scandinavians and other Northern peoples often considered to be very conservative, could produce such vital music? With the support of St. James' Anglican Church and her musical community, director Angie Tysseland has drawn something very exciting out of this prairie community.
This is big music. This nondenominational community choir draws from the senior and junior choirs of the sponsoring church, the community at large, and the professional music community of Saskatoon. It is truly a community effort. To bring such a large, diverse group of professionals and amateurs together and have them sound so good is a credit to Tysseland and all who work with her.
As I have suggested, this is not your granny's gospel. While many of the vocals could have as easily been performed in a choir a hundred years ago, there is a definite rock substructure to much of the music. This sound takes me back almost forty years, to the big gospel-infused rock music that then filled the airwaves. (Forty years? Maybe it is, after all, your granny's music. Sometimes I forget my advanced age.)
I hear many influences in this recording. Here is a Billy Preston keyboard adding spice to an already potent mix. In at least one song, I hear that strutting hambone based guitar rhythm made famous by Bo Diddley. The vocals and arrangements remind me most of big Sixties gospel groups such as The Edwin Hawkins Singers, who recorded such a powerful performance of "Lay Down" with Melanie Safka. I also hear bits of Lighthouse and Chicago and even The Beatles running through this music. At times, Godspell and Jesus Christ, Superstar come to mind. The program is an interesting mélange with a feel as much of urban New Orleans or California as the Canadian prairie.
This is a quirky program that makes sense perhaps in spite of itself. As an example, just as the listener is rocking into that full-blown gospel mood... there's track four. The music goes quiet. The rhythms are 1957 rock and roll. The song is Ricky Nelson's hit, "Lonesome Town," performed in a style not too different from the schmaltz-rock original. It's a perceptive choice by the programmer, whether Tysseland or someone else. In this context, the listener comes to realize the lyrics are well written and touch in no uncertain terms upon the human condition.
There's humour here too. The Tysseland penned "Nebuchadnezzar + the Boys" has a subtle humour that would go over as well in a folk club as a church. The lead vocal has an unmusical, almost spoken Cowsills feel that sets up Tysseland's lyrics and musical frolics beautifully. Although carried by a thumping pop-blues bass line, the song has more the feel of Sixties theatre ("Hair" comes to mind) or folk and country music. The combination of lyrics and instrumental backing suggests a passing resemblance to Brook Benton's "Shadrach, Meschak, and Abednego" from the early Sixties. The kicker, though, comes when the backup singers break into the chorus from Johnny Cash's hit, "Ring of Fire." Could it be that those long prairie winters do strange things to the songwriter's mind?
"I Feel Like Going Home" is another song with that Broadway feel about it. Written by rock and roll singer turned country balladeer Charlie Rich, this song is arranged here so that, more than country or rock and roll, it reminds me of songs like "I Don't Know How to Love Him."
I enjoy hearing work that is well done. I enjoy quirky material. I enjoy work where the artist is not afraid to take chances. So, do I like this recording? Yes. Would I recommend it? Yes. Everyone involved with this project is to be commended. In fact, I remain with only one complaint. I want more.
Those wishing to learn more about The Refiner's Choir or Go to the Rock will find complete information at www.refinerschoir.com.|
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