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Angel On the Roof |
It's Saint Patrick's Day in Ontario, and here I sit listening to a Christmas record from Saskatchewan. While I know this slippage of time and space has mostly to do with a backup of events in my life, it also seems fitting that I have been taken into out-of-sync space by a recording that floats between eras yet has a unity that makes it, if not of any one time, timeless.
While Angel On the Roof has clearly been labelled a Christmas release and it does contain some songs that pertain specifically to Christmas, there's a depth here that makes it much more. This is Christian music that doesn't have that stiff, preaching-to-the-converted feel one so often hears from avowed Christian artists. But you don't have to be a believer to enjoy the music. This release has a strong pop feel that ranges through fifties rock and roll, seventies rock, folk, jazz, pop-blues, and just plain pop.
Eclectic as this release may be, Director Angie Tysseland brings to it a unity that feels less imposed than natural. More than simply twelve songs unconnected except by their Christian bent, Angel On the Roof is an inclusive and comprehensive work of art in which the whole is truly greater than the sum of its parts. After listening to this and the choir's earlier release, Go to the Rock, I've come to the conclusion that Tysseland has a special talent for drawing together disparate elements to create a seamless whole. That's quite a talent indeed.
Of all the songs on this release, there's only one that I find less than satisfactory. "What Child is This?" begins well but half-way through descends into a trance-inducing swing which loses the sense of both the words and the music. It feels like a movie dream sequence in soft focus with a tree-hung swing gliding unhaltingly back and forth in slow motion. The whole thing becomes very mechanical. This effect seems to begin just at the point that drums are introduced to the mix. The difference may easily be seen by comparing the flow of the first chorus to that of the last or by comparing this song to the lovely "The Peace Carol" four tracks earlier.
I've always been a fan of the "build" in musical arrangement, of songs that start small but include increasingly more elements for power and impact. This is a technique that Tysseland uses extremely well. The first track, "O Holy Night" drew me into the album with its excellent build of sound and emotion. Beginning with a lone piano with a decidely 'Fifties rock feel to it, then the beautiful voice of Terry Long, "O Holy Night" builds to include full instrumentation and a full and dramatic choral backup. The effect is, to say the least, powerful and moving.
The title song, and the only one written by Tysseland, "Angel On the Roof" is a simple and timeless pop song which seamlessly incorporates its Christian values. Once again, Terry Long's vocal presentation is flawless and lovely. The arrangement here is restrained, using the band and the choir only where they will most happily serve the song but allowing Long, accompanied by Tysseland's piano, to carry the song along.
"God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" is, on the other hand, reminiscent of the big jazz-blues numbers of the mid-'Sixties. Latin rhythms carry richly choreographed vocals that fill this song with soul. A surprise is the 'Seventies rock guitar that slips into the mix fom time to time, adding another element to the character of this recording. "Rise Up Shepherd and Follow" also uses this big jazz feel to great effect.
"Please Come Home for Christmas" takes the listener even further up the blues road and features powerful vocals by Lorraine Hamilton. In a slow and driving way, this song really rocks.
Tysseland has a knack for choosing soloists well-suited to the songs they will sing. I was especially surprised by her choice of male vocalists. Over the years, I've become used to hearing harder voiced rock or gospel singers do songs like "The Christmas Song" and "Amen!" For all her male soloists, Tysseland has opted instead for softer voices that hark back to the era of Mel Torme and Eddie Fischer. What can I say? It works. For female singers, Tysseland has chosen a broader range of types, each ideally suited to the songs she sings.
Whether or not it's Christmas time, this release is a very special and enjoyable listen that should find a comfortable home in anyone's music collection.
For more information on Angel On the Roof and other releases by Saint James' Refiner's Choir, visit refinerschoir.com.
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