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Bella Voce: Now Let Us Sing
by Justin Shatwell
This album definitely fits the bill of local music. Bella Voce, a professional women's choir in Vermont, teamed up with composer Gwyneth Walker, a fellow Green Mountain woman who hails from a dairy farm in Braintree, to produceNow Let Us Sing, the choir's first release.
This record isn't really my cup of tea, but I'm hardly the target audience. It's geared more towards lovers of classical vocal compositions. If you enjoy choral recitals, you'll find something on this disc that speaks to you. Bella Voce has no shortage of talented singers and Walker's English language lyrics are accessible and sometimes even poignant. But for me, these strengths eventually became the record's biggest weakness. The arrangements focus squarely on the strength of the singers, with very sparse accompaniment. At 63 minutes, I found that the record was a little too long to dwell on just one sound, and the tracks began to run together in my head.
Individually, though, the songs on Now Let Us Singare enjoyable. Most have a somber, spiritual feel (even the secular ones), but on a couple of tracks the ladies of Bella Voce let their hair down and pick up the beat. In my opinion, these are by far the best on the album and a fun listen--regardless of your taste in music.
Albums are available at CD Baby.
Now Let Us Sing!
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