Collection music world 's movielife66

movielife66 · 03/01/12, 23:18

Allen Levi, Bebo Norman & Ed Cash - Joy (1997) {iTunes Plus AAC M4A}
1CD | iTunes Plus AAC M4A | Release: Oct 22, 1997 | Label: IndependentBands | 106.5MB (+3% Rec)
Genre: Gospel, Holiday
This album ranks 2nd on my all-time favorite Christmas albums, right after "Behold the Lamb of God: The True Tall Tale of the Coming of Christ" by Andrew Peterson et al. "Joy" came out in the late 90s and this fact is reflected in a couple of the arrangements.
"Joy to the World", for example, seems a little dated at this point by the drummer's choices. Nevertheless, even "Joy to the World" is refreshing because it's so different both from the traditional arrangements *and* from the typical attempts at departure from tradition. Where "Joy" ventures into familiar territory, it *never* does so in routine or weary ways. The initial track is a case in point. The three voices, Ed Cash, Allen Levi, and Bebo Norman, sing the song in three-part close harmony, but since all three men are high baritones or tenors, and since the timbre of the three voices is so complementary without being identical, the textures created are mesmerizing.
This version of "O Holy Night" is downright awesome. The acoustic guitar stylings throughout the album are great, and this is a particularly good moment. When Ed Cash is given free reign for his three-finger style fingerpicking, he's gold (as you can hear on "Born to Bleed"). The Gospel- and blues-inspired renditions of "Jesus, O What a Wonderful Child" and "Go Tell It on the Mountain" are fantastic, particularly when Allen Levi takes a verse. Bebo Norman's "Mary's Prayer," which has reappeared on Norman's recent Christmas album, is a tremendous and emotional offering.
In fact, if there's one word that absolutely captures what makes this such an amazing album, it's the word "Passionate." These guys sing and play their HEARTS out on this disc.
The weakest tracks here are "Little Drummer Boy" (borderline cheesy, but the jazzy instrumental breaks are downright fun) and "It Came Upon the Midnight Clear" (too predictable - they play it straight through with harmony).
On the other hand, if you're thinking of selectively purchasing songs from the album, your *best* bets are "Mary's Prayer," "Born to Bleed," "Jesus, O What a Wonderful Child," "Go Tell It on the Mountain," and "O Holy Night." Frankly, this version of "Mary's Prayer," probably recorded and mixed at Ed Cash's house or something, without all the options and production possibilities now available to Norman, is superior to the version on "Christmas... from the Realms of Glory." It usually turns out that way - there's something you can never recapture when you go back to something later. You can see this same fact elsewhere in Norman's catalog. Three of the songs from his indie debut, "The Fabric of Verse," turned up on his first major label outing, "Ten Thousand Days," and every one of them was better the first time.
A final warning to Bebo Norman fans: This is his original sound. Straight 90s acoustic folk. Nothing popsy about it. But that's what made him great.

Tracklist:
1. O Come Emmanuel
2. Joy to the World
3. O Holy Night
4. What Child is This?
5. Jesus, Oh What a Wonderful Child
6. Away in a Manger
7. Silent Night
8. Little Drummer Boy
9. Born-to-Bleed
10. It Came Upon the Midnight Clear
11. Mary's Prayer
12. Go, Tell it on the Mountains

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