Wednesday, October 18, 2006

Faith: A Hymns Collection from Avalon


Yesterday evening I got my copy of Avalon's new CD Faith: A Hymns Collection. All I can say is, "WOW!!!" I've already listened to it four times. Somehow Avalon has managed to take ten of the most well known and beloved hymns of all time, along with three more recent songs, and present them in a way that is new and fresh. Avalon has always been known for their dynamic harmonies, but on this album they really take it to a new level. They demonstrate a great stylistic versatility on this project---"Jesus Medley" ("Jesus Loves Me"/"'Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus") has a gentle acoustic sound; "I'll Fly Away" has a soulful camp meeting feel; they sing "Holy, Holy, Holy" a capella in a very reverential style; "How Great Thou Art" is done with a gradually building rock sound; "Amazing Grace" has a rhythm-and-blues tinged feel to it. The vocals on "It Is Well With My Soul" are simply amazing; their variations in volume and dynamics set the appropriate emotional mood for each verse. My favorites on this album are probably "Great Is Thy Faithfulness," "In Christ Alone," "It Is Well With My Soul," and "How Great Thou Art." This is simply a great CD.

4 comments:

J. Guy Muse said...

Thanks for the tip. I'll have to see if it is available yet as a download from one of the sites I subscribe to. I love their arrangement of the hymn "My Jesus I Love Thee" hopefully it is on the new album as well.

Tim Sweatman said...

Guy,

Sorry, that one's not on the CD. You'll have to get their first CD for that one.

I think someone said they downloaded it from iTunes. The CD says that it is available in all digital formats, so it should be online somewhere.

Kevin Bussey said...

Tim Sweatman: "All Avalon, all the time!"

I guess I'll have to check it out!

Tim Sweatman said...

Kevin,

Believe it or not, I do occasionally listen to other music. I have diverse tastes; my favorite genres are contemporary Christian, classic country, and oldies, along with a little bit of today's country and top-40. I tend to like powerful vocals and good harmonies, which is one reason I like Avalon so much.

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Jeremy,

I'm glad you liked the CD. I wouldn't want to encourage people to buy it and them not like it. Of course, I couldn't imagine why anyone wouldn't like it. :^) I agree that they do a great job on "In Christ Alone," but I'm probably a wee bit biased. One thing I like about this CD is that they sing some of the verses we usually skip in church.