Reviewed by Steven Whitehead

To start, a word to the wise: look for 'Cantus' in your preferred search engine and you will find rather a lot of 'em out there. The Cantus under review is a male vocal octet based in Minneapolis, USA and well worth hearing they are. The easy comparison is with our own King's Singers although the configurations are not quite the same. Cantus is four tenors, two baritones and two basses and the current line-up blend very well indeed. Listeners who appreciate close harmony a cappella singing will almost certainly enjoy Cantus. The vocal range and tone, the harmonic blend and the audio quality are all top-notch and ultimately whether we like the end result depends very much on the repertoire. With 17 songs in a programme of just over 70 minutes there is bound to be some things we like and just as likely something we do not. For this listener the pros outweigh the cons by a considerable margin and as a singer in a choir that is stronger on enthusiasm than technical skill there are arrangements here to which I would like to aspire. The album reflects Cantus' commitment to diversity of repertoire. Its selections span five languages and feature works by a broad range of composers and arrangers: from John Jacob Niles and Kenneth Jennings, to Joni Mitchell and B E Boykin. The album also offers six pieces created specifically for Cantus, including two new arrangements from Reginald Bowens ("I Saw Three Ships") and Christopher H Harris ("Silent Night"). Highlights for this listener include the traditional spiritual "Children Go!", a cousin of "Green Grow The Rushes", the traditional Filipino "Aguinaldo Carols" and the closing "We Toast The Days" by Linda Kachelmeier. The only setting that does not work for me is that of Clement Moore's "'Twas The Night Before Christmas" by Cantus bass Chris Foss. I have had a lot of fun with this poem in my time as a primary school teacher but this setting does not quite reach lift off. Still, one disappointment out of 17 is a pretty good return and the positives in this excellent collection by far outweigh my one negative.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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