The International Staff Songsters Of The Salvation Army - Know My Heart
STYLE: Choral RATING OUR PRODUCT CODE: 85664-15874 LABEL: Salvationist Publishing & Supp 21385 FORMAT: CD Album ITEMS: 1 RRP: £13.95
Reviewed by Doug Holland
The International Staff Songsters are regarded as the Salvation Army's foremost choir. Down the years they have recorded regularly and performed worldwide and pride themselves on having a style range spanning a large range. This collection of songs (14 tracks, 64 minutes) is based around the lesson of Psalm 139 ("You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. . .") and with the choir appropriately backed by a piano, bass and percussion the ideas in here are gently explored, unpicked and developed. The choir is tight and the arrangements and production purposeful. The pace rarely gets above gentle (that is an observation and not a criticism; the primary exception to this is the old spiritual "Rock-a My Soul", and this track demonstrates both what can be brought to the most basic of chord sequences by those who know what they are doing and the limitations of this musical style in communicating raw excitement) and the soprano and tenor solos are of the highest order. The Songsters rarely disappoint, and this offering does not blemish that proud record.
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