Simple Gifts
The King’s Singers
Signum Records SIGCD121 (2008; 48’46”)

The King’s Singers fantastic mix of impeccable intonation and striking vocal color is well known to us and it is exciting to hear them sing lighter repertoire on this new disc. This collection consists of popular and folk songs from England and America arranged by Philip Lawson, Bob Chilcott and Peter Knight. The majority of the songs are arranged by one of their own, Philip Lawson. Lawson’s primary goal in arranging these works was to preserve the melody and the song, as we have come to know them. Many of his arrangements are not much more than transcriptions of the music we have come to love. This technique allows the songs accompaniment to truly come alive and makes for very exciting listening. The first track of the album, Billy Joel’s She’s Always a Woman, is a wonderful example of this.
The album was recorded in the studio’s drum room, which gives the entire collection a very personable, rich and warm sound. The final product, although beautiful, constantly confronts us with a sound born in a small space, giving the tracks a good deal of intimacy. Every movement of the mouth is picked up, adding a strong percussive aspect to the singing. The outcome is generally very exciting to listen to in tracks like Crosby, Stills and Nash’s Helplessly Hoping.
Much like the popular albums of the 60’s and 70’s, which The King’s Singers are emulating, there is a very engineered quality to the sound of the album. The over riding sound is very reminiscent of the Beach Boys Good Vibrations Album. For some listeners this make take away from the natural beauty which we have come to love in The King’s Singers sound. However, the album has a refreshing quality about it, it just makes you feel good. Best of all, the music for this album is now published through Hal Leonard so we can enjoy these arrangements with our choirs!

Matthew Smyth
Norman, OK