Beyond The Music: An Acappella Collection
Hope's Call
Rating: 4 1/2 STARS
Producer: Kevin Ward and Hope's Call
Website: http://www.hopescall.com
Song Titles: "Sweet Song Of Salvation," "Beulah Land," "The Lord Is My Rock," "How Can I Keep From Singing," "Glory To His Name," "How Great Thou Art," "Walkin' In Jerusalem (Just Like John)," "Come Thou Fount Of Every Blessing," "Change In Me," "I Sing The Mighty Power Of God," and "Oh Draw Me Lord"
Soprano Donna Beauvais of Hope's Call wanted to meet me at the National Quartet Convention in September 2005 so she could talk with me before I reviewed this CD. I always worry when an artist wants to do that. What if they think their product is a lot better than it really is and want me to build it up for them? Fortunately, there was nothing to worry about in this case.
Beyond The Music: An Acappella Collection pulls music from diverse sources spanning from a 1758 hymn ("Come Thou Fount Of Every Blessing") to Larry Norman ("Sweet Song Of Salvation") to a couple of original numbers. Beauvais wrote "The Lord Is My Rock" and producer Kevin Ward co-wrote "Change In Me" along with Christina Cornell. Other traditional hymns on Beyond The Music include "How Great Thou Art," "Glory To His Name," "How Can I Keep From Singing," and "I Sing The Mighty Power Of God." A spiritual is thrown in for good measure ("Walkin' In Jerusalem"). The recording is rounded out by the Southern Gospel classic "Beulah Land" and a worshp song popularized in part by the group Selah titled "Oh Draw Me Lord."
Speaking of Selah, let's discuss the vocals of Hope's Call for a moment. If you're already a fan of one group, you should enjoy the other one. Both groups enjoy pulling music from a variety of sources. Hope's Call is probably the more polished group of the two, while Selah gets the edge on expressiveness. That being said, Hope's Call gets soulful on "Walkin' In Jerusalem" and pulls off a series of impressive three-part pitch bends on "Change In Me." A cappella singing leaves no margin for error, especially when the mix is relatively dry. "Beulah Land" has more reverb than most tracks, but it has an extended solo which would have been too dry otherwise. Overall, this recording is not drenched in electronic effects.
The vocal arrangements employed on Beyond The Music are impressive. As mentioned previously, the songs are diverse. Hymns from 1758 and 1860 sound right at home alongside modern songs. This is due to the sylistic consistency of the arranging and performances. The recording isn't completely perfect in my estimation, but the few complaints I have are way too insignificant to mention. I'm giving Beyond The Music: An Acappella Collection a high 4 1/2 STAR rating...borderlining on a 5. It rates right up there with the best a cappella recordings I've heard.
by David Bruce Murray