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Gloryland

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Anonymous 4

 
Gloryland
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Average: 4.5 (22 ratings)

Medieval vocal technique meets southern gospel.

  • We Say...

    Review by Mike McGonigal

    Ever since the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack became a surprise multimillion-seller in 2000, American spirituals, trad folk and country-gospel have gotten a steady stream of attention. One of the more intriguing examples was 2004's American Angels by Anonymous 4. For two decades, the female a cappella quartet had specialized in renditions of medieval vocal music that were both creative and respectful, but on Angels, a collection of 18th- and 19th-century American hymns, they sounded like a Ren Faire mated with a southern gospel revival.

    The members of Anonymous 4 come from a rigorous classical background, but the music of Gloryland — revival songs, gospel songs and folk hymns — doesn't need trained vocalizing; in a spiritual, especially one from the Appalachian tradition, it's the emotion that matters most. These are vivacious, full-throttle performances, though the 4's a cappella renditions of songs like "The Wagoner's Lad" still come across a tad stiff. The first number, "I'm on My Journey Home," a song from the Sacred Harp tradition, seems lacking precisely because it's so perfectly sung — I missed the "off" notes so favored by that most democratic of singing traditions. The group's impeccable diction on "The Lost Girl" and "Merrick" doesn't seem to jibe so well with the material, either.

    I hate to sound like a prude, because this is indeed a lovely recording. It's a tough row to hoe — how to do this material justice with classically trained voices more accustomed to centuries-old sacred choral music? The songs that work best mix a more understated vocal style with subtle accompaniment on mandolin, guitar or violin (courtesy of virtuosos Darol Anger and Mike Marshall). "The Mercy Seat," for example, is a lovely thing, pure and simple in its light crossover of acoustic folk and vocal mastery. Rather than over-singing the tune, they update it slightly, and make it their own. Here's hoping their next foray into this fertile musical field is more like this.

  • They Say...

    Review by William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide

    Anonymous 4's 2004 album American Angels, a collection of folk and gospel songs that stood in contrast to the a cappella group's usual focus on ancient and classical vocal music, was a major hit, reaching the top of the Billboard classical chart and selling a reported 80,000 copies. Surprisingly, Anonymous 4 picked this moment to announce that they would no longer be a full-time entity. Nevertheless, two years later, they are back with Gloryland, a follow-up to American Angels containing "Folk songs, Spirituals, [and] Gospel hymns of Hope & Glory." There are, however, changes. The group has wisely brought in two instrumental accompanists, Darol Anger on violin and mandolin, and Mike Marshall on guitar, mandolin, and mandocello, and given them co-billing. And the part-time nature of the foursome is reflected in the carefully delineated performing credits, which show that all of them are not present on all tracks -- in fact, A4 get together on only nine out of 19 -- but that Marsha Genensky, who penned the liner notes and is awarded an assistant producer credit, is on all but two, an instrumental reading of "Wayfaring Stranger" by Anger and Marshall, and a solo by Susan Hellauer on "The Wagoner's Lad." Hellauer, meanwhile, is on every track but three. It is thus not a surprise to read in the liner notes that Genensky and Hellauer are forming their own duo, the Lost Girls. As with American Angels, the performances by the singers in their various combinations are lovely and pristine. If anything, in fact, the singing is too pretty; this is rural music usually performed by untrained voices, and the effect of hearing Anonymous 4 render it is not unlike hearing Judy Collins sing an old folk song; it's beautiful, but it doesn't sound real. The instrumentalists are a big help in this regard, however, adding an underpinning of authenticity to the sound. On their own, the members of Anonymous 4 come off like a small Protestant choir in a country church that has somehow been transported to heaven, removing the imperfections and personalities of the singers and turning them into angels. Even the songs about secular concerns (mostly lost love) sound not of this world.

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