Choirboys, The - Choirboys (The)

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Definitely a cut above the rest
Lyrics	Thought-provoking
Quality and consistency of tracks	A couple of weak links
Value for Money	Excellent

Advantages:	Many great songs
Disadvantages:	There are a few disappointing songs though

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

This is a CD with music from 3 choir boys, Ben, Patrick and CJ (aged between 10 and 12). The Choirboys were formed after a nationwide search in nearly 50 churches and cathedrals with over 100 boys auditioning and eventually the 3 boys were chosen from Southwell Minster and the choir of Ely Cathedral. This, their first album, contains a lot of varied music with traditional music like Miserere, Pie Jesu and Panis Angelicus, the theme music from TV shows like The Vicar of Dibley and Mr Bean and other songs like Tears in Heaven and He's Ain't Heavy, He's my Brother.

Tracks on this CD include:

1. Ecce Homo (Theme from Mr Bean) (written by Howard Goodall)
This song is sung by a choir (English Chamber Singers) and accompanied by an organ which seems to be playing the same thing over and over again, and the words also seem to be repeated a lot but it's quite a short track and so isnt too bad - in my opinion it isn't one of the best songs on the CD but it isn't awful either - its still pretty good.

2. Tears in Heaven (Eric Clapton/Will Jennins)
This song is a solo by one of the boys and has a great accompaniment - starting only with piano and then with strings being added in the middle of the song. The words are really clear and the way it is sung makes it sound sweet and angelic. In my opinion this is one of the best, if not the very best of all the tracks on the CD.

3. Panis Angelicus (Cesar Franck)
All three boys take turns in singing solo in this song with part of it being sung in harmony and then two voices singing a round (the second starts slightly after the first and sings the same thing). Personnally, it's not one of my favourites as I dont really like the song very much as it seems too common but this is one of the best arrangements of it that I have heard.

4. Do You Hear What I Hear? (N Regency/G Shayne)
This song also features Hayley Westenra who sings the main tune as a solo with 2 of the boys answering her phrases and the thrid boy sings with her in one of the verses. In the last verse an accompanying choir is added and really gives the piece a really great finish. This track is amazing - its a wonderful arrangement of this song - it's really great - another one of the best tracks on the CD.

5. Walking in the Air (Howard Blake)
This is a version of the well known song. Solo voice sings most of the piece but joined by others in the middle section. This song is sung with a superb orchestral accompaniment which really helps create an great atmosphere, an almost magical, yet peacful atmosphere to the piece. This is also a great song, in my opinion.

6. In Paradisum (Gabriel Faure)
This song starts with a really catchy, light, jumpy introduction played on organ. This tune keeps playing most of the way through the song below all the words - except for in a few places where there is a more sombre mood. This song has a very peacful and tranquil atmosphere to it and I found it very soothing and calming.

7. The Lord Bless You and Keep You (John Rutter)
This well known song is sung similarly to how it usually would be done by a choir, but only using three voices. Starts with a solo but it splits off into harmonies in places. At the ending all three voices have separate lines which weave in and out and around the others. Another one of my favourite tracks.

8. Pie Jesu (Andrew Lloyd Webber)
Starts with solo by one person and then another sings a solo with a harmony half way through. Then accompanied by the choir during the third time through this song. This isn't really one of the best songs on the CD. Though it still is good - I just dont think it is as good as the rest.

9. Danny Boy/Carrickfergus (Traditional)
Danny Boy is sung as a solo and then Carrickfergus is played in the middle as in instrumental interlude on Irish traditional instruments like whistles etc. (also play an introduction) and then Danny Boy is sung again to finish with. It's a very nice song and is good too.

10. The Lord is my Shepherd (Theme from The Vicar of Dibley) (Howard Goodall)
This one is just a normal arrangement of the song, it starts and ends with a solo and is acoompanied by a full choir in the middle. But the solo at the start is sung by more than one soloist, one singing the first bit and another singing the next part. I love this song and its another one of the best on the CD.

11. He Ain't Heavy, He's my Brother (B Scott/B Russell)
This is mostly a solo accompanied by a simple sort of piano accompaniment. In some places a second singer joins the soloist and provides a lovely harmony. This is really lovely and though I wouldnt say it was one of the best on the CD - it is nearly one of the best and certainly is a very good track.

12. Corpus Christi Carol (from A Boy was Born) (Benjamin Britten)
This song really is not one of the best. Its not too bad but I just dont like it an awful lot. The tune isn't a very catchy one (it's not something I find myself humming along to and definitely not singing along to as the words don't all seem to be in english though there is a possibility that some of it is in english but is still quite hard to make out). Though the musical side is still quite good - it's is quite a good arrangement of the piece (though I dont know how good compared to others as I dont recall hearing this song before) and is still of a good quality but I just dont like it an awful lot.

13. O for the Wings of a Dove (F. Mendelssohn Batholdy)
This song is quite good. It has a nice enough tune and is arranged rather well. It's not one of the best songs on the CD but its not one of the worst either.

14. Angus Dei (Lamb of God) (Martin Neary)
This song is accompanied by the choir. It sort of sounds a little depressing - it certainly isn't one of the best on the CD or one of my favourites but then it is taken from All Saints Mass and so probably isn't supposed to sound highly exciting.

15. Let there be Peace on Earth (Sy Miller and Jill Jackson)
This song really is lovely. All 3 choirboys sing in it with a simple piano accompaniment and in the 2nd verse one of the boys sings a nice countermelody which adds to the feeling of the piece and makes it sound even nicer. This is another of my favourites and brings a happier ending to the CD as the previous songs aren't exactly the best - but this would nearly make up for it (it's just a pity this is quite short.)

16. Miserere (Gregorio Allegri)
This is, in my opinion, a very disappointing ending to a very good CD. This unaccompanied chant like song is really nice in places and then in others is just rather awful. The fact that this track is almost 12 minutes long really doesnt help it much either - it just seems to be the same sort of thing sung (with choir accompanying) over and over and over again for 12 minutes.

The cover of the CD is a normal sort of cover. It has all the details you would expect to find along with pictures of the Choirboys and individual pictures of each one of them along with some facts about them like their name, date of birth, choir and a few more strange facts like the colour of their eyes and their height. The background of the pages is a plain colour with blue sprayed over it (or at least thats the effect shown) and this keeps it from being a plain, boring, normal cover that many CDs have.

This CD is very good and worth the money I spent on it (I can't remeber exactly how much I spent on the CD but it was between £8 and £10 I think). Even though some of the tracks are a bit weaker than most it is still a good CD and well worth the money spent on it.