Christmas Courier Style
One of my joys in recent years at Christmas time has been enjoying the Couriers singing Christmas songs to me on CD.
Why am I such a Couriers fan? I realize there are many fine gospel artists out there...and I enjoy them all. I enjoy the Couriers in particular because (1)they were among the most musically advanced groups in their field, and (2)they combined that excellence with a dedication to Christ that was unique even for gospel singers. They were seldom conscious of musical trends, preferring instead to make the kind of music they felt was appropriate for them, and that their audiences enjoyed. They eschewed what was "in" or "cool" in favor of what they felt was right for their cause. And as people, they always had impeccable reputations, and practiced what they preached with the utmost in personal integrity.
So yeah, I like 'em! They're good(in EVERY way you can define it)! And the two Christmas albums they recorded were fine examples of what I described above.
The first of those was 1964's "Joy To The World(and other Christmas favorites)"(Scripture 104), which was an object lesson in exactly how a gospel quartet SHOULD sing Christmas songs. All 12 cuts were seasonal standards, and their harmonies were top-notch, their singing crisp and pure, and their arrangements tasteful and appropriate. When one considers that the album was recorded in just two and a half hours in the middle of the night following one of the group's legendary extended road trips(some 300 days)...and it was done in the Nashville area some 500 miles away from their Harrisburg, PA homes, the quality of the music on the album is even more extraordinary to behold.
It was not recorded with the most advanced recording technology available even then(not to mention today), unlike some of their other albums of that period(including the two they made for Warner Brothers), but the full force and beauty of the songs comes out unimpeded, and it is the perfect album to play for the family Christmas celebrations and gatherings.
The main instrumentation is the piano of then accompanist L. David Young, and he is complemented by some of Nashville's finest session musicians. The steel guitar used(I'm not sure of the player)is almost enough in itself, so skillfully is it played and utilized to set the mood for each song on the album.
The highlights for me of the album are "The First Noel", "There's A Song In The Air(featuring baritone Don Baldwin)", "O Holy Night(featuring lead singer Neil Enloe)", and "It Came Upon A Midnight Clear(with a fine lead vocal from Young, a most underrated singer)".
But if you want traditional Christmas songs done in a manner worthy of them, there is no better place to hear them on than the Couriers Quartet's "Joy To The World".
Their other Christmas album is a joy for a different reason. It was done with a full orchestra(expertly organized and arranged for by Couriers' associate Jerry Nelson, who had done their "Sweet And Shouting Spirituals" album back in 1970, my favorite trio album of theirs), some backup vocalists, and it was noteworthy in the group's career, for it was their final album recorded with the combination of Enloe, tenor Duane Nicholson, and bass/baritone Dave Kyllonen, who disbanded after the album, not to reunite musically for another 24 years.
"Peace On Earth", the 1980 album I'm speaking of, is a fitting end to that Courier era. The collection of Christmas standards(many of which are on the "Joy To The World" album), are well-chosen and well-arranged, and some are combined into memorable medleys. By this time, the Couriers had gone away from straight southern gospel to a more "inspirational" style of gospel singing(the category that their famous 1977 Dove Award winning album "Ovation" won in), and the arrangements were a great deal more complex and sophisticated than in most of their earlier albums. Quite a step forward for a group that never considered itself among the most musically proficient, but if one were to only study the work of the Couriers in detail over the years, one would realize how skilled they were indeed.
The combination of the orchestra, the singing, and the timeless quality of the songs themselves makes for a fine Christmas mood, and I would have to say that "Peace On Earth" is not only one of the finer Christmas albums I've ever heard, I would recommend it unhesitatingly to anyone wanting a proper "mood" Christmas album for a home so desiring one.
Not only do Christmas and the Couriers go together, so do great music and testimony and the Couriers.
These two albums prove it.
Posted on Dec 24, 2006 - 01:12 PM | [4]
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Say what, Neil?
Cliff,
Merry Christmas, John.