THE TWO SISTERS: HILARY JAMES & JANET GIRAUDO - Songs & Chansons
Acoustics CDACS064
Ragtime sits alongside Vivaldi; pop classics mingle with French baroque and traditional folk melodies in this diverse and delightful album. Six years in creation, Hilary and Janet sing 14 songs (plus a bonus track from Janet’s ten year old daughter), subtly and ably supported throughout by Simon Mayor’s strings. Tracks include Plaisir D’amour, All I Have To Do Is Dream, followed by Hot Time In The Old Town Tonight and Tout S’Efface - giving a sense of the mixture of musical genres being presented.
Hilary, of course, comes with a substantial reputation for her music and her art: Janet, based in France, is perhaps less well-known. Together, the sisters’ two-part harmonies predominate and blend beautifully – they are especially exquisite on Lullaby (based on the Rossetti poem) and Laudamus Te. A light touch and a sense of innocence prevail across the whole CD. The lyrics are always clearly audible and the sleeve notes offer helpful additional details.
While there may be a hint of “sameness” in the sound of the songs over the whole CD, each individual track stands well on its own and is given a unique slant by Hilary and Janet.
Professionally presented, Songs & Chansons is a soothing and happy blend of assorted melodies. Light on the ear and with a consistently high quality of musicianship and production, this CD is a lesson for harmony singers. In bringing together classic works which span centuries and nations, it shows how they can all be presented as “folk”.
www.twosisters.eu
Jim McCourt
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this CD online from The Listening Post The Listening Post is the CD mailorder service of The Living Tradition magazine. This album was reviewed in Issue 99 of The Living Tradition magazine. |