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Fall In Love In Winter With Angela
Carole Brown |
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We really like the Christmas album
Winter that Angela Carole
Brown created for the 2012 holiday season and Michael Kramer did a
masterful job mixing this record.
The spoken word introduction to
Winter, by Angela Carole
Brown creates a medieval ambience and sets the stage for a very simple,
yet beautiful rendition of “Silent Night,” with Lynn Coulter’s mallets
on the tom-tom drums as the accompaniment for Ms. Brown.
The deep, rich tones of the drums create a somber mood and Angela
Carole Brown’s vocals are reverent and as always, impeccable.
John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s “Happy Xmas (War Is Over),” is the next song
and it is followed by a modernized version of “Little Drummer Boy.” Ken
Rosser has an electric guitar solo on the later tune. It is difficult
for us to be objective about a song we have never liked, but this more
amped up version of the song sure beats the depressing traditional
version of “Little Drummer Boy.” We are not quite sure about the ending
to this rendition, which has a call “Hey drummer boy,” repeated several
times, but there is no response to the call.
In addition to playing the electric guitar, Ken Rosser doubles on
electric sitar, Randy Landas plays electric and upright bass, Michael
Kramer plays piano on “Closing of the Year,” and provides background
vocals on the album, while Angela Carole Brown plays keyboards and the
glockenspiel.
The real jewels from the album
Winter are the title song (track nine) and tracks five (“It Came
Upon A Midnight Clear”) and track six Frank Loesser’s “Baby It’s Cold
Outside,” an Angela Carole Brown / Lynn Coulter duet.
Ms. Brown has long been
respected as a vocalist, because she is technically sound, she knows how
to embrace the moment and she also gives her musicians lots of room.
Rosser, Landas and Coulter are superbly elegant accompanying Ms.
Brown on “It Came Upon A Midnight Clear.” We could sit and listen to Ken
Rosser play all day. We absolutely love the gravelly vocals of Lynn
Coulter and the Bluesy inflections in Angela Carole Brown’s voice in an
outstanding performance of “Baby It’s Cold Outside.”
This is one of the best and freshest versions of Frank Loesser’s
holiday favorite that we have heard in a long time. Both singers create
a fun and playful feel that invites the listener to play this song over
and over and over again. The title song “Winter,” is breathtakingly
beautiful. We have known Angela Carole Brown for several years now and
this recording of “Winter,” is Ms. Brown at her finest and her soprano
vocals are magical. The musicians are fabulous and since this an
original song, our question is; Angela why is there only one of your own
songs on this album? Words do not suffice to describe this pretty love
letter about falling in love in the winter. The mood is upbeat and
ethereal and it is a mid-tempo song.
Rounding out this album are Vince Guaraldi’s and Lee Mendelson’s
“Christmastime Is Here,” “Closing of the Year,” (Trevor Horn, Hans
Zimmer, Christian Kolonovits) and “Auld Lang Syne.”
Angela Carole Brown’s Winter
is a must have for those who are looking for traditional music, with a
fresh sound and a new song “Winter,” which will be played for many years
to come.
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