58 DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS!!
Buy Gentri's Finding Christmas here (Amazon UK)
I love that Christmas is a time of year when I'm reveling in tinsel loads of festive new music - and that, sometimes, that new music can lead me to discover an act for the first time (with a back catalogue of non-seasonal goodies to dive into). One such act is vocal trio and all round dapper looking fellas, Gentri. The Gentleman Trio describe their operatic sound as cinematic pop and their latest album, Finding Christmas, is their third long player to date. They are gifted with distinctly individual vocals that blend together to craft mellifluous harmonies and warm, textured singing that is emotive and mesmerising. They give nuanced portrayals of well known numbers that highlight hidden facets of the songs and present them in insightful new ways. This is clearly evident across the extremely engaging Finding Christmas - an essential addition to Christmas playlist for fans of Il Divo, G4, Blake et al (and those who just want to try something different). Add to this to the fact that all 3 give any self respecting bloke hair and wardrobe goals and you have the whole package.
Finding Christmas opens with a striking and daring arrangement for God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen. With bold, intricate piano being the driving instrumental force, the song is layered with sweeping strings and a dynamic percussion that lifts the vocals and sends them soaring. It is a complete reinvention of the well known carol, feeling more like a Bond anthem than a church choir standard - and this makes the message all the more exhilarating and awe-inspiring. It is a fine introduction to both the album and the lads - they do not get lost once in the complex, huge score; rather they guide the melody and lyrics with confident ease, ushering you into the album with passion and grace. It is a more stripped back setting for I Saw Three Ships (Come Sailing In) - with an organic sounding drum beat and sprightly guitar. It is an opportunity for each of Gentri to showcase their own solo vocals and it is a joy to behold. Their is certainly power and elegance in each solo, yet when they come together it just enhances the majesty of their flawless harmonies. A key change leaves you in spine tingling glee, breathless and giddy for more. More comes in the form of the reverent performance of Silent Night. A sign of a good performer is knowing when to hold back and let the music speak for itself - in doing so on this beloved classic, they demonstrate their sincerity for the source material and humility at the narrative they so beautifully sing. It is their first moment of quiet reflection on the album and the results are quite magical.
The album's title track, Finding Christmas, finds the boys in a reflective mood. Once again, resonant piano chords find themselves to be a lovely accompaniment to gentle strings and the yearning lyrics that the boys ably perform. It is a song about how we place pressures on ourselves to make Christmas perfect in every way, when really it is the people we spend it with that makes it precious. The song feels like a lost Disney ballad, the guys 3 romantic princes whose voices wrap you in an aural hug that elevates the spirits and helps you focus on what is important in life. To paraphrase their own words, they bring Christmas to life. They continue to invoke the power of Yuletide with a stunning a cappella version of O Come O Come Emmanuel. Their voices are solo for much of the song, but a stark violin - played with incomparable exquisiteness - dances solely alongside their tonal sounds, like the most intricate snowflake whirling around in the winter storm. It adds an elegiac melancholy aura to the song, almost like Benedictine monks performing in the barren landscapes outside a medieval cathedral. When a song can conjure up such vivid imagery you just know it is sung with heartfelt earnestness. Little Drummer Boy sees Gentri playing with expectations once again as they return to the playful guitar of I Saw Three Ships, mixed with the dramatic production first heard on God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen. It is an intoxicating fusion of sounds that subverts all we know about the song, tosses it up in the air and rebuilds it with an inventive new intuition. For example, when they hush their voices near the end to sing "then He smiled at me" and suddenly the music explodes, it feels like the invigorating end to Act One of a musical that has you on your feet applauding until your hands are sore. And if Act Two needs to give you time to gather your thoughts then Ave Maria is just the song to do that. The most traditional, operatic piece on Finding Christmas it should appeal to fans of all genres of music who just appreciate how singing can feel perfectly angelic.
O Holy Night is one of my favourite traditional carols and I'm always intrigued to see what contemporary artists do with the song (particularly the rousing "fall on your knees" moment). Gentri begin the song with a quieter, introspective take that allows the indelible power and majesty of the song to crescendo. Just when you expect them to belt out "fall on your knees" they actually temper the volume and it has a surprising impact that really lets the moment breathe. It is just one of many moments of perceptivity that makes each song on the album sparkle that little bit brighter. What Child Is This/I Wonder As I Wander brings together two songs in wide eyed questioning that invites the listener on an intimate journey for soul satisfying answers. Again, there is a theatricality to the melding of the two songs that makes each moment vivid with a clarity that shines with each second of music. This continues with The First Noel. Delicate piano gently buffers the boys voices, while strings add a stately grandeur to the music. It adds to the solemnity of the words and the ceremonious, regal way the story is told through the singing. I love that they really let the music breathe by giving extended instrumental only moments, equal partners with the talented vocalists in finding the very best way to present a tale as old as time to a whole new audience. This gravitas extends to In The Bleak Midwinter, the penultimate track on the album. Pan pipes give the song a feel as if it was drawn from the mists of time, gently nurtured by Mother Nature until it was entrusted to the trio of gentlemen to perform for the world once more. And therein lies the wonder of this album - they are songs that should feel familiar, indeed do feel familiar but still have dazzling new nuances to enjoy. So it means the listener is left satiated by the time the final track, O Come All Ye Faithful, comes around. It takes everything that has been so magnificent on the album and amps up the chiming bells to give Christmas one final hurrah before they sign off (in fact, those final 60 seconds are a testament to their ability to exude class and sophistication in every thing they do). A spectacular collection of songs that will resonate for many years to come. Gentri, I doff my cap to thee.
Ghosts of Christmas past:
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