Gentri - Noel

4 WEEKS UNTIL CHRISTMAS!!

Buy/stream Noel here (external link)
Read my review of Finding Christmas here

The gentlemen of Gentri> certainly know how to keep Christmas well. I found their love of the season through their rather splendid indeed 2016 album, Finding Christmas; an album so full of complex, lush arrangements that it has become the standard by which I measure all vocal harmony groups. They now have a sequel to this album, a brand new selection box of songs via their 8 track Noel project. In these days of artists putting out albums that have up to 20 tracks on, it is part quaint part refreshing that Gentri are focused on delivering a concise set of songs that stay with you long after the music finishes playing. Lets not forget that seminal Christmas albums by superb acts like The Carpenters clocked in at eight tracks and have delighted fans for years. Noel isn’t too dissimilar to Finding Christmas. That’s not to say it is repetitive – the fellas take everything that was so sparkling and resonant on their previous project and refine it for this new opus. They mix the spiritual with the celebratory and it is a genuinely breathtaking body of work.

The album begins with Do You Hear What I Hear, a sumptuous arrangement which sets the tone and standard for the entire album. Bradley, Brad and Casey add lilting guitar and shimmering percussion to their penchant for radiant orchestral instrumentals, making a wonderfully textured wall of sound which requires multiple listens to fully appreciate. Title track, Noel> has a more solemn tone and rightly so. The nuance of their vocals really helps bring to life the wondrous words they so eloquently and passionately sing. The purity of the chorus refrain seems to stop the craziness of the world outside and just let you focus on this mellifluous testimony.Joy To The World begins with a dramatic introduction before the boys take centre stage. The crescendo through the verses shows how the instruments are intricately intertwined; as essential to the narrative of the lyrics as the gentlemen’s own voices. Vibrant horns seem to buoy their voices to celestial new places. A quiet reflective moment helps the listener really immerse themselves in the musical sermon. Next is It Came Upon A Midnight Clear, a gloriously sedate and graceful interpretation which is just a lovely marriage between voice, guitar and elegant strings. The trio really savour each word and let the melody breathe – it really highlights the sense of wonder and appreciation they clearly have for singing these treasured songs; their sense of awe transferring to the listener.

On Still Still Still they are joined by Stephen Nelson who lends some extraordinarily captivating piano skills to the song. The extended instrumental is just as enchanting as if the men themselves were singing – undeniable proof that you don’t need studio wizardry to create mesmerising and meaningful music. Just talent and a passion to share your gift. Perhaps the biggest surprise of the album is their take on Mary’s Boy Child. The (in the UK at least) Boney M classic features a vivid piano accompaniment with some tin pan drums, giving a rather thrilling score for the lads to set their vocals too. A literal children’s choir of angels adds to the opulent feel of the song – more and more people coming together to celebrate the Christ child’s birth. Come Lord Jesusis a lovely vocal-piano duet which gives the hymn a sense of humility and reverence. It also makes it feel very close and personal, as if the group are performing at your local carol concert. Across the album, but especially here, the split between solo vocals and harmonised convergence is exquisitely done – they know how to let each individual moment shine and when to come together to maximise the impact of their message. The album draws to a close with Hark The Herald Angels Sing> and you just knew the guys were saving their most soaring and sensational sing-along number to leave you with a little thrill in your heart, a little spring in your step and the spirit of Christmas enveloped around you. It is a stirring, rousing finale – a grand coda to a brilliant album.

Ghosts of Christmas past**

• 27th November 2018 ~ Cast of Anastasia, Its Just Like Christmas Every Day
• 27th November 2017 ~ Cast of Anastasia, All Those Christmas Cliches
• 27th November 2016 ~ Garth Brooks & Trisha Yearwood, Together Again
• 27th November 2015 ~ The Overtones, Good Ol Fashioned Christmas
• 27th November 2014 ~ Pixie Lott, I Got Love For Christmas
• 27th November 2013 ~ L'il Chris, Christmas Number One