Music : Into Paradise

Rating: - Where's the third volume?!
I enjoyed the first album, and this is no disappointment. The opening track works surprisingly well. It's pointless asking what Elgar would have made of it - he didn't want his Third Symphony finished, and look what happened there. I for one enjoy it, and it's not the first time Nimrod has been vocalised: the only difference is that this one is a success.

The great joy of this disc is the way in which the Angels are at home, and expertly skilled, in flitting from one genre to another. No sooner are they done with 'Swing low' (a cappella, perfectly in tune), than they move on to 'The Scientist' and the 'Sound of Silence'. If the girls are guilty of anything, it's being able to bring a wamrth of expression to whatever they sing.

Particular highlights for me are 'Sancte Deus', Singing you through (with some very emotional singing - real heart-wrenching stuff), and, surprisingly, 'Nothing compares to you'. This is a very good arrangement of a firm favourite, and whilst it may lose something in changing genre, what it gains in having such a skilled arrangement and such artful singing is incomparable.

'Zadok the Priest' rounds off the disc, which is a slightly different tack from the Barber 'Agnus Dei' on the first album, but it is a welcome romp after such an extraordinary journey, that also includes some stratospheric notes in something called 'Lift up your voice' and 'Make me a channel of your peace'. I don't know what they're feeding these girls, but it's working!

What I want to know most of all is when the next album is going to be available!! Purchase this album as a gift, be it for friend, family or yourself.

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Rating: - A mild, pleasing album.
I am never one to fall for the pure marketing artists that are spewed out by record companies jumping the crossover bandwagon these days, and whilst these girls are yet another product thrust into our faces around Christmas time and Mother's Day I find myself enjoying their music immensely.

When they first appeared, I was quick to throw them in with your Angelis and your Il Divo. Their album is sure to be pretty, I thought to myself, but there will not be much else to it. Yes, Universal Classics are still trying to get their cash in whilst the fad is still in fashion, and yes, the girls are just puppets at this point, with polite nods to their record company that jump when they are told to. Yes, the format is set, there and ready, for Christmas shoppers to buy. Pretty, pure, white girls with pretty voices, singing some easy listening contemporary classics and pop songs in the most mild of ways. But in some cases you have to wonder why you care about how they are marketed and why they exist in the first place, and the sound that they produce in this album has caused such a case to emerge within me.

Pure and simple, this album is a good listen. Certainly, there is nothing original or ground breaking here but that was never their point to begin with. All Angels offer some beautifully, mildly sweeping orchestrations, designed to highlight their harmonies, which are, quite frankly, top notch. They're not opera singers and they're not power driven, but together they create something even more powerful than a single voice could ever produce.

The track list, in total crossover fashion has your pop covers (and some fine choices this time round), sacred arias and classical pieces. There is something to please every crossover fan's ear. Among the pop covers we have the ever frequent Coldplay popping up, and no, it is not 'Fix You'! Their pure voices really offer 'The Scientist' a new dimension that makes the song more melancholy than you may have heard it before. 'Nothing Compares to You' is another crossover standard, simply because it works extremely well, and it is no exception here. It does not have the emotional pull of the original but the girls pour their heart into it nonetheless. The definite highlight for me is 'Singing You Through' which lyrically complements the Angels perfectly as they sing of birds singing you through, as they do. Their 'Sull' Aria' may annoy some purists but they bring the classic to a wide audience with their superior vocal arrangements. Brunning's 'Pie Jesu' is also a welcome addition.

The drawback of this album is that any emotion drawn from it is actually just from the beauty of the voices, rather than the emotions that the songs themselves should evoke. This album is certainly not an album for all occasion or all moods, which is where it loses substance, but if you quite happy with the idea that you will listen to this mainly when you want to relax or have a good soak in the bath, then there is no reason why you should not take the plunge, because it will certainly do that job extremely well.

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Rating: - Made in Heaven

Into Paradise, released in November 2007, is the second of the five album deal which All Angels signed with Universal Classics and Jazz in 2006.

Good follow-up albums often prove more difficult to produce than the debut, particularly as the self titled album 'All Angels' released in 2006 was such a commercial success in a market dominated by the likes of G4, IL Divo and Blake.

This album is another varied collection of classical and contemporary music, to which the four girls apply their lovely vocal harmony skills to provide a combination of calming and uplifting moods.

Most of the classics are well known favourites (which I think is essential to keep a young fan base satisfied), and the popular songs like Paul Simon's `Sound of Silence' and Prince's `Nothing Compares 2 U' sound beautiful after being given the 'Angel's treatment' - particularly the latter which makes a nice change from Sinead O'Connor's melancholy hit version from 1990.

It's difficult to pick out favourites from such nice music, but I particularly like the lesser heard John Brunning version of 'Pie Jesu', instead of the familiar one by Faure, and the Band of Brothers TV series theme music `Lament' is a lovely dreamy, hymn-like performance (hear also the Katherine Jenkins version entitled 'Requiem for a Soldier' on her Rejoice album). Also noteworthy is the multitracking of the girls voices on Handel's `Zadok The Priest' to give real power and an impression of large scale choir.

The girls are reported to have a maturity beyond their teenage years, and their changing appearance from their first album is certainly pointing towards an endearingly glamorous future. But it's the girl's dedication and attitude towards their music that I like too, as summed up by youngest member (aged 17 on this album) Laura Wright on their official website:

"A lot of my friends don't listen to classical music, but that's what we're trying to do - introduce it to younger people and show that it's not geeky or sad to listen to classical music. We don't think so!"

A lovely album, easily as appealing as the first I think.

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Rating: - Not a patch on the last one
A well produced, crisp performance by the quartet. Their voices are as good as ever, but the repertoire is more mediocre than their first album. If you like choral interpretations of pop, broadway and orchestral works then this is fine fayre - but it doesn't have the class or originality of its predecessor, and it's aimed much more at the middle ground.

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Rating: - Absolutely beautiful
I bought this CD as a christmas present after seeing it advertised on the TV. From the moment i first heard it i loved it. Great song choices and beautiful voices, it is a really easy listning CD and although not paricularly up-beat, i would recomend it to anyone.
Well worth the money!