Unlimited Streaming
Listen to this album in high quality now on our apps
Start my trial period and start listening to this albumEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
SubscribeEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
Digital Download
Purchase and download this album in a wide variety of formats depending on your needs.
Britain's King's Singers have recorded popular music before, in among their usual Renaissance and contemporary fare, but the 2013 release Great American Songbook marked a departure from their earlier work in several ways. What you'll think of it may depend on how attached you are to the classic King's Singers a cappella sound, but there's no question that the group deserves credit for pushing its own boundaries after nearly half a century in existence. The album, as promised, consists of classics of American song from the Broadway and Tin Pan Alley era; the largest group is by Cole Porter, the sexual nature of whose lyrics takes on a somehow disembodied quality when sung by this group, and by Rodgers & Hart. The first new wrinkle lies in the arrangements, by British composer Alexander L'Estrange. They're unusually elaborate and well-tailored to the voices of the Singers, who have remained startlingly consistent in their sound over the years despite numerous changes in personnel. L'Estrange has a way of breaking the melodies down into individual atoms and distributing them among different singers, bringing to mind forms of contemporary composition. The second novelty here is the presence of an orchestra on disc two. The King's Singers have performed and recorded with orchestras before on many occasions, but the a cappella/orchestra division over two discs is more unusual. As it happens, they seem less enthusiastic about the orchestral music this time around; the second disc clocks in at just over 31 minutes, just slightly more than half the length of the first. The arrangements are less complex, and the group seems unenthused by the flaccid playing of the South Jutland Symphony Orchestra. The action is on the first disc, which does represent one of the King's Singers' more complex pieces of work. Finally there is the sound; Great American Songbook seems to contain more than the usual quota of multi-tracking and other electronic tweaking, although you don't really learn anything from the booklet other than a credit for "wonderful post-production magic." In all, an interesting new direction for a veteran a cappella vocal group.
© James Manheim /TiVo
You are currently listening to samples.
Listen to over 100 million songs with an unlimited streaming plan.
Listen to this playlist and more than 100 million songs with our unlimited streaming plans.
From kr133.33/month
The King's Singers, MainArtist
(C) 2013 Signum Records (P) 2013 Signum Records
The King's Singers, MainArtist
(C) 2013 Signum Records (P) 2013 Signum Records
The King's Singers, MainArtist
(C) 2013 Signum Records (P) 2013 Signum Records
The King's Singers, MainArtist
(C) 2013 Signum Records (P) 2013 Signum Records
The King's Singers, MainArtist
(C) 2013 Signum Records (P) 2013 Signum Records
The King's Singers, MainArtist
(C) 2013 Signum Records (P) 2013 Signum Records
The King's Singers, MainArtist
(C) 2013 Signum Records (P) 2013 Signum Records
The King's Singers, MainArtist
(C) 2013 Signum Records (P) 2013 Signum Records
The King's Singers, MainArtist
(C) 2013 Signum Records (P) 2013 Signum Records
The King's Singers, MainArtist
(C) 2013 Signum Records (P) 2013 Signum Records
The King's Singers, MainArtist
(C) 2013 Signum Records (P) 2013 Signum Records
The King's Singers, MainArtist
(C) 2013 Signum Records (P) 2013 Signum Records
The King's Singers, MainArtist
(C) 2013 Signum Records (P) 2013 Signum Records
The King's Singers, MainArtist
(C) 2013 Signum Records (P) 2013 Signum Records
The King's Singers, MainArtist
(C) 2013 Signum Records (P) 2013 Signum Records
The King's Singers, MainArtist
(C) 2013 Signum Records (P) 2013 Signum Records
The King's Singers, MainArtist
(C) 2013 Signum Records (P) 2013 Signum Records
DISC 2
The King's Singers, MainArtist
(C) 2013 Signum Records (P) 2013 Signum Records
The King's Singers, MainArtist
(C) 2013 Signum Records (P) 2013 Signum Records
The King's Singers, MainArtist
(C) 2013 Signum Records (P) 2013 Signum Records
The King's Singers, MainArtist
(C) 2013 Signum Records (P) 2013 Signum Records
The King's Singers, MainArtist
(C) 2013 Signum Records (P) 2013 Signum Records
The King's Singers, MainArtist
(C) 2013 Signum Records (P) 2013 Signum Records
The King's Singers, MainArtist
(C) 2013 Signum Records (P) 2013 Signum Records
The King's Singers, MainArtist
(C) 2013 Signum Records (P) 2013 Signum Records
Album review
Britain's King's Singers have recorded popular music before, in among their usual Renaissance and contemporary fare, but the 2013 release Great American Songbook marked a departure from their earlier work in several ways. What you'll think of it may depend on how attached you are to the classic King's Singers a cappella sound, but there's no question that the group deserves credit for pushing its own boundaries after nearly half a century in existence. The album, as promised, consists of classics of American song from the Broadway and Tin Pan Alley era; the largest group is by Cole Porter, the sexual nature of whose lyrics takes on a somehow disembodied quality when sung by this group, and by Rodgers & Hart. The first new wrinkle lies in the arrangements, by British composer Alexander L'Estrange. They're unusually elaborate and well-tailored to the voices of the Singers, who have remained startlingly consistent in their sound over the years despite numerous changes in personnel. L'Estrange has a way of breaking the melodies down into individual atoms and distributing them among different singers, bringing to mind forms of contemporary composition. The second novelty here is the presence of an orchestra on disc two. The King's Singers have performed and recorded with orchestras before on many occasions, but the a cappella/orchestra division over two discs is more unusual. As it happens, they seem less enthusiastic about the orchestral music this time around; the second disc clocks in at just over 31 minutes, just slightly more than half the length of the first. The arrangements are less complex, and the group seems unenthused by the flaccid playing of the South Jutland Symphony Orchestra. The action is on the first disc, which does represent one of the King's Singers' more complex pieces of work. Finally there is the sound; Great American Songbook seems to contain more than the usual quota of multi-tracking and other electronic tweaking, although you don't really learn anything from the booklet other than a credit for "wonderful post-production magic." In all, an interesting new direction for a veteran a cappella vocal group.
© James Manheim /TiVo
About the album
- 2 disc(s) - 25 track(s)
- Total length: 01:31:27
- 1 Digital booklet
- Main artists: The King's Singers
- Label: Signum Records
- Genre: Jazz
(C) 2013 Signum Records (P) 2013 Signum Records
Improve album informationWhy buy on Qobuz...
-
Stream or download your music
Buy an album or an individual track. Or listen to our entire catalogue with our high-quality unlimited streaming subscriptions.
-
Zero DRM
The downloaded files belong to you, without any usage limit. You can download them as many times as you like.
-
Choose the format best suited for you
Download your purchases in a wide variety of formats (FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF...) depending on your needs.
-
Listen to your purchases on our apps
Download the Qobuz apps for smartphones, tablets and computers, and listen to your purchases wherever you go.