Customer Reviews

Watching the White Wheat: Folk Songs of the British Isles; King's Singers

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is a performer's CD! I bought this CD in college, and it's still one of my treasured favorites for what it does: it captures the essence of near-flawless performance...diction, intonation, lyrical expression...the overall musically of this group is not enhanced by studio post-production. You get the same live as you get with this recording, and if you've done small ensemble work before, you'll love this recording. They even have 11 of these 16 songs in a songbook entitled "The King's Singers' Folk Songs" (Faber & Faber), with every note on the CD turned into spots on the page.

The King's Singers are one of the best vocal ensembles - in every incarnation they've had. The tone changes with new members, but each regrouping presents itself and the music with integrity and intelligence. This compilation is one of their best. My personal bias is that this kind of music is their forte. British folk songs sung with grace and elegance and fun and great love. They have retained the historical tone of each piece while updating the harmonies. They pay respect to the past and cross the line just enough to make these old tunes interesting to 21st century ears. Star of the County Down, The Oak and the Ash, and Lamorna are three of my favorites. Though not as well known as some of the other songs, these are brilliant arrangements perfectly performed. This cd, along with Annie Laurie, is the ultimate in King's Singers recordings. Enjoy.

The perfect group for this repertoire. Heart-felt performances of incredibly well written arrangements. This noble effort should be in the library of every person who considers him/her self to be a lover of good music.

I loved The Kings Singers since their debut album (now available on CD). This recording is one of many fine albums they have made. The musical arrangements are sensitive, and enhance the character of the simple tunes selected. Daryl Runswick and Gordon Langford, veteran Kings Singers arrangers, wrote several of them, but there is also a lovely arrangement of The Star of the County Down by Howard Goodall (who has written all the music for Rowan Atkinson's TV shows and the themes for Red Dwarf and The Vicar of Dibley).

I love every single track, but here are a few particularly interesting ones:
John Rutter's arrangement of Barbara Allen
Early One Morning, arranged by one of the group (Jeremy Jackman) Daryl Runswick's arrangements of O Waly, Waly and She Moved Through the Fair
Watching the White Wheat (sung in Welsh)

Highly recommended.

I appreciate The King's Singers' classical work, and understand, if not really care for, their interpretations of current standards, but their real strength is folk songs, and this may well be their best effort. The songs are lovely and understated, and not over arranged or oversold. That delicate touch perfectly complements the selected tunes, and would certainly be a wonderful addition to your collection.

The Kings Singers are great, and this is probably my favorite of their CDs. No too-catchy tunes (like "What shall we do with a drunken sailor" on the Annie Laurie CD). Just terrific music, sung very well.

I love this cd, the king's singers are one of my favorite groups ever and this is one of my favorite cds of theirs.

A mix of the traditional and the modern which is itself timeless. I bought the CD to replace my cassette which was lost in a theft. I've owned this album for over 20 years and it remains a must have.

Most of the music sounds like coming out of a barbershop contest. Once in a awhile I pick a bad one and this is it.