Morriston Orpheus Choir, Treorchy Male Voice Choir, Harry Secombe - From The Heart Of Wales

Wednesday 1st December 1999
Morriston Orpheus Choir, Treorchy Male Voice Choir, Harry Secombe - From The Heart Of Wales
Morriston Orpheus Choir, Treorchy Male Voice Choir, Harry Secombe - From The Heart Of Wales

STYLE: Hymnody
RATING 3 3 3
OUR PRODUCT CODE: 268-115
LABEL: Word INCLD003
FORMAT: CD Album
ITEMS: 1
RRP: £2.50

Reviewed by Trevor Kirk

The craze for recycling and reissuing continues unabated, because, despite the shiny new cover, all these "20 inspirational classics" have been available on other albums for a good few years. The music is a curious mix; the men from Swansea get to sing songs from the 70s and '80s, such as "Abba Father", "There Is A Redeemer", "For This Purpose", "Jesus We Enthrone You", and not a Welsh composer in sight. On the other hand, a lot of the Treorchy stuff is typical Welsh choir fare, and frequently in Welsh or sung to Welsh tunes: "Cwm Rhondda", "Gwa Hoddiad", "Mae D'Eisiau" (actually a translation of Robert Lowry's hymn "I Need Thee Every Hour"), "Love Divine, All Loves Excelling". The new stuff is somewhat limp (and has a bit too much hiss on the recording); the old traditional songs crackle with hwyl, and the men from Treorchy sing with passion and excellent technique. And another thing; despite his guest billing, Harry Secombe gets to sing only twice, on "The Land That Is Known As Wales", and "The Lost Chord", neither of them Christian songs, let alone hymns. Forget this cottage pie of an album; if you want decent Welsh male voice music, go buy the Treorchy's "Land Of Our Fathers' Faith", or their latest one "Join Our Cheerful Songs" instead.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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