Reviewed by Simon Carpenter

Some singers are so talented that they seemingly dwell in unapproachable light. Others draw you in so you can share in their unique gifts. Loughborough-based VOCES8, so named because they consist of eight young singers from soprano to bass, are firmly in the latter category. This CD, misleadingly entitled 'Evensong', includes samples from their diverse repertoire, and they sing it all, from Palestrina to, would you believe, "Jailhouse Rock". And what's more, it is truly amazing how such wilfully eclectic material works in the hands of such accomplished trained voices. There are a generous 15 tracks, and the ones that weren't quite so convincingly amazing were two of the three bonus tracks - the two where they tackle movements from Bach's 'Magnificat' and Handel's "Hallelujah Chorus" from 'Messiah' where they are joined by an orchestra (The Senesino Players). Such a venture into the specialist early music territory was probably unwise. But I am prepared to be proved wrong when the planned VOCES8 disc of Bach and Handel music is released later on this year.

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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