Reviewed by Steven Whitehead

Your reviewer was preparing to write some words of encouragement just in case the members of Angelis read this; something along the lines of, "A promising debut and it's a shame that there is no market." However I visit websites to check my facts and here we are, in November, with Angelis at Number Two in the album charts. Some facts: Angelis are six teenage singers, three boys and three girls, all with a background in choral music. They sing well and I suspect can sing better than this as the arrangements tend towards atmosphere rather than technical accomplishment. One example: "Pie Jesu" is, inevitably, Andrew Lloyd Webber's take which is pretty but there are others more challenging and rewarding. I would guess that this was the producer's call. He is Steve Mac who has 30 Number Ones to his credit from artists such as Il Divo and Westlife. This brief CV tells us all we need to know. This is classy manufactured pop with a post-modern take on spirituality. In addition to "Pie Jesu" we have a couple of carols: "Silent Night" and "O, Holy Night", and the old favourite "Morning Has Broken". The other songs are easy-listening standards such as "Somewhere Over the Rainbow." My eight-year old loved it; I enjoyed it but perhaps I am too old and cynical to be part of the target audience.

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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