The hard working Contemporary male quartet Tonic Sol Fa brings us an envelope-pushing Christmas CD, "Sugarue." They took eight traditional carols, "Hark the Herald Angels Sing," "Joy to the World," "Joseph's Song," "I Saw Three Ships," "O Come All Ye Faithful," "The First Noel," "Silent Night," "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" and "The Little Drummer Boy," and added strong vocal percussion, jazzy arrangements and their own blend of butter-smooth harmonies. To this they added a pair of original Christmas songs, "Joseph's Song" and "Sno" written by group member Shaun Johnson. The result is as fresh as a new-fallen snow-but let there be no mistake, the feeling and love that is at the heart of all these carols is still abundantly there. Sugarue is a treat, and it has our early vote for best Christmas CD of the year! |