Velvet: a rich fabric. The harmonies of Regeneration: sumptuous, angelic outpourings of rejoicing, of which velvet is a most fitting adjective. Carrying on in the mode established by the best-selling "Christmas In Velvet" volumes one and two, the fourteen traditionals and hymns contained here (ten of which were released a few years ago in a now out-of-print recording entitled"Pure Silk"), are inspiring not only because of their thematic content of praise, but because of the arranging of Derric Johnson, the group's director. To study a Derric Johnson arrangement is to contemplate the canon of a master. Key to his style is his seamless blending of classical choral and jazz idioms that are fresh, yet easy to assimilate. What could be more uplifting than the gloriously ascending intervals of "More Than Wonderful," ending in an epic high note? The serene and resonant "Holy Ground" is set against a backdrop of plush oohs and aahs. The countermelodic texture of "Just As I Am" is engaging but never excessive. The men and women of Regeneration (some of whom moonlight as Walt Disney World's "Voices of Liberty"), could not be more pristine in their performance. Their control, phrasing and interpretation is textbook perfect. All in all, "Hymns in Velvet" is an exercise of pure enjoyment. |
