Anthems: Music to Inspire a Nation

by Watson,Russell

Overview

What you'll think of this release may depend entirely on whether you have a desire to hear Queen's "We Are the Champions" arranged for voice, chorus, and symphony orchestra, but you really shouldn't make that snap decision. Timed for the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II and the 2012 Summer Olympics, British crossover star Russell Watson has released a patriotic album of British material, not neglecting Ireland (Danny Boy) or the Flower of Scotland. It all sounds a bit over the top, but be aware that Watson has a real flair for this kind of project. What's remarkable is the variety of voices the man known as The Voice brings to the material. He can do a passable British oratorio tenor ("Land of Hope and Glory," a texted version of the tune known as Pomp and Circumstance); he can deliver the seemingly familiar but actually very odd voice quality of the Church of England ("Abide with Me"); he can do pure pop ("Proud"); he can do spoken words with quite a bit of flair (Elgar's Nimrod, given a text by Rudyard Kipling). And that brings one back to "We Are the Champions." That has no right at all to work, but it does, and it works thanks to the fact that Watson doesn't approach the song as a foreigner; he actually gets a bit of rock-vocalist gravel into his reading. There are moments where the program misfires; you could probably write a book on the ways Europeans have misunderstood the African American spiritual, and the electronic interpolation of Vera Lynn's voice into White Cliffs of Dover was not really necessary. But in general the songs, the arrangements, and most of all The Voice connect. A measure of Watson's confidence is that he can also do silence; God Save the Queen at the end is instrumental. Strongly recommended for anyone with the slightest sympathy for the British crossover genre. ~ James Manheim

Product Details

Release Date:	07/03/2012
Label:	Sony Music
UPC:	0886919916829
Rank:	226867

Tracks

1. Race to the End
2. Swing Low
3. We Are the Champions
4. World in Union
5. Abide with Me
6. Danny Boy
7. White Cliffs of Dover
8. Calon l¿¿n
9. Jerusalem
10. Flower of Scotland
11. Land of Hope and Glory
12. Enigma Variations~Nimrod
13. Proud
14. God Save the Queen

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Russell Watson   Primary Artist,Vocals
Richard Cottle   Piano,Conductor,Keyboards,Tin Whistle
Arts Symphonic Orchestra   Orchestra
Joe Cottle   Keyboards
Nicola Moloney   Vocals (Background)
Tommy Blazie   Vocals (Background)
Vera Lynn   Vocals,Featured Artist
Nick Ingman   Conductor
Donald Fraser   Conductor
English Chamber Orchestra   Orchestra
Lizzie Ball   Violin
Miriam Grey   Vocals (Background)
Angela Brooks   Vocals (Background)
Steven Vintner   Percussion
Robert Emery   Conductor
Synergy Vocals   Choir/Chorus
Shena Winchester   Vocals (Background)
Jose-Luis Garcia (Asensio)   Orchestra Leader
William Hayward   Conductor
Micaela Haslam   Vocal Conductor
Pride of Murray Pipe Band   Band
Fron Male Voice Choir   Choir/Chorus

Technical Credits

Tony Cousins   Mastering
Walter Kent   Composer
Richard Cottle   Arranger,Programming,Orchestration
Simon Fowler   Photography
Joe Cottle   Programming
Gustav Holst   Original Material
Edward Elgar   Composer
Daniel James   Songwriter
Nick Ingman   Arranger,Orchestration,Choral Adaptation
Donald Fraser   Arranger,Producer
Hubert Parry   Composer
Vangelis   Composer
Roy Williamson   Composer
Grant Ainsworth   Recording
Charlie Skarbek   Composer
Rudyard Kipling   Text
Paul Mitchell   Design,Art Direction
William Henry Monk   Composer
Henry Francis Lyte   Text
John Hughes   Composer
Anonymous   Composer
Russell Watson   Arranger,Liner Notes
Frederick Edward Weatherly   Composer,Lyricist
William Hayward   Orchestration,Choral Adaptation
Traditional Spiritual   Composer
Arthur Benson   Lyricist
Ryan Laubscher   Underscoring
Freddie Mercury   Composer
Geoff Foster   Engineer
John Cohen   Arranger
Jon Anderson   Lyricist
Pete Schwier   Mixing
Nat Burton   Songwriter
Peter-John Vettese   Composer
Nick Patrick   Arranger,Producer
Nicholas Dodd   Arranger,Orchestration,Choral Adaptation
Chris Fielding   Engineer
Heather Small   Composer
William Blake   Text