Gloryland

( 2 )

Editorial Reviews

Barnes & Noble - Scott Paulin
If Anonymous 4 surprised some longtime listeners when they exchanged medieval masses and motets for the shape-note hymns and sacred roots music of their hit American Angels, this follow-up album is sure to please both old fans and new. While Gloryland can boast the familiar Anonymous 4 virtues of finely tuned vocal harmonies and deep investigative research, it also achieves a looser, more relaxed feeling -- thanks especially to two guest artists recruited from the world of traditional music, Darol Anger on violin and Mike Marshall on mandolin and guitar. With their subtle accompaniments and more uninhibited interludes, this pair of instrumentalists help the singers ...
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Editorial Reviews

Barnes & Noble - Scott Paulin
If Anonymous 4 surprised some longtime listeners when they exchanged medieval masses and motets for the shape-note hymns and sacred roots music of their hit American Angels, this follow-up album is sure to please both old fans and new. While Gloryland can boast the familiar Anonymous 4 virtues of finely tuned vocal harmonies and deep investigative research, it also achieves a looser, more relaxed feeling -- thanks especially to two guest artists recruited from the world of traditional music, Darol Anger on violin and Mike Marshall on mandolin and guitar. With their subtle accompaniments and more uninhibited interludes, this pair of instrumentalists help the singers bridge the gap between church meeting and jamboree. Beyond their typically painstaking historical reconstructions, the women seem to get the spirit. Even more than the group's previous outing, Gloryland covers a wide range of American styles and genres, from pungent shape-note hymns such as "Ecstasy" and "Saint's Delight" to the sweeter harmonies of early gospel tunes like "The Shining Shore" to the austerely melancholy strains of "The Lost Girl" and other secular folk songs telling of womenfolk forsaken by their men. Naturally, Anonymous 4 lead the listener through these varied pieces in a way that reveals the connections among them as much as the contrasts. And by the time they arrive in "Green Pastures" at the program's end, they've given their audience both a richly textured music history lesson and a uniquely scenic journey through the traditional American soundscape.
All Music Guide - William Ruhlmann
Anonymous 4's 2004 album American Angels, a collection of folk and gospel songs that stood in contrast to the a cappella group's usual focus on ancient and classical vocal music, was a major hit, reaching the top of the Billboard classical chart and selling a reported 80,000 copies. Surprisingly, Anonymous 4 picked this moment to announce that they would no longer be a full-time entity. Nevertheless, two years later, they are back with Gloryland, a follow-up to American Angels containing "Folk songs, Spirituals, [and] Gospel hymns of Hope & Glory." There are, however, changes. The group has wisely brought in two instrumental accompanists, Darol Anger on violin and mandolin, and Mike Marshall on guitar, mandolin, and mandocello, and given them co-billing. And the part-time nature of the foursome is reflected in the carefully delineated performing credits, which show that all of them are not present on all tracks -- in fact, A4 get together on only nine out of 19 -- but that Marsha Genensky, who penned the liner notes and is awarded an assistant producer credit, is on all but two, an instrumental reading of "Wayfaring Stranger" by Anger and Marshall, and a solo by Susan Hellauer on "The Wagoner's Lad." Hellauer, meanwhile, is on every track but three. It is thus not a surprise to read in the liner notes that Genensky and Hellauer are forming their own duo, the Lost Girls. As with American Angels, the performances by the singers in their various combinations are lovely and pristine. If anything, in fact, the singing is too pretty; this is rural music usually performed by untrained voices, and the effect of hearing Anonymous 4 render it is not unlike hearing Judy Collins sing an old folk song; it's beautiful, but it doesn't sound real. The instrumentalists are a big help in this regard, however, adding an underpinning of authenticity to the sound. On their own, the members of Anonymous 4 come off like a small Protestant choir in a country church that has somehow been transported to heaven, removing the imperfections and personalities of the singers and turning them into angels. Even the songs about secular concerns (mostly lost love) sound not of this world.
Billboard - Anastasia Tsioulcas
A truly sublime album, guaranteed to appeal to saints and sinners alike.
Dallas Morning News - Lawson Taitte
(Grade: A) Often haunting and inspirational, these songs about going to heaven frequently will take you there.

A truly sublime album, guaranteed to appeal to saints and sinners alike.
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Product Details

  • Release Date: 9/12/2006
  • Label: Harmonia Mundi Fr.
  • UPC: 093046740023
  • Catalog Number: 907400
  • Sales rank: 66,223

Album Credits

Performance Credits
Anonymous 4 Primary Artist, Vocal Ensemble
Darol Anger Mandolin, Violin
Mike Marshall Guitar, Mandolin, Mandocello
Technical Credits
John Leland Text
John Newton Text
Isaac Watts Text
Anonymous 4 Arranger
Marsha Genensky Arranger, Liner Notes
Susan Hellauer Arranger
Brad Michel Engineer
George F. Root Composer
Robina G. Young Producer
Robert Lowry Text
William Walker Composer
Sarah Lancaster Composer
James C. Moore Composer, Text
Rene Goiffon Cover Photo
David Nelson (Dahveed Ben Israel) Text
Phillip Leavitt Text
James W. Acuff Text
Elsa Beaulieu Text Translation, Liner Note Translation
Irene Preston Miller Artwork
Brad Michael Engineer
David Nelson Text
James C. Moore Text
Hugh Stowell Text
Smith Mead Text
H.W. Vanhoose Text
John Leland Text
Elisha J. King Artwork
Hudson River Quilters Artwork
Bever Text
Gregory Case Cover Photo
William A. Muhlenberg Text
Ingeborg Neumann Text Translation, Liner Note Translation
Benjamin Franklin White Artwork
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Customer Reviews

Average Rating 4
( 2 )
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Sort by: Showing all of 2 Customer Reviews

  • Posted October 1, 2010

    more from this reviewer

    Angelic Voices

    I picked this set up at a bargain price a few years ago. If you like the Roches' first album, give this CD a try. It is totally different from that group but that is the best comparison I can make. Occasional backing by Darol Anger and Mike Marshall adds variety to the a Capella renditions of old folk hymns and songs. A nice change of pace.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    Gloryland

    I enjoy all of the anonymous 4 CDs but this folk interpretation is excellent. It is one of those CDs that you can just listen to again and again without it getting tiresome>

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
Sort by: Showing all of 2 Customer Reviews