JAMES ANEST A SINGER OF HEAVENLY PROPORTIONS!
Hellas | Athens, Greece | 10/02/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Opera Singer James Anest, whose striking good looks have caused him to be touted on various web pages as the "Brad Pitt of the Operatic Stage", would seem an unlikely candidate to offer an album of Classic and Contemporary Christian music but "Calvary Street" is all that and much more! Beginning with "Give Us This Day", a secular hymn so reverent and beautiful it is impossible to believe that Anest is only the second singer to record it since Joni James in the 1950's, to the final track, a largely a cappella vocal of all 5 verses of the stirring hymn "Nearer My God to Thee", James Anest delivers a both subtle and forceful vocal prowess heretofore unattained by other singers in this musical genre.
Anest's operatic background allows him to scale to glorious vocal heights in the more classical pieces, such as the Aaron Copland arrangement of "At the River", the Bach-Gounod "Ave Maria" and a splendid new arrangement of the traditional "Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child". And yet he is equally effective in the contemporary selections, especially in his stunningly beautiful rendition of Robert Hurd's "Behold the Cross", which is arguably the greatest performance of this modern classic ever committed to the recording medium. Anest shows great vocal flexibility in the more celebratory "Ven al Banquette" and even enters Elvis territory in the delightful "O How I Long to See", with its 1950's Rock `N' Roll organ sound. Not only are Bernadette Farrell's lovely "O God, You Search Me" and Robert Hurd's "As the Deer Longs" examples of great singing at its best but in the traditional "How Great Thou Art" Anest concludes with an explosive high note which upholds the initial impression that James Anest is an extraordinarily talented and versatile singer. The media bombards us so much proclaiming the modest talents of Harry Connick, Josh Groban and Michael Buble (who are certainly effective performers and deserving of their popularity) that one is awestruck when confronted with the real full-throated sound of a truly great singer who does not have to resort to falsetto and heavy miking to be heard but can fill a fairly large auditorium with glorious sound with no artificial enhancement. James Anest is such a vocalist, the kind of voice that the great songwriters of Tin Pan Alley and Broadway wrote their songs for and a voice that is badly needed for this music which is currently undergoing a renaissance. While "Calvary Street" is a winner one can only hope we hear more of James Anest in other musical genres as well.
"
The Most Reverent Christian Album I Have Ever Heard
Denise A. Kiselyak | Southern California | 11/30/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
""Calvary Street" is different from all other Christian albums in that the music is a combination of hymns & songs seldom heard outside of Catholic Churches in the US coupled with some wonderful classical pieces by great composers of the past. James Anest is the best singer you are ever likely to hear in the Contemporary Christian genre since he is a classically trained operatic baritone which he uses effectively and with great flexibility to suit the style of the song he is singing. James Anest's beautiful voice is truly a wonderful gift from God to this world and Christians of any denomination who hear this superb CD will be truly inspired."
Track Listings (14) - Disc #1