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This is the very last day I will think about Christmas music--for about six months--until I start this mess all over again, probably sometime next July. Usually, I try to put the kibosh on Christmas music on the final day of November, because there's only so much of this anyone can tolerate. Lucky for me, then, that my final late-December-arriving CD, Four Shadow's Joy (the follow-up effort to their 2004 release, Flake), is a tasty a cappella treat and not such a tough chore with which to finish out the season.

In the same way that science "proves" it is physically impossible for bees to fly, there is just no way human voices can perform all of the amazing gymnastics necessary for all of the vocals and "instrumentals" on Joy. But as crazy as their talent sounds when I attempt to describe it, Four Shadow's music does not sound crazy, or even comical, for the most part. Instead, their vocals convey warmth and earnestness, particularly on such sacred carols as O Come All Ye Faithful. And even on such comical numbers as Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer (a rarely-covered song), their comedy is tasteful and subtle. Nevertheless, the breadth and versatility of their vocals is impressively outlandish, in its way.

Of particular interest to Christmas aficionados like myself, there are four original songs on Joy, including Kevin Steinman's All I Want For Christmas Is You and Baby Jesus, David Anderson's A Father's Christmas Wish, and (my favorite of the four) Drew Tullar's exquisite lullaby Close Your Eyes.

Truly, there are some nice moments on Four Shadow's Joy, moments that will be enjoyed by more than just a cappella enthusiasts. This is choral music that is accessible to all.

--Richard Banks
(Reviewed in 2006)

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From the liner notes:

All sounds on this album were produced by the voices of Kevin Steinman, Drew Tullar, Stacy Carolan, and David Anderson (except A Father's Christmas Wish, which features Eric Patenaude singing bass).

Recorded by Four Shadow
Mixed by Kevin Steinman in Minneapolis, MN
Mastered by Matthew Zimmerman at WIld Sound, Minneapolis, MN

Album art and photography by David Anderson

Four Shadow

Joy

Artist link

Track List