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Canadian opera singers Lucie Mayer and Kevin Armstrong have crossed the Atlantic, now directing their own opera company in Bremen, Germany. These two stellar vocalists blend their unadorned voices in Christmas A Cappella, their first joint release. This brief (about 25 minutes) offering contains ten traditional holiday numbers. Not surprisingly, this duo delivers technically clean harmonies; Mayer and Armstrong are like carolers on steroids, and the multiple vocal layers have been added flawlessly. If only every caroling group could sing like this!

Christmas A Cappella is a solid seasonal offering for those who enjoy a cappella singing, and I certainly do. After all, the pure human voice is perhaps the most exciting musical instrument on the planet, and in the a cappella setting, there is no instrumentation to clutter the presentation. Through digital magic, the pair covers four voices (Mayer handles the women's parts, soprano and alto, and Armstrong covers the male counterparts, tenor and bass). Fortunately, this versatile duo possesses the vocal range to pull off all four voices in grand fashion.

Mayer and Armstrong enjoy strong projection and rich vocal tones; they match seamlessly as professional equals on these songs. I especially enjoyed the duo's exquisite, but moody, harmonies on Coventry Carol and the multiple choral layers on The First Noel, which is also the CD's longest track (3:37).

Looking for traditional carols warmly presented by classically trained voices in a minimalist setting? Invite Lucie Mayer and Kevin Armstrong to your doorstep this December for a Christmas A Cappella.

--Carol Swanson
(Reviewed in 2006)

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From the liner notes:

All voices and musical arrangements by Lucie Mayer and Kevin Armstrong
Engineered and mixed by Kevin Armstrong

Lucie Mayer and Kevin Armstrong

Christmas A Cappella

Artist link

Track List