Our Review
Sliding along on the edge between classical and jazz, Randy Bernsen's remarkable Angels We Have Heard on High. . . is sparkling acoustic guitar for the holidays. Bernsen presents ten delightful Christmas standards, largely ancient carols, in a wonderful, but all-too-short (only 30 minutes!), package.
The album comes in a slim cardboard sleeve, but don't let the simple package fool you. The music inside grabs your attention and just won't let go. Songs like the spectacular "We Three Kings" throw Latin flavor into a complex mélange of mixed rhythms and harmonic layers. "Drummer Boy" is a song of similar intensity. This is not a sleepy little instrumental album, although there are certainly soothing moments of solitude (think "Silent Night"). Even the gentlest cuts, however, reflect a dynamic core. Bernsen's guitar technique is first rate, and the recording quality puts you in the room beside him.
Bernsen's Angels We Have Heard On High. . . would make an excellent holiday companion on a cold winter's night. If you favor acoustic guitar strings during the Christmas season, this CD will blow your holiday blues away (at least for 30 minutes!). Enjoy!
--Carol Swanson
(Reviewed in 2005)
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From the liner notes:
Randy Bernsen: solo guitar
A collection of traditional Christmas melodies.
From the Web site:
composer, producer and performer. . . .
Randy Bernsen has played to audiences all over the U.S., Europe, Japan, and Southeast Asia. He brings with him an exciting sound and musical message uniquely developed in South Florida.
Randy Bernsen
Angels We Have Heard on High. . .
Artist link
Label: RB Music
Length: 30 minutes
Genre: Jazz
Release: 2004
Track List
| Song Title |
|---|
| Angels We Have Heard on High |
| God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen |
| O Little Town of Bethlehem |
| We Three Kings |
| Silent Night |
| Drummer Boy |
| Away in a Manger |
| It Came Upon a Midnight Clear |
| The First Nöel |
| What Child Is This |