Our Review
Some people you just enjoy hearing from. Such is Sara Botkin. A classical singer who could easily (and who at times does) make the crossover to pop, Ms. Botkin is an important contemporary voice.
I first heard from her on the delightful An Angel's Christmas, an effort characterized by "vibrant impetuousness". This time around, Ms. Botkin takes an exhaustive inventory of classical holiday works, from Ave Maria (Bach Gounod) to Vivaldi's Winter, which she performs impeccably and with precise classical phrasing. Of this set, I found myself most moved by the delicate and poignant El Noi de la Mare, sung in Spanish.
But there is much more going on here than a classically-trained classical diva performing classical renditions of classical songs, classically. With Sara Botkin's Breath of Heaven you also get several innovative arrangements of modern and contemporary Christmas songs. I liked her ensemble arrangement of Mendelson and Guaraldi's Christmas Time Is Here, a track distinguished by Stephen Hawk's trumpet. But my favorite by far was the title track, Chris Eaton and Amy Grant's Breath Of Heaven (Mary's Song). It is when I hear Ms. Botkin sing such a beautiful arrangement in her "pop" voice that I want to tell her what an adult contemporary sensation she would be (although I am sure I am not the first to notice this). Why, for instance, am I not seeing her popping up on American Idol, or The Next Big Thing, or America's Got Talent? (Wait: The Next Big Thing is for comedy acts. But still!) I don't know whether Sara Botkin harbors any such pop aspirations, but I hear in her vocal style the talent to realize them if she does.
At 22 tracks and 60 minutes of classical and contemporary music, Sara Botkin's Breath of Heaven is a full-length delight for classical listeners and regular folks alike.
--Richard Banks
(Reviewed in 2007)
More
From the liner notes:
Sara Botkin, vocals and piano
Gretchen Van Hoesen, harp
Mark Huggins, violin
Stephen Hawk, trumpet
Andy Reamer, percussion
Tommy Bellin, bass
Recorded at Audible Images Recording Studios, Pittsburgh, PA
Sara Botkin
Breath of Heaven,
A Christmas Collection
Order from CD Baby
Artist site
Label: Sara Botkin
Length: 60 minutes
Genre: Classical
Release: 2007
Track List
| Song Title |
|---|
| Carol Of The Birds |
| Mary's Little Boy Chile |
| Ave Maria (Bach Gounod) |
| Some Children See Him |
| Christmas Time Is Here |
| Sweet Little Jesus Boy |
| Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day |
| As Dew In Aprille |
| This Little Babe |
| Breath of Heaven (Mary's Song) |
| I Wonder As I Wander |
| God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen |
| Hark! The Herald Angels Sing/Angels We Have Heard On High |
| The First Noël/Pachelbel's Canon |
| El Noi de la Mare |
| Gabriel's Message |
| Panis Angelicus |
| O Magnum Mysterium |
| Mary And The Baby, Sweet Lamb |
| Vivaldi's Winter |
| White Christmas |
| Auld Lang Syne |