Beautiful Voices, Complex and Inventive Harmonies
Quartom is a quartet from Quebec who perform wonderfully unique and complex arrangements a capella that give each song a fresh, new sound.
The selections on this album are multilingual (French, English, Spanish, and Latin) and range from classics, standards, traditional American spirituals, and on to lesser known regional Christmas songs.
The initial track on the album is a French version of a traditional English classic, “Lo, How a Rose Ere Blooming” and best illustrates the classical style of the quartet. A lighter side is shown in “The 12 Days of Christmas” that begins in a traditional style and goes through changes of key, tempo, and ends up with a rather cheeky touch of humor.
Their interpretation of “Ave Maria” is unlike any other I've heard. Also “Go Tell It on the Mountain” travels far from its traditional spiritual roots with a more classically-inspired turn.
There are a number of songs on the CD that are new to me, especially the Spanish numbers and the regional Quebec songs.
There are two extra tracks included that aren’t listed on the jacket. One is a quick off-the-cuff chat (in French) by the members of the group about their musical style, and a track with Quartom and female vocalists that starts out in a classical mode and morphs into jazz and then into something really off-the-wall strange.
Tired of the same old Christmas music? Enjoy an international flavor to your music? Give this CD a try.
Recommended.