Search - James Anest :: Calvary Street

Calvary Street
James Anest
Calvary Street
Genres: Classical, Christian & Gospel, Gospel
 
  •  Track Listings (14) - Disc #1

James Anest, "Calvary Street", as the title suggests, is a collection of religious/inspirational music James has grown fond of over the past 15 years as a soloist in some of the largest churches in Southern California. Jam...  more »

     
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CD Details

All Artists: James Anest
Title: Calvary Street
Members Wishing: 0
Total Copies: 0
Label: Ikona Recordings
Original Release Date: 1/1/2004
Re-Release Date: 7/13/2004
Genres: Classical, Christian & Gospel, Gospel
Style: Pop & Contemporary
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
UPC: 080126100020

Synopsis

Product Description
James Anest, "Calvary Street", as the title suggests, is a collection of religious/inspirational music James has grown fond of over the past 15 years as a soloist in some of the largest churches in Southern California. James began his music studies at Mount Saint Mary's College in Los Angeles, CA; then later at California State University-Northridge.

James is an accomplished musician, having sung with many of the largest opera companies in the United States including the Los Angeles Opera where he is a recurring member of their roster.

Simply put, "Calvary Street" is unlike any other recording in the genre. Those who hear it have best described it as a "Christian Crossover Album" because of James' beautifully expressive voice and the interpreted reverence.

The recording includes music for all faiths. Renditions of How Great Thou Art, At the River (by Aaron Copland) and Give Us This Day (which hasn't been recorded since Joni James' version in the late 50's) will sound like James is singing in your own living room. Be prepared for a most spiritual experience. -

Track Listing:

1. Give Us This Day -
2. O, How I Long To See -
3. Be Not Afraid -
4. As The Deer Longs -
5. Behold The Cross -
6. The Path Of Life -
7. At The River -
8. Ven Al Banquete Come To The Feast -
9. Ave Maria (Bach-Gounod) -
10. O God, You Search Me -
11. Lead Me, Lord -
12. Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child -
13. How Great Thou Art -
14. Nearer My God To Thee
 

CD Reviews

JAMES ANEST A SINGER OF HEAVENLY PROPORTIONS!
Hellas | Athens, Greece | 10/02/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)

"Opera Singer James Anest, whose striking good looks have caused him to be touted on various web pages as the "Brad Pitt of the Operatic Stage", would seem an unlikely candidate to offer an album of Classic and Contemporary Christian music but "Calvary Street" is all that and much more! Beginning with "Give Us This Day", a secular hymn so reverent and beautiful it is impossible to believe that Anest is only the second singer to record it since Joni James in the 1950's, to the final track, a largely a cappella vocal of all 5 verses of the stirring hymn "Nearer My God to Thee", James Anest delivers a both subtle and forceful vocal prowess heretofore unattained by other singers in this musical genre.



Anest's operatic background allows him to scale to glorious vocal heights in the more classical pieces, such as the Aaron Copland arrangement of "At the River", the Bach-Gounod "Ave Maria" and a splendid new arrangement of the traditional "Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child". And yet he is equally effective in the contemporary selections, especially in his stunningly beautiful rendition of Robert Hurd's "Behold the Cross", which is arguably the greatest performance of this modern classic ever committed to the recording medium. Anest shows great vocal flexibility in the more celebratory "Ven al Banquette" and even enters Elvis territory in the delightful "O How I Long to See", with its 1950's Rock `N' Roll organ sound. Not only are Bernadette Farrell's lovely "O God, You Search Me" and Robert Hurd's "As the Deer Longs" examples of great singing at its best but in the traditional "How Great Thou Art" Anest concludes with an explosive high note which upholds the initial impression that James Anest is an extraordinarily talented and versatile singer. The media bombards us so much proclaiming the modest talents of Harry Connick, Josh Groban and Michael Buble (who are certainly effective performers and deserving of their popularity) that one is awestruck when confronted with the real full-throated sound of a truly great singer who does not have to resort to falsetto and heavy miking to be heard but can fill a fairly large auditorium with glorious sound with no artificial enhancement. James Anest is such a vocalist, the kind of voice that the great songwriters of Tin Pan Alley and Broadway wrote their songs for and a voice that is badly needed for this music which is currently undergoing a renaissance. While "Calvary Street" is a winner one can only hope we hear more of James Anest in other musical genres as well.

"
The Most Reverent Christian Album I Have Ever Heard
Denise A. Kiselyak | Southern California | 11/30/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)

""Calvary Street" is different from all other Christian albums in that the music is a combination of hymns & songs seldom heard outside of Catholic Churches in the US coupled with some wonderful classical pieces by great composers of the past. James Anest is the best singer you are ever likely to hear in the Contemporary Christian genre since he is a classically trained operatic baritone which he uses effectively and with great flexibility to suit the style of the song he is singing. James Anest's beautiful voice is truly a wonderful gift from God to this world and Christians of any denomination who hear this superb CD will be truly inspired."