Annie Laurie ~ Folksongs of the British Isles / Barrueco · The Kings Singers

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(5 stars) - Good music
The parents loved it, I loved it. It's just good singing. But who needs a review for this, just listen to the samples.

(4 stars) - Different Folksongs
A very pleasing collection, tastefully arranged and very well performed. The recording is a bit too close.Annie Laurie ~ Folksongs of the British Isles / Barrueco · The King's Singers

(5 stars) - Top of the line
This CD, along with Watching the White Wheat, is consistently a top seller on the group's US tours. Solid musicianship, great passion and emotion brought into the singing. There is some instrumental work done on this disc, but it doesn't overpower the singers.

To correct Mr. Beamer's statement in his review, the KS have indeed been doing pop and all genres of music since their founding in 1968. In fact, it was the inappropriateness of singing pop and light music with the Choir of King's College, Cambridge, that led a small group to branch off and sing all genres of music, including pop, on their own time ... this leading to the founding of the King's Singers.

(5 stars) - The King's Singers in their element
The King's Singers got started a few decades ago doing exclusively classical material, and most of that was pre-1700. Now, many years on, (and after several changes in the group's membership) they have long since branched out into pop and other genres.

This CD (along with another similar one, "Watching the White Wheat") really show off their UK roots, with English, Scottish, and Irish folksongs. The arrangements are mostly quite good, and all the performances are excellent. Deserving of special mention are: (on the slow, poignant side) "Annie Laurie", and "The Ash Grove". [Note: the arrangement of "Annie Laurie" heard here is different from, and I think inferior to, the arrangement they did on an old out-of-print LP called "Atlantic Bridge", where they did both Britsh and American folksongs -- that LP is Highly Recommended (if you can find it -- good luck!)]

Anyway, back to the review: on the up-tempo side, two very fun tunes are "Going to Towyn" and "Mairi's Wedding". For you singers out there, the score for the latter is available in a 3-part arrangement, and is rather easy to learn.

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