The album is presented on the CD, while the DVD-A presents the full album in 5.1 surround sound and in hi-resolution stereo. The DVD-A also features the first 38 episode videobook of Vicar Chronicle the First "The Mysterious Case of Billy's G String" as well as a video for the song 'Count Your Blessings'.
Fourteen songs by the enigmatic, English producer, The Vicar - a persona discovered” by David Singleton.
And what do you get? The Vicar’s unique string and chamber arrangements, played by some of the world’s outstanding musicians...
Cathy Stevens (Penguin Cafe Orchestra, Everything but the Girl)
Tony Levin (John Lennon, Paul Simon, King Crimson)
Steve Sidwell (Robbie Williams,George Michael)
Chas Dickie (Van der Graaf Generator, PJ Harvey
Theo Travis (Gong, Steven Wilson Band)
Karen Wimhurst (Zaum, English National Opera)
Nigel Barr (Michael Nyman)
Horacio Pozzo (Argentine BigTime Guitar Trio)
Steve Porter, Paul Ibberson (paulibberson.com),
Mutch Katsonga (arkjam.com/Mutch_Katsonga) -
Mercury Prize nominee - Tim Elsenburg (sweetbillypilgrim.com)
... and cult favourites who deserved centre stage in any gathering of fine
singers - Andy Yorke (allmusic.com)
Lewis Taylor (allmusic.com)
David Scott (pearlfishers.co.uk)
All were willing to sing simple melodies “as if for the first time”.
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Vicar Songbook
From Rick Whitehurst of Walla Walla, Washington on .
I know now that The Vicar is indeed David Singleton, backed by musician friends and relations... Here in his songbook, he has produced and offered up a collection of bittersweet and fairly easygoing songs that sound to be of a somewhat personal nature. Songs with lyrics that express much introspection, loneliness, frustration, self consciousness, a little playfulness, and of course, Love. Love for family, friends, spouse, and music. The lyrics throughout are simple but carefully and smartly penned. Some are quite beautiful and poetic, others illustrative of life and living in general.
After multiple listens to the entire Vicar Songbook, I get the impression that The Vicar has some knowledge of works by past and present composers of Broadway musicals, and soundtrack music in general. Many of the songs on this album could be dropped into a film, sung by a member of the cast, moving along and telling a part of a story in a musical film production... Much like a Jerome kern, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Rodgers & Hammerstein etc. etc. If the Vicar is not already a student or admirer of the great broadway musical composers, he probably should be. (Or has picked up this musical talent by osmosis). My own knowledge of this genre is practically nil, so I am beginning with a grand assumption already... It's what I hear.
The arrangements and musicianship are top flight, the names of the musicians are all fairly well known. The details would probably take another page... Lets just say they are all most likely the cream of the crop within the Vicars reach. Names recognizable by me personally are, Theo Travis, Tony Levin, Andy Yorke, Robert Fripp, The legendary Keith Tippett, to name but a few. None of these or any other of the many arists on the Vicars album play drums... No drums... Well, the legendary award winning "Sound of Music" had no drums either. Or did it?
The first few listens went by quickly, I paid attention to the overall feel of the album as a whole, and felt pretty good about it... This would be an easy review, I thought. I went back again song by song and started to focus on details, and discovered an ever more complex and interesting labyrinth of influences and even some quotes of 20th century popular music well suited to a man of his (and my) age group. By design or accident, it presented itself to me. Whether the Vicar is consciously aware of how his many musical influences shine on this work, I can only guess... After many listens I have found it to be really quite good. Superbly engineered... Second to none sound quality and clarity. Full of hidden treasures. My favorite track is "San Manuel". I realize now that I am not qualified to give this the reviewing it deserves. When the Vicar was releasing clips in 2012 I made a flippant comment about "showtunes". I now see the error in my thinking. The Vicar songbook is much much more than that. Sounds to be a labor of love and very hard work. And quite a nice album indeed.
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