RECORDINGS

LABEL: TUTM / DREW'S FAMOUS
CATALOG NUMBER: 1888
UPC NUMBER: 0790617188825
NUMBER OF DISCS: 1
RUNNING TIME: 41:25
YEAR RECORDED: 2007
CD RELEASE DATE: FEBRUARY 1, 2009
CONDUCTOR: THE HIT CREW
ORCHESTRA: THE HIT CREW
CHOIR: THE NEW HOPE CHOIR
SOPRANO: UNKNOWN
CONTRALTO: UNKNOWN
TENOR: UNKNOWN
BASS: UNKNOWN


AUDIO SAMPLES HIGHLIGHTS OTHER RELEASES


DISC ONE

1. Overture 2:22
2. Air: Every Valley Shall Be Exalted 3:15
3. Chorus: And the Glory of the Lord 2:25
4. Chorus: And He Shall Purify 2:30
5. Chorus: for Unto Us a Child Is Born 3:45
6. Air: He Shall Feed His Flock 5:19
7. Chorus: Lift Up Your Heads 2:56
8. Chorus: Hallelujah! 3:26
9. Air: I Know My Redeemer Liveth 5:48
10. Air: the Trumpet Shall Sound 3:38
11. Chorus: Worthy Is the Lamb - Blessing and Honor - Amen 6:01

SITE RATING:  0/10
SITE REVIEW:  Turn Up The Music, the company that owns the label "Drew's Famous" is INFAMOUS for the amount of musical garbage they shovel into bargain stores (and which invariably make their way into America's landfills).  A cabal of anonymous producers/musicians working out of New Jersey ("The Hit Crew"), they make their living by creating cheap (VERY cheap) "sound-alike" tribute albums to any popular artist within their reach, and then hide behind anonymity and an obscure law which prevents them from being prosecuted by said artists for imitating them, and butchering their music.  I've listened to several of their so-called "tribute" albums, and they range in quality from barely competent to nauseating.  Their latest atrocity is this edition of "Handel's Messiah" which follows the pattern of cheap, barely passable studio re-creations of others' work.  None of the soloists are given credit, but perhaps that's all to the good, since the tenor can't hit his high notes without breaking, ("Ev'ry Valley"), the "New Hope Choir" (which only appears on Drew's Famous products) have battling melismas, and everything on the recording has been slathered with studio-added "echo" to fake the sound of an enormous cathedral, but instead comes across as sounding as if they're singing from within a drainage pipe.  Such a crass, inept product has one purpose only, and that is to fool the purchaser into believing they're purchasing a quality album, only to discover their mistake after a few seconds of listening.  This album is so antithetical to fine music, to high art, and to Handel's own Messiah that it's offensive.  


The Compleat Messiah All Content Copyright © 2009 Bret D. Wheadon
All Rights Reserved.