 It's
kind of exciting for me to do this next review. When my wife and I
were in the early years of our marriage, The Roberts family (very
young as they all were, and with two sets of twins) lived in our ward
in West Jordan, Utah. The parents, John and Connie, became friends
of ours. Connie has an infectious enthusiasm for life and a tenacity
that gets things done. John is patient and artistic. The five kids
at the time were very small, but energetic.
They
moved south a ways, and though we kept in touch from time to time,
we didn't really see each other much. But their kids grew up, like
kids tend to do. Along the way, they learned Irish dancing and picked
up singing. They were actually quite active as a performing dance
group, doing shows all over, including the 2002 Winter Olympics.
Out
of that grew Crinna Hill, a complete family musical adventure. The
five kids, Naomi, Arielle, Marshall, Austin, and Sophie are all
on stage, singing and playing the instruments. John, the Dad, backs
them up on the guitar, and writes the songs (a few of the songs
on the CD are collaborations with Naomi and Arielle). Connie, the
Mom, is the business end, co-producing the CD and managing the gigs.
"Worlds
of Ice" is their freshman effort, and right off the bat, it
struck me just how "right" it is for them. Let me clarify
that: See, "Art" is always an extension of those that
create it. While it's often true that some singers let themselves
be manipulated by their handlers and by the whims of the public,
still some of their own personality comes through.
"Worlds"
is a wonderful CD in that it really lets the personality of the
artists shine through. The songs John has written are thoughtful,
the songs are sung with an excitement and energy that only teenagers
can have (because we old folks are too tired!).
While
I'm talking about John's writing, let me comment also that he's
managed to pull off the incredibly difficult task of writing for
teen performers, to a teen audience, without condescending to either
one. It's a tough line to walk. "Walk on Water", co-written
with Naomi, is a great love song. Not a cheesy teeny-bop puppylove
song, nor a overly physical, innuendo-laden grown-up love song (I
hate it when I hear teenagers, or even kids, singing that way).
"Don't Walk Away" does the same thing about breakups.
Great stuff.
There
are a couple of songs that imply some more grown-up topics, but
even those are handled very well. "First Day" would be
a wonderful song to perform at a reception for a temple wedding.
"My Soldier Boy" is about a mom raising kids while the
dad is overseas fighting. Another thing I liked about that song,
by the way, is how it shows the human cost of war, without getting
all political. It says, "war is tough on people" but doesn't
attempt to argue about whether or not the war is justified.
The
CD is not overtly religious, either, though a couple of songs make
spiritual references. "Broken Sparrow" is all about the
verse about how Heavenly Father knows when even a sparrow falls.
"Be Still" is about feeling the Spirit, and "First
Day" implies a divine blessing on the event.
It
IS a freshman CD. And I have to say that it's held back by the recording
and the mix. That's a shame, too, because the songs are great, and
they perform them well. The arrangements were pretty consistent
throughout the whole CD, too, so I'd like to hear a little more
variety in tempos and instrumentation.
I love
their singing, and I love their harmonies (which, I've been told,
the kids work out themselves). I do wish the CD insert would have
said which one was singing lead on which song. I can't tell them
apart on record, yet. They do all sing, though the boys only did
lead on "California Dreaming". And if you really want
to hear how their vocals shine, don't stop the CD player after "I
Know You're Gone" ends. Just let it roll.
You'll
also get to hear how much fun they have together.
3.5
stars, coulda been four if it had been recorded better.
------------------------
Mark Hansen
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