Twenty-Five...

by Sweet Honey In The Rock

Product Description:

Sweet Honey In The Rock: Ysaye M. Barnwell (vocals, drums, shaker, triangle, djembe, bells); Aisha Kahlil (vocals, drums, tambourine, cymbals); Carol Maillard (vocals, tambourine, shaker); Dr. Bernice Johnson Reagon, Nitanju Bolande Casel (vocals); Shirley Childress Johnson.

Recorded at Bias Recording Company, Springfield, Virginia. Includes liner notes by Jim Bessman.

All tracks have been digitally mastered using HDCD technology.

Pioneering a cappella ensemble Sweet Honey in the Rock celebrated their silver anniversary in style by releasing TWENTY-FIVE in 1998. Still helmed by founder Bernice Johnson Reagon at the time, the group displayed their trademark eclecticism and vocal mastery on the album. Sometimes it's difficult to believe one is hearing only a handful of voices and not a full-blown choir, as the complex vocal lines weave in and out of each other like a carefully constructed tapestry. As ever, Sweet Honey produces a stylistic smorgasbord; there's their take on reggae (Bob Marley's classic "Redemption Song"), gospel ("I Was Standing by the Bedside of a Neighbor"), and liberally sprinkled dashes of blues, R&B, traditional African music, and even doo wop (this being an a cappella group after all) rounding out their sound.