All Angels have become a force to be reckoned with.
Working beautiful four part harmonies around classical, opera and pop tunes, the girls have crafted a unique and entrancing sound. After they signed a five-album deal with Decca in 2006, their first two discs built them an awesome reputation in the Classical Crossover market and sold half a million copies. Their success earned the Angels platinum discs, appearances at the Classical Brits and accolades from Sir Paul McCartney, and all this while they were still studying for their A-levels.
'Fly Away'
Fly Away finds the high-achieving quartet spreading their musical wings to explore folk songs, musicals, modern classics and spirituals. Tapping into the spirit of optimism triggered by the dazzling arrival of Barack Obama on the world stage, the common theme binding the material together is its American origins, from the Leonard Bernstein song Somewhere, to the 19th century Shaker song, Simple Gifts (which Aaron Copland adapted for his Appalachian Spring). As for Cucurrucucu Paloma, which group member Daisy Chute suggested to the group having performed it at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival with Camerata Ritmata, the girls were delighted to record the famous Tomas Mendez song when they heard it on the soundtrack of Pedro Almodovar's film Talk To Her.
"The album takes you on a journey," explains Laura Wright, erstwhile hockey, tennis and athletics star at Framlingham School. A former Radio 2 Young Chorister of the Year, she has sung Mozart and Purcell for the Pimlott Foundation (a charity founded in memory of opera director Steven Pimlott), entertained fans of Ipswich FC with pre-match performance of Amazing Grace, and is about to take up a scholarship at the Royal College of Music. "We listened to loads of CDs of classical and traditional music and folk tunes, and thought really hard about what would work best with our voices and which ones would fit the overall feel of the album. We might find a particular beautiful song, but we'd have to decide whether it would work with everything else."
American Connection
Daisy Chute, a multi-faceted musician who studied at the Purcell School of Music and is now reading music at King's College, London, didn't need much persuading to embrace the American theme because, despite her Edinburgh accent, she's half American by birth. Many of her relatives live across the Atlantic, and she has travelled to the States regularly since she was born. Even so, she wasn't quite prepared for the astounding revelation that she is distantly related to President Obama himself. "That is quite a big American connection, I suppose," she says, laughing. "My mum told me about it. She's American, and she knows everything about our family history. We'd already found out that I was related to George Washington. Now I've learned that President Obama and I share British emigrant grandparents from about twelve generations ago."
As Laura points out, "the arrival of Obama has affected everyone. For a lot of younger people especially, it gives them something to look up to and some real values they can admire. Michelle Obama as well I think, because obviously we're four girls and we really respect her values and opinions."
"I think we're a lot closer as a group now, friendship-wise," adds Laura. "I think we've really bonded as people, and that means our sound has really bonded too. We're able to criticise each other musically now without anyone getting offended and that means the music overall will be better. I think we've all grown up a lot and we see this as building towards a bigger future." Their growing confidence in their own skills paid dividends during the recording of Fly Away, on which they were assisted by their new producer (who also works as a jazz trumpeter and songwriter), James McMillan. On previous albums, the emphasis had been on capturing the ethereal, collective sound of the group, all the while including some solo tracks focusing on one or two individuals at a time. This time around, the celebrated All Angels ensemble work is still there, but there are more solo passages, while they've also moved the individual voices around in the harmony sections to create new tonalities and effects.
Group Determination
Indeed, time seems to be proving that the quartet's determination to maintain what could be described as their work-work balance was the most cunning plan they could have devised. While other groups can end up living on top of each other for months on end and driving each other mad, the Angels find that their various academic and musical activities leave them refreshed and raring to go when they come back together for a new project. When they played some outdoor concerts with Katherine Jenkins this summer, they tried out some of the new songs onstage, and were delighted to find them being eagerly embraced by the audience.
"I've just finished my first year studying French and Spanish at University College London, and it's been great, but I'm so happy that All Angels happened," says Melanie Nakhla. "It has changed my life completely, and I know it's for the better. It's just so much fun as well as hard work." Besides her linguistic skills and ongoing studies for her pilot's license, Melanie displayed precocious singing ability from the age of eight. She was a prizewinner at the Oswestry Eisteddfod at 10, and was head of the choir at Wycombe Abbey School in Buckinghamshire. She also appeared most recently at the opening of Shrewsbury's new theatre, Theatre Severn, at which she performed solo in the show created for the event.
"I feel I've discovered a completely new part of my voice during these recordings," declares Charlotte Ritchie, who has just completed her first year of studying Drama and English at Bristol University. Her pre-Angels experiences included joining the National Youth Music Theatre when she was 11, winning a much-fought-over screen role in Harry Potter: The Goblet Of Fire, acting opposite Michael Sheen and Cherie Lunghi in the short film The Open Doors, and most recently appearing with Caroline Quentin in Life Of Riley for the BBC.
Laura sees All Angels as a way of communicating her own musical passions to a wider, maybe even a cooler, audience. "A lot of my friends don't listen to classical music, but that's what we're trying to do - introduce it to younger people and show that it's not geeky or sad to listen to classical music. We don't think so!"
(Just enjoyed your beautiful sophisticated singing on "Songs of Praise", BBC)
After you've finished here, you may like to hear this folk-carol on myspace... Poem 230 of 230, WalkaboutsVerse (see my blog for details): CHRISTMAS SUNG SIMPLY
As gospellers have said, Beneath signalling skies, On land dusty to tread, A trough in a stable Was the strawy first-bed Of a divine baby - The forgiving Godhead.
A season for new hope - There then and here now; The yuletide of goodwill - There then and here now.
In respect of this chance, Beneath bright or dark skies, Faith's the star that we glance Attending Christ's churches And trying to enhance, With singing and ritual, Our God-loving stance.
they are all awesome...such a nice voice...thank you for sharing your gifts from GOD and using your talent wisely and good in HIS eyes...continue singing songs of GOD i'll be your no. 1 fan all angels...fly high..may GOD be with you..
May you embrace God's love that gives birth to you May the innermost dreams of your soul all come true May you fulfill your destiny through the wise use of choice And may all trust in God through the still small voice
God's Dream for You
The most important dream of all is God's dream for you.
It is a sacred plan sealed in your soul that you have the opportunity and the responsibility, through free will, to make come true.
It can become a manifest reality by yielding to God's love, coming into congruency with His will and acting on divine impulse - thus becoming a co-creator in the fulfillment of a God-ordained destiny.
In fulfilling this dream, you become the embodiment of love.
It is not selfishness to fulfill this dream for it does not preclude helping others to fulfill the dream that God has for them. The more we grow in God, the more we live from our soul and the more we give of ourselves to serve the soul of others.
As you make God's dream for you a reality, you will find the peace that abides within and the light of peace will emanate from your soul.
Oh the joy of sweet surrender The Star of Destiny can seem so far away But if we open like the petals of a flower in sunlight We may bask in the glow of its heavenly rays
Let your dream be God's dream for you and may the still small voice within be your inspiration, conscience, teacher and guide.
Good morning, How are you? Thanks to become all my new friends. Continue your nice carrier. Have a nice week end. Take care of you all. Your friend Danielle
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Good mornin' n good eve to all thy faithful friends and members of thy fellowship!! Tis time of mischief, Tis time of magik ^_^!! For All Hollow's Eve will soon be upon us! Rejoice in celebration and partake in fond festivities!! Let this day be the day of angels ~*~*~ Be it of the light, be it of the dark What ever it may be~ ~*Take flight*~ ^_~
Come n' fall into the realm of the angels~ Come fly and grace the skys swim the seas, for whatever twill, just be...
Tis true.... Angels, they are all ov'a!! Sleepin' rite under our noses they are....
Watchin' us in the gardens? Quite possibly.....
They fall from light and splash joy into our lives!! Ever more so do they like to rejoice where happiness thrives!!
Yet sometimes they weep..... sometimes they cry.....
Where are they all, we always ask why but be not vexed by their mysterious ways just run free! who cares what all folk say
For angels are abound.... indeed they are all around !!! be one today and take flight ~*~*~ rejoice in the day!!
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