Album review: Amber Weekes – The Gathering

Well here it is, the first of the Christmas CDs. I approached it with some trepidation, would it be the usual sentimental offering that singers seem to feel obliged to issue at this time of year? No problem, this CD is just that bit different from the rest, no doubt helped by the loveliness of Ms Weekes' voice, which has a beautiful warm and tender tone. We get nine standards, including one I'd never heard before, plus the final track, The Gathering, an original with lyrics by our singer.

The song I didn't know is Some Children See Him, a truly poignant lyric about how children picture the Christ child as one of their own race ('with almond eyes' or 'dark as day'). The song opens with a haunting tune of drums and bagpipes (yes, bagpipes!) and ends with a long orchestral coda. Another poignant song is I'll Be Home For Christmas, enhanced by a short guitar solo. Poignant because I thought of all the people who won't be able to meet at Christmas this year.

The Christmas Waltz is made a little different by Ms Weekes' rather flirtatious spoken remarks at the end; Winter Wonderland is a swinger with brief sax comments during the song; The Gathering reminds us that Christmas is a time to gather and forget resentments of the past. My Romance becomes a slow wonderfully out-of time ballad.

CV: Hails from Los Angeles. Parents both singers. Studied with many teachers, including Sue Raney. Sung in countless clubs and venues in Southern California. Performed at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas. Recently issued an album Pure Imagination.

Available from the usual suspects. This would make a good Christmas gift, or you could buy it as a gift to yourself!

Ann Alex

The Christmas Waltz; I'll Be Home For Christmas; My Romance; I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus; Some Children See Him; What Are you Doing New Year's Eve?; Winter Wonderland; Silent Night; Let It Snow; The Gathering 

Amber Weekes (vocals); musicians on various tracks: Josh Nelson, Tony Campodonico, Eddy Olivieri (piano, Rhodes); John B Williams, Adam Cohen, Kevin Brandon (bass); Fritz Wise, Sinclair Lott, Nathaniel Scott (drums); Paul Jackson Jr, Doug MacDonald, Jacques Lesure (guitar); Rickey Woodward (sax); Andrew Carney (trumpet); Richard Heath, Munyugo Jackson (perc); Ernie Fields Jr (bagpipes); Gregory Cook (celeste); Nio Wilson, JoAnn Tominaga, Marcus D Cargill, Gregory Cook, (background vocals); Mark Cargill (violin, string arrangements, conductor strings and horns).