Glory in the Highest
Artist: Shane and Shane
http: //www.shaneandshane.com/
Label: inpop Records
Time: 10 tracks/35:14

Music bins of Salvation Army and Goodwill thrift stores overflow with holiday records from which the original owner easily parted. The world doesn't really need another disposable Christmas project. Moreover, unless a recording artist has a strikingly fresh take on traditional Christmas carols, or has designed something wholly original (Andrew Peterson's Behold the Lamb of God, The True Tall Tale of the Coming of Christ), there isn't a particularly compelling reason for hanging yet another musical ornament on the already crowded Christmas tree. Fortunately and thankfully, Glory in the Highest--the first Christmas effort from Texans Shane and Shane--accomplishes both.

The Shanes offer up three originals: "Born to Die," "Holiday," (the weakest of the three) and the title track, "Glory in the Highest" (the best of the three). "Glory in the Highest" segues majestically into the last cut, "O Come Let Us Adore Him," which features an ear-catching a cappella moment. Traditional carols like "O Holy Night," "Silent Night," and "Away in a Manger," mesh with a couple of secular standards like, "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas," and Bing Crosby's "White Christmas."

Shane Barnard (now Mr. Bethany Dillon after tying the knot with the precociously talented Ms. Dillon this year) and Shane Everett sound as if their cohesive voices came as a package deal and have always been together, as if they came out of the same gene pool. The fact is that they both had solo careers in process when they joined forces in 2003 with the release called Carry Away. The characteristic that Glory in the Highest shares with other Shane and Shane efforts is the showy, tight-as-a-fiddle harmony, and breezy, jazz-tinged arrangements.

That's not to say that this holiday release is like anything close to a jazz album. It's far more eclectic than that, highlighted by forays into pop, relaxed country, and faux rock.

"O Holy Night" is an example of a song that successfully navigates the tension between originality and conformity. The grandeur of this traditional carol is markedly enhanced by the nuanced arrangement tweaks, jazzy tempo, and distinctive vocal harmony. On this autumn afternoon in October, "O Holy Night" comes close to inspiring a longing for the pending holiday season in me. I'm not going to run right out to Christmas shop or retrieve Christmas decorations from storage, but for a guy that rarely smells the Christmas spirit until at least December 1, that football would be pre-empted by thoughts of the holiday, this early in the year--is progress indeed.

One of my favorites on this collection is "Away in a Manager," which on this record, has become a toe-tapping countrified gem, with a fun, faux rock guitar interlude. Producer Jason Hoard (Fee) even hired a little drummer boy for this up-tempo number. Lyrics such as these shouldn't work with instrumentation and speed that is half a notch away from square dance music, but they do. Go figure. With this arrangement as background music in the annual Christmas pageant, the three wise-men may not seem so austere, as they do-sa-do and promenade around the manger.

The glitterish vocal style of Shane and Shane both attract and detract. Supporters appreciate their bold vocal routines, which are not passive. On the other hand, the Shanes aggressive vocal mode may occasionally divert attention from the lyrics or instrumentation. This is a style issue, not one of talent. Personally, I most enjoy Shane and Shane music intermittently, like a favorite meal I crave sometimes.

Arranging traditional Christmas music offers a difficult challenge; striking a balance between sounding fresh, but not so creatively over the line that traditionalists won't listen. Lone Star State natives and inpop Records recording artists Shane and Shane offer up a collection of ten gift-wrapped songs that walk that challenging tightrope; tradition stamped with originality and creativity.
 

 

Curt McLey, 10/15/08
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