Mario Pelchat (Noel Avec Jireh Gospel Choir) - Reviews

Mario Pelchat
Noel Avec Jireh Gospel Choir

You could call Mario Pelchat the vocal king in much of French-speaking Canada. Always at the top of charts, the crooner connects with his combo of folk and pop.

For his first Christmas project, Pelchat made a point of recruiting one of the region's top Gospel choirs to accompany him (Jireh Gospel Choir), and in so doing, has delivered a fascinating collection of seasonal tunes that demonstrates the far-reaching influence of the Gospel sound on all styles of music.

Noel Avec Jireh Gospel Choir doesn't spring any surprises. No, even better, it delivers lots of warmly-rendered, time-tested traditional favorites (but maybe not so familiar to those not accustomed to hearing their favorites sung in French). The wonder of it all is that the flava of Gospel is embedded into so much of the material.

Pelchat's rich, near-classical tenor is up front, beginning with "Sainte Nuit" ("Silent Night"). After a string overture to the strains of "Nearer My God To Thee", the song moves into ethereal territory, with bells and Jireh's Gospel strains in the background (ably arranged by the choir's director, Carol Bernard).

"Gospel Medley" departs slightly from the tempo of the project, with its melding of "Amazing Grace", "Glory Alleluia" and "Go Tell It On The Mountain" into an organ-carried, sprightly set that puts the focus on the joy of the season. Who else but a Gospel choir to impart that? Jireh is allowed a little more freedom to do their thing on this one, and you can decipher that they're Jireh Gospel Choir

doing all in their power to reign in their energy (as required in a studio setting such as this), without overpowering Pelchat's obvious enjoyment in singing these choruses.

Pelchat takes aim at Quincy Jones' "God Is Trying To Tell You Something" (from The Color Purple Soundtrack), making it uniquely his own with his spirited folk/pop vocal stylings. Again, Jireh succeeds in making the cut work with their authentic Gospel sound.

Also in the mix are Luther Vandross' classic "Chaque Annee" ("Every Year, Every Christmas"), and one of the album's high points: "Noel A Jerusalem". The latter absolutely captivates with its highly evocative imagery and emotional musical build. Jireh provides just the right touch of low key vocals, bringing in both wonder and tenderness.

In total, Mario Pelchat's Noel Avec Jireh Gospel Choir satisfies on many levels. If you're curious to expand your boundaries, and if you want to hear the degree to which Gospel music is influencing musical genres of all sorts, then this disc needs to be on your list.

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Producer: Philippe Greiss album release date: November, 2004
MP3 Disques

— reviewed by Stan North —