Ashley Cleveland and The Celtic Tenors: Making Music Their Own

God Don't Never Change

Hard Times



Ashley Cleveland and the Celtic Tenors are not singing together on the same recording -- though it’d be an interesting project if they decided to try that some day. What they are each doing on new recordings is stepping out of what’s expected of them, of what’s familiar, and further taking on the challenges of offering fresh interpretations of familiar music. The classically trained Irish tenors get into classics of another sort, music from the canon of North American folk music, from Stephen Foster to Bob Dylan to Ian Tyson. Christian rock Grammy winner Cleveland turns her talents to the highlights of Black gospel, music from the Reverend Gary Davis, The Fairfield Four, and the Edwin Hawkins singers, among others.

The Tenors are, as you might expect, smooth and clear and crisp in their interpretations; Cleveland is raunch and sass and edge. Each collection has its own power, power achieved by the artists’ staying true to the spirit of the music they offer, and true to their own individual understanding of and respect for that -- and conveying that truth with passion. Maybe you won’t fall in love with their interpretations of these songs; then again, maybe you will. It’s a safe bet, though, that listening to how they approach the music, what they offer on these recordings, will expand your understanding of how to make music real.

If you’d like to check out just one cut, on The Celtic Tenors album Hard Times
I’d suggest Shenandoah, and on Ashley Cleveland’s God Don't Never Change My God Called Me This Morning. Odds are, though, that you won’t want to stop listening at just one song.

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