Our American Journey

1	Guide me, O thou great Je
2	Credidi
3	Versa est in luctum, for
4	Jefferson and liberty, so
5	David's Lamentation for c
6	Soar away, fuging tune
7	Whispers
8	Voices of Autumn
9	The Un-covered Wagon
10	Tre Rime di Tasso: Fuggi,
11	Tre Rime di Tasso: Labbra
12	Jeanie with the Light Bro
13	Camptown Races, for voice
14	Love Walked In, song (fro
15	Willow Weep For Me
16	Calling My Children Home
17	Wayfaring Stranger, relig
18	I'm a Pilgrim

Barnes & Noble

Chanticleer's Our American Journey offers several things to marvel at. First of all, there is the richness and variety of the repertory, which extends from traditional songs to contemporary works, and from unknown gems of the Mexican Baroque to popular favorites by Stephen Foster and George Gershwin. Then there's the intelligence of the programming -- the way all this musical diversity flows and coalesces into a satisfying whole. But surely the greatest marvel is the singing of Chanticleer itself. The purity and warm intensity of their tone is simply awe inspiring; there's nothing else like it in the vast world of choral singing. And their stylistic flexibility is equally astounding: Compare, for example, the bright, sinewy sound they give to A. M. Cagle's "Soar Away" (and note the nasal accent) with the smooth, sophisticated swing of the jazz standard "Willow Weep for Me." In fact, Our American Journey is a perfect snapshot of Chanticleer's large repertory, and if you find one area particularly compelling, it's a safe bet that the group has already devoted a recording to it -- try, for starters, Magnificat and Mexican Baroque for early music, Wondrous Love for traditional songs, Colors of Love for contemporary compositions, Where the Sun Will Never Go Down for spirituals, and Lost in the Stars for pop standards. Andrew Farach-Colton

Gramophone

This bold, eclectic, well-planned programme, moving from plainsong to spiritual with contrasting groups of songs in between, is typical of the versatile American male choral group Chanticleer. Their commitment to their art is 100 percent.

The New Yorker

Journey runs the gamut, from sacred music of the Mexican Baroque to Gershwin and Ann Ronell...by way of spirituals and contemporary classical works.... Chanticleer's pastel timbre, dead-on intonation, and precise articulation are persuasive throughout. Russell Platt