Maile Hernandez

I had the opportunity to listen to a new Christmas CD, titled Still, by one of our local singer/actors, Jordan Bluth. 

Who was in Blackbeard.  Remember Blackbeard?  The completely awesome, shoulda-gotten-way-more-kudos-than-it-did musical by the insanely talented Rob Gardner, also known as the completely awesome, should-be-known-as-one-of-the-great-prides-of-Arizona?

Please, do yourself a favor and buy this CD.  I am so glad to have it be part of my holiday season this year.  I play it in the car, especially when I get tired of some of the braying renditions of Christmas songs that get played endlessly on KEZ 99.9.  (Sorry, Beth and Bill.  I love you.  It’s just some of these wailing re-imaginations of traditional carols that make me grit my teeth.)

The arranging and orchestrating was by - yes, Rob Gardner.  Which I didn’t know when I got ahold of this CD, but was delighted to find out.  They are in the style I’m coming to know from him - rich, lush and stirring. 

Combine that with Jordan Bluth’s voice, and this is a CD that really needs to be heard.  His resonant tenor is strong and meaty.  Do you know what I mean?  Like, not tinny.  There’s a thickness to his voice that gives it gravity.  It’s a good thing.  His voice is beautiful.

My hands-down favorite song on the CD is “What Child Is This.”  The vocals are perfect.  It’s super hard to sing high notes quietly, but he makes it sound effortless.  Well, who knows, maybe it is, for him.  It never was for me.  The arrangement is superb, with dramatic key changes that really get your attention.

But, a lot of the other traditional favorites are terrific too, and would make a great background for trimming the tree or holiday parties.  “Good Christian Men Rejoice” is the first song, and it has the right kind of “here we go” excitement that’s perfect for the beginning of a CD.  I also really enjoyed his “The First Noel.”  I’d never heard an arrangement with that kind of pulsating feel, and it really worked.

Of course, there’s the obligatory “O Holy Night.”  I mean any tenor doing his own album has to take a crack at that one, right?  And Jordan’s is quite successful. 

The last three songs were from The Forgotten Carols, a holiday musical by Michael McLean, who writes religious music (as does the totally awesome Rob Gardner).  While I am not from a religious background, I was moved by “The Innkeeper,” which is from the unique perspective of the inn owner who turned Joseph and Mary away.  It was an original idea, and when he talked about having trouble forgiving himself for turning them away, I could relate. 

I liked the idea that in order to find peace in the world, it has to start with peace and forgiveness within each of ourselves.  It made sense.  If you’re at war with yourself, how are you going have the clarity to bring any kind of peace to those around you?  And I thought the dual meanings of the phrase “let Him in” were clever.

Generally, I can’t imagine that this album could garner much criticism for the vocals/musicianship.  There’s always room for disagreement, but I’d really be surprised if someone came up to me and said “You’re an idiot!  He’s terrible!”  I mean, he’s obviously an excellent and accomplished professional tenor, easily comparable to other young big-name tenors.

Incidentally, Jordan graduated from Indiana U. School of Music, which was also where I was a voice major.  I know firsthand that it’s a very prestigious and demanding program.  Unable to make a full commitment, I went on to finish with a liberal arts degree, contenting myself with my involvement in the traveling song-and-dance group, The Singing Hoosiers.  We sang a holiday show on PBS with Mel Torme once.  That was pretty cool.

I digress.  My point is, Jordan excelled in a top-notch music school, and it shows.

By the way, I’m not a friend of Jordan’s.  Not even a Facebook friend.  :)  I’m a fan, and he and Gardner better get ready, because as they keep up with their efforts, they’re going to have plenty more.  If there is any justice.

KEZ 99.9?  You need to be playing songs from this CD.  Seriously.  Local artists with this kind of talent need to be showcased, and it’s a no-brainer that KEZ, the local Christmas station, should be drooling over this.

I don’t know much for marketing, but I really hope that this album finds success and is heard by many people.  I’ve truly enjoyed it, and plan on listening to it every year.  I feel very sure that a lot of other people would, too - if they get the word.

This entry was posted on Friday, December 4th, 2009 at 1:11 pm and is filed under theatre people. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.