GLORYLAND - ANONYMOUS 4
Anonymous 4’s road has been long and winding, but never boring. Recording everything from 12th-century liturgical music to spirituals, its music-making continually entrances. And this, the vocal quartet’s second journey into the heart of American music featuring a plethora of folk songs, spirituals, gospel tunes and religious ballads, is no exception. Framed by gentle accompaniment provided by violinist/mandolin player Darol Anger and guitarist/mandolinist Mike Marshall, the quartet sings with its trademark crystalline and open sound, but idiomatically endows phrases with supple bends and slides. From the haunting shape-note song “I’m on My Journey Home” to the lilting drawl of “Merrick” and the ebullient gospel of “Just Over in the Gloryland,” this is a truly sublime album, guaranteed to appeal to saints and sinners alike. Billboard
