Excelsis 3 - A Prelude
2001 / 23:42 Minutes / 9 Tracks / Studio / Collection / CD
Release Date: 2001 - Projekt
Produced by: Sam Rosenthal
Website: www.projekt.com

Reviewed by Matt Rowe on October 29, 2002

The Excelsis collection issued by Projekt are comprised of some of the most mystically enchanting songs that refer to the Christmas holidays. With ghostly reverence that is ethereally communicated to us by the artists that interpret the selections, we are taken on a journey of such aching perfection that we can only melt into the songs, become one with them.

With the release of “Excelsis 3: A Prelude”, Projekt have provided us with yet another great set of beautifully rendered Christmas tunes. And quite frankly, I don’t know of anybody that dislike songs that welcome the holiday for as long as it lasts. There’s a certain air about it. It’s quite a magical air in that everybody seems to put his or her insecurities on hold; the smiles come more freely and good will is genuine.

This set showcases a collection of nine songs, all top quality offerings by the bands that recorded them. With a variety of styles in tow, Excelsis 3 is an excellent companion to the prior two discs.

Lovespirals gives us “Aspen Glow”, a song borrowed from John Denver and sweetly sung in as good a version as you’ll ever hear by the beautiful Anji Bee, who’s voice is as charming as a winter scene that you become lost in. Ryan and Anji's respect for the season is deeply felt. This track has become one of my favorite seasonal songs

“Edelweiss”, from The Sound of Music, and “Let Your Little Sister Pet The Kitty Too” are sung by Lynn Canfield in two different approaches to Christmas. Lynn sings with respect to the nature of the songs and provides timeless beauty to the tracks she contributes.

Audra delivers a contagious little tune that pleads for an extension of Christmas, something that many of us agree with. Charmingly sung, "Let the Reindeer Live On My Roof" is such a cool song that you'll find it embedded in your brain for some time to come.

Lowsunday offers a psychedelic "Blue Christmas" that is as engaging as it is intriguing. However, it is Frolic and their rendition of "Angels We have Heard On High" that captivates. With the ensnaring of a moment of Christmas so entrancing, it actually embodies the mystery that is the holiday. So ethereal is the song that it is likened to a rapturous midnight moonfall on a blanket of snow, caught in a time of something unexplainable.

Faith & Disease sings an alternate version of "Silver and Gold" from the one found on "Excelsis 2: a winter's song". A more traditional sounding song, "Riu Riu Chiu", by Mirabilis, rounds out the stylistic approaches that is the hallmark of this release. Finally, Unto Ashes sings a pleasing "Krampusnacht" imbuing it with Christmas charm with their use of music box and horse hoofs.

DISC

Various artists with various stereo mixes. The entire package, as a whole, is well done.

PACKAGING

A four page fold with Christmas art. The inside of the booklet provides a detailed listing of the nine songs that make up this disc. Each song is well documented with origin, band info, instrument usage, and some liner notes. Very interesting booklet.

THE FINAL SAY

Christmas is a wonderful time that delineates the essence of everything pure and good. It is a mystery that can never be contained nor revealed and yet, is felt as a pain of something never grasped. The fundamental nature of it is in the beauty of the songs on this disc but vanishes as soon as you take the disc out of the player. Regardless, they leave a resonant peace that you can count as 'value added'. Cheers to Projekt for this collection and the sets that preceded it. My Christmas wish is that Projekt would carry on with this series and continue to provide us with the intrinsic magnificence that is Christmas.

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