Holy, Holy, Holy

Description

Holy, Holy, Holy is a studio album by the American singer and songwriter Crystal Lewis, released on Metro One Recordings in 2002. The album was produced by Jyro Xhan of Mortal and Fold Zandura fame (who also provided programming). Mixed by Steve MacMillan. Strings arranged by Steve Wight.

On most of the tracks (tracks 3 to 5, 7, and 9 to 11) Crystal Lewis is backed by a session band consisting of Shawn Tubbs on guitar, Elijah Thomson on bass, and Frank Lenz on drums and percussion. Producer Jyro Xhan is sitting in on piano on three tracks; 1, 7, and 13. Trombone provided by Chuck Hughes, flugelhorn and trumpet provided by Matt Fronke, and flute, tenor saxophone, and baritone saxophone provided by Greg Riley. Strings and woodwind by Seattle Music.

This is Crystal Lewis’ first release in almost two and a half years and like Amy Grant last year she has opted to record a collection of familiar and well known hymns. Songs that Crystal herself describes as, “part of our heritage … part of the history of Christian music.” And as she also says, “don’t be surprised if your parents or grand parents say … ‘that’s not the way we used to do that song…’” Indeed, some of the songs here are very different from how you will remember them, sometimes this is a positive thing and in other cases it’s not so positive. For example «O’ Happy Day» sounds like it could be the opening number to a tacky Vegas musical whilst «His Eye Is On The Sparrow» is just unrecognisable. Meanwhile «When The Roll Is Called Up Yonder» (complete with gospel choir) is truly incredible and not to be missed. Overall unless you are a strict traditionalist I think you will find the changes to be for the better and there can be no doubt that throughout it all Crystal Lewis’ smooth Anastasia-like vocals remain sheer class. So has it been worth the two and half year wait? If you wanted to hear some new stuff then probably not. But, is it worth £14.99 of your hard-earned cash? Definitely yes! [Philip Croft, Cross Rhythms, May 2003]

A native chief would say he heard
A voice like wings on flying bird;
So gentle yet, like buffalo herd
Billowing, vibrant with each word
So crystal clear
And soft as fur
She takes a hymn and make it hers
‘Sings of the sinner’s sins, all purged
As minds ignite and spirits surge

Holy, Holy, Holy is redolent of the singularly unique communion that native Americans share with nature. Much underrated as a songwriter, the late John Denver articulated a similar sentiment, but failed to offer a word of praise to the creator of the wondrous creation he so aptly treasured. Rich Mullins took the art of treasuring nature to a whole new level by paying tribute to nature while wholeheartedly honoring the creator with a plethora of deftly arranged, matchlessly majestic anthems. Rich is in heaven, enjoying all of the riches in heaven while musicians here are still reaching up to capture some of those treasures, to rise to his level, but some things are simply unreachable. Crystal Lewis is no Rich Mullins. She never will be. Nobody else is or will ever be either, for that matter. But in Holy, Holy, Holy, Lewis unites nature with the preternatural, while paying tribute to her musical heritage. In the process, she proves to be a force majeure.
In this timely treasure, Crystal Lewis’ is sure to turn every critic to a capitulating poet and every listener to a surrendering servant of her song. She is not only the designated driver of this classic vehicle of praise and worship, she played an active role in the arrangement of each number. She takes each hymn and makes it hers, adding a slow-burning fire to simple, yet simply powerful and elegant words. Disappointingly enough, the title track, which introduces this 13-song prayer of poignant praise, is not the spark that gets the fire going. Lewis puts this traditional hymn into a state of sleepy slumber with a dispassionate new age treatment. The words cry out for a bolder, briskly ebullient interpretation, more elan in the song and less ennui and ease. More spice in the pastrami, please. A string section threatens to wake the song up half way through its weary wayfaring, but instead, it simply puts the song deeper into slumber.

“His Eye is on the Sparrow” offers more than meets the eye and flies higher than an eagle. Like the title track, it contains a hint of new age rendering, but with more of a jazzy, soulful feel. This blanket of soulful sound leaves more room for her voice to work its mollifying magic, echoing with a digital delay that brings it up to speed with modern-day musical haute couture.

“Wisdom of Tenderness” is an original, intimate portrait of a divine and deeply personal spiritual relationship. It was inspired by the new book of the same title by Brennan Manning, a book about love that has had a profound impact on the life of Crystal Lewis. It is a graceful glimpse at the glory of daily devotion.

If you’ve ever loved Jesus before, “O How I Love Jesus” will make you fall in love with Him all over again. If you’ve never loved Jesus, it will take all of your defenses to keep you from loving Him now. A vibrantly orchestrated, supremely executed song of devotion that contains the Lewis vocal signature. Lewis gently but boldly grabs the wheel. “O How I Love Jesus” is offered as one part of a medley that also incorporates a similarly simple classic, “Jesus Loves Me.” While it strays slightly from the original melody, offering a generous sprinkling of jazzy horns, and sprightly rhythm, it retains its original sentiment and is as every bit as uplifting as it is innocent. The original melody, is still more memorable than this version, but O how I love this version too. This is clearly one of the best songs in the collection. If “O How I Love Jesus” is a radiant beam of sunlight that reaches down and grabs the listener, “Great is thy Faithfulness” is a reflective row of praise plants in a garden of gratefulness. When Crystal sings “Summer and winter, and springtime and harvest,” you can almost feel the seasons changing. Lewis’ arrangement of this heavenly hymn is strikingly intimate, earnestly prayerful, and remains faithful to the melody in its original arrangement.

Though the old cliche still rings true, “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make ’em drink,” there is a fountain makes me want to get drunk on living water, while plunging in head first. Lewis gently leads the sinner to the fountain that flows with “Immanuel’s blood.” Every pastor with a decided predilection towards hell, fire and brimstone will think twice about driving sinners to the altar after hearing Lewis’ rendition of this classic. I’ve been teaching classes on the psychology of motivation and the psychology of music long enough to recognize that a carrot grown from this garden is much more effective than a stick.

But wait, it gets better. “When the Roll is called up Yonder” introduces a curious, disco treatment and mixes it with old-fashioned blues rock and gospel. If you are old enough or retro enough to have danced to “Saturday Night Fever,” it is time to wake up to some Sunday morning fever. Though I am retro enough to appreciate such Bee Gees classics as “It’s Only Words,” “Jive Talkin’,” “Night Fever,” “Fannie Be Tender” and “How Deep is Your Love,” their music doesn’t reach this deep. Lewis’ voice is absolutely electrifying on this playful song as it is on “O’ Happy Day,” another treasured treatment.

I could go on, but I don’t want to give away the plot. I would just like to conclude by saying this: When Crystal Lewis arranges a tune to provide lots of room for her vocal extemporizing, she comes alive with warmth, zest, clarity and depth. With Holy, Holy, Holy she provides plenty of space, but it is never enough. The more she lets go, the more she lets God flow. Psychologists have often been depicted as psychological voyeurs. I hope I am a psychological and spiritual warrior, not simply a psychological voyeur. Though I study Freud, and many other founding fathers of my field, I would not want to be like any of them as much as I want to be like my father in heaven. Like the song Lewis shares towards the end of this musical journey, “I Want to Be Like Jesus,” I too, want to be more like the King, (and I don’t mean Elvis). You don’t have to be a psychological voyeur to be gratified by a singer such as Lewis, who bares her soul through a simple song. Anyone who wishes to be transported above and beyond the confines of this mortal existence will invariably be gratified by such a powerful display of spiritual vulnerability. [Dr. Bruce L. Thiessen, a.k.a. The Rock Doc, The Phantom Tollbooth, 2003]

> iTunes (https://music.apple.com/us/album/holy-holy-holy/1608214457)

CD tracklist:

01. Holy, Holy, Holy
02. His Eye Is On The Sparrow
03. Wisdom Of Tenderness
04. O’ Happy Day
05. O’ How I Love Jesus
06. Great Is Thy Faithfulness
07. Holy, Holy, Holy (Part 2)
08. There Is A Fountain
09. When The Roll Is Called Up Yonder
10. Jesus Paid It All
11. I Want To Be Like Jesus (Medley)
12. Were You There
13. Holy, Holy, Holy (Part 3)

Note: The album was also released as a Spanish edition, entitled Santo, Santo, Santo.

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[youtube_sc url=”” playlist=”cGDXus_KmAs,2_yY93TuOOE,A1CP8M8Tg4s,6TXWqym0z3E,TPyZJ1-rURQ,dD0jgKprEdk,PnTcrr6vMQU,7hvvYh1PQTI,NqyAdEf3pcE,lMa7Rja1EOc,8cDD4VdtHYY,OIEnweYn8Eo,” title=”Crystal Lewis, Santos, Santos, Santos – ” autohide=”1″ rel=”0″]Santos, Santos, Santos (Spanish Version)