Description
Perennial, sub-titled Songs for the Seasons of Life, is an album by the American singer and songwriter Twila Paris, released on Sparrow Records in 1998, distributed in the US by Chordant Distribution Group. The album was recorded and mixed by Steve Bishir at Sound Emporium in Nashville, Tennessee; with Brown Bannister producing for RBI Productions. Orchestra and choir arranged by Tom Howard.
It takes Twila Paris to make an observation this profound: like flowers, praise songs tend to be either annuals or perennials; some are for only a brief season, while others return year after year.
‘Perennial’ is best understood as the follow-up to Paris’ 1991 Dove Award-winning ‘Sanctuary‘. Unlike that work, this recording is a mixed garden of timeless hymns and her own worship songs. ‘Perennial’ is primarily an acoustic project, though it’s freely landscaped with lush orchestrations and rich keyboard flourishes. With the help of master gardeners Brown Bannister and Tom Howard, Paris has pruned and grafted ‘Perennial’ into a very beautiful and satisfying worship recording.
The 16-year veteran’s thin, yet mature voice is in rare form here, as at ease in the Irish «Be Thou My Vision» as in the ethereal, Enya-esque ballad «We Seek His Face». Harmonies from Union Station’s Dan Tyminski give «Faithful Men» an Emmylou Harris touch, while a boys’ choir emerges from the shadows – stunningly – on «Father, We are Here». «Fountain of Grace» is a bouquet that would fit the vases of many worship teams. The hymns here are nothing short of celestial. Each is a unique labor of love, with clichés skillfully weeded out. Robinson’s «Come Thou Fount» emerges as a melodious sonnet, fit for any flaming tongue.
The only thing to dislike about ‘Perennial’ is its brevity. At 42 minutes, the park kept closing just about the time I was stopping to smell the roses. [Phil Christensen, CCM, April 1998]
> Apple Music (https://music.apple.com/us/album/perennial-songs-for-the-seasons-of-life/724253833)
CD tracklist:
01. We Seek His Face – 5:47
02. Father, We Are Here – 3:10
03. Come, Thou Fount Of Every Blessing – 4:05
04. Faithful Men – 3:13
05. Be Thou My Vision – 3:08
06. Amazing Grace – 4:51
07. Come, Thou Fount (Reprise) – 1:31
08. Fountain Of Grace – 3:28
09. When The Roll Is Called Up Yonder – 4:32
10. My Lips Will Praise You – 4:04
11. Perennial – 4:31
Note: Simultaneously released on cassette and CD by Sparrow Records.
A full-page advertisement for World Vision, supported by Twila Paris, was featured in the May 1998 issue of CCM Magazine.
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