CD Review | The Robbie Songs Project (Leaf Music, 2023)

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The Robbie Songs Project
Robbie Smith, composer; various choirs and choral composers
Leaf Music, 2023

The Robbie Songs Project is a beautiful homage to the late Robbie Smith, a Nova Scotian songwriting legend and member of the folk duo Naming the Twins. The album includes 17 tracks arranged for choir by a range of talented Canadian composers, and performed by members of many of the province’s top choirs.

The venue in which the album was recorded offers a considerable amount of reverb, which elevates the works. The piano benefits most; its resonance invites the choir to give it their all, and really fill the room with their voices. Though melody and harmony are clear, text is sometimes difficult to make out, as a result of this acoustic. Combined with the low, constant white noise heard throughout the live recording, the album presents a few minor technical issues as a result of the space—forgivable, on account of its wonderful reverb.

This amplification doesn’t stop the basses and sopranos from producing unique sounds, as is best heard in Sea Fever. The same can be said of Spanish Fisherman, Shipyard, and Skippers & Mates, all of which invite the lower voices to establish the lively call and response structure of the shanties. The latter features rhythmic clapping and stomping that’s controlled enough to not overpower the singers. This balance is not maintained across the board though, as indicated by the drowned-out singing of Let’s Have Some Music. Gullwind and Lay Down Your Weapons stand out for how well the sopranos project their voices, and for how effortlessly the pianist adapts to a more dynamic melody.