Navona Records presents The Crossing's release of choral music from Gavin Bryars's A Native Hill. With intimate knowledge of the individual voices and art of each singer, Bryars composed this work to capitalize on the group’s unique sound, personality, and esprit de corps. A Native Hill is based on American author and environmentalist Wendell Berry’s 1968 essay of the same name, which examines bucolic elements of rural life, suffused with deeper metaphysical and political implications...

Of all of The Crossings releases over the last few years (The Arc in the Sky; Carthage; Evolutionary Spirits; The Tower and the Garden) I have to confess that I found this the blandest. While technically flawless there was little here that touched me on any sort of emotional level. And that's one thing that all of their previous releases have done.

Where's the raw power? The soul? The spirit? While the harmonies on pieces like 'The Music of Streams' are interesting on one level, there seems to be no build, no conclusion and no moment that takes your breath away.

Collector's of choral works and The Crossings body of work will probably find this of interest, but those expecting another emotional rollercoaster of a ride may be a little disappointed.

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Darren Rea