THE PSALMS PROJECT Selections Across Themes and Languages

This is a strange but not unpleasant collection. It launches immediately into Psalm 23, without any preamble or context. It includes 16 psalms read by a number of different voices. All 16 are read in English (in the New Revised Standard Version translation); 10 are also read in second languages. All readings are accompanied by gentle acoustic guitar music in the background. The music does not change to match the content of the specific verses, and sometimes doesn't fit. The readers are sometimes skilled and sometimes struggle with the English, delivering their verses haltingly but with love and an almost fierce dedication. The resultant mix is, well, a mix--it seems part cultural sampler and part an offering born of love. G.T.B. © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine [Published: DEC 07/ JAN 08]