I’ve been an enthusiastic fan of First Call for years. This contemporary Christian mixed trio isn’t an a cappella group per se, but they’ve done some great, highly acclaimed a cappella albums.

Evening in December Vol. I and then Vol. II are both a must-have (and they’re on sale now). Great arrangements and performances, with some great guest appearances too! These recordings were made in the ’80’s and weren’t available for some time. Fortunately I already had my copies, but now they’ve been reissued.

They had a major bump in the road a few years ago and hadn’t done a lot as a group since. I recently was overjoyed to hear that the original three just got together and recorded a new a cappella hymns album, Rejoice! It was on sale and I bought it. And now I feel like making some comments on it.

Very nice. It stays pretty true to the First Call a cappella style we’ve come to know and love. And four of the arrangements are by David Maddux, so you know that’s good. Some generous stacks, a few studio tricks, but nothing audacious or over the top. Just a creative, fresh, unique, and appropriate approach to some great songs.

I must be honest about some instrumentation though. There are a few brief instrumental interludes, and there’s a track or two that does have some percussion, but the vocals are pretty hot so I can let that slide.

They do a few tunes from years past in their career, notably “Rejoice.” The new version is pretty close to the original, but it’s just not quite as good. It’s a little more heavy-handed (that can happen when you get stack-happy), not quite as “snappy,” the intro is pure vanilla (compared to the orig.), and the big one — they don’t do the final reset and last high chord! Why? I’m baffled. It had been a fantastic, surprise tag. Now it’s a letdown. So get the 3-track Concert Medley CD for that song.

I also have to mention, they do Chris Rice’s Untitled Hymn (Come to Jesus). This is one of the very few present day CCM songs that I love. What a great song, and they’re the first that I know of to a cappella-tize it. I was going to be, but that dream is dashed. They do a large, lush, warm, choral-ish arrangment (David Maddux), very nice.

I’ll do it someday though.

Overall this is a very good CD. I thought that the days of great a cappella music from First Call were long over and gone, but I happily stand corrected.икони