• Whisper review by Cory C. Engel from CelticChristianTunes.com
• Whisper review by Chris Parks from The Phantom Tollbooth
• Mindy's Revenge review by Cory C. Engel from CelticChristianTunes.com

Whisper

Meditative, quiet, honest, thoughtful.

These are words that come to mind during a serious session with this aptly-titled disc. A few choice picks:

"Shalom": By far the lyrically simplest track, which is its beauty.

Shalom, shalom, peace be with you
Shalom, shalom, my child
Know the Prince of Peace is always by your side
May peace beyond all understanding fill your heart and mind

"Your Love Calls To Me": Enya fans will love this carefree piece; its tympanic percussion, chord progressions, and melody evoke recollections of Enya's "Storms in Africa." It moves along--while remaining consistent with the Whisper's quiet theme, it got my toes tapping.

Through the valley low when I feel so weak
When I'm looking out from the highest peak
When a wise man laughs
When the children sing
Your love calls to me

Whisper's title track is not to be overlooked:

After the wind,
After the earthquake,
After the fire,
There's a gentle Whisper...
...
In the Beginning (All was night)
One Word (The Word is Christ) Broke the silence
And the universe was born and in our dark night (Let there be light)
That One Word (in a still small voice)
Whipers comfort, quieting the storm
So we can face the fire once more

Among Whisper's 15 tracks are several Biblical adaptations: "The Lord's Prayer", "Beatitudes", and "Be Still and Know", as well as inventive new interpretations of some of the "oldies": "All Creatures of our God and King", "Doxology", "Be Thou My Vision", and "It is Well with My Soul". Their unique adaptation of the Welsh lullaby "All Through The Night" adds a nice touch.

Although those looking for a heavy Celtic influence won't find it in Whisper (for the Nilssons have succeeded in creating a "supernatural" sound that can't be tied to any single geographic location), I suspect fans of modern Celtic music will appreciate Whisper's mood. Troy describes their music for newcomers as being like Enya and Enigma; Although I try to shy away from comparing musicians (some think doing so neglects an artist's creativity), I would have to agree somwhat. Don't take that to mean the Nilsson's don't have a sound all their own. Whisper is one of the few recordings I've heard lately that picks a theme, and sticks with it throughout the entire disc.

--Cory C. Engel, CelticChristianTunes.com

In a world where we are surrounded by messages loudly demanding our attention, sometimes the subtle approach is the best way to get it. Genie and Troy Nilsson demonstrate the power of the subtle approach with their aptly-titled album Whisper.

The 16 tracks feature Genie Nilsson's smooth, ethereal vocals layered over synthesizers and guitar effects. These songs are not meant to shake the listener up, emotionally or otherwise. Prior to Whisper, the Nilssons had recorded a series of lullabye CDs called Angels All Around. The response from parents who bought the albums encouraged the Nilssons to record a project for a more mature audience. Whisper combines several remixes of songs from the Angels All Around series with some newer material.

The music is of a style that might be labelled "ambient" or even "new age," though the latter is a label the Nilssons shun, preferring their own label, "heaven music." For the most part, the instruments create atmosphere by layering sounds rather than playing particular rhythms or musical phrases. The tempos are pretty slow, with the title track being the most notable exception. The songs focus more on sound than words: several songs contain very little in the way of lyrics, yet the shortest track on the album runs 3:36.

As songwriters, the Nilssons are content to rely on traditional lyrics rather than break new ground. The strongest songs on the album are taken from Scripture or traditional hymns: the settings of "All Creatures of Our God and King" and "Be Thou My Vision" are two of the better songs on the album. Indeed, the songs in which the Nilssons attempt to paraphrase rather than quote are not as strong. "I Am So Small," for example, has its roots in Psalm 8 and its heart in the right place, but seems to imply that God has a humanlike limit on His attention span.

Clearly these songs are meant to comfort, rather than challenge, the listener. The atmosphere created by the music is nice and serene. The lyrics are familiar and reassuring. Troy and Genie Nilsson's "heaven music" makes for a fine end-of-the-day, relax-and-unwind kind of album.

Rated 3 out of 5

--Review by Chris Parks from The Phantom Tollbooth, republished with permission

Mindy's Revenge

"The Humbling" is one of 20 "killer cuts" on Mindy's Revenge, a new artist sampler from Word.

By far the "killerest" cut on the CD, "The Humbling" has a rhythm that won't stop. Easily the most Celtic-influenced music of the Nilsson's I've heard. Pick up a copy of this CD, especially if you like your music with a bit of an edge. The Nilssons appear on Mindy's Revenge under the name Sacred Sky.