Gift of Song

Gift of Song
Studio album by Judith Durham
Released	15 February 1970
Studio	Western Recorders, Hollywood, California
Genre	Folk, pop
Label	A&M
Producer	Chad Stewart
Judith Durham chronology
For Christmas with Love (1968) Gift of Song (1970) Climb Ev’ry Mountain (1971)
Alternative cover
Australian 1973 re-release

Gift of Song is the second studio album released in 1970 by Australian recording artist Judith Durham.

The album was re-released in 1973 and again on CD and digitally in 2012.[1][2]

The album produced the singles, "The Light Is Dark Enough"/"Wanderlove" which was released in January 1970[3] and "Take Care of My Brother".

Reception

Richie Unterberger from AllMusic gave the album 3 out of 5 saying "This seems to be A&M's (unsuccessful) attempt to break ex-Seeker Judith Durham into the American pop market. Not much of The Seekers' folk-pop is left on this heavily, though tastefully, orchestrated production. Durham and her handlers seem to be aiming for a Judy Collins-like Baroque-folk on many cuts, and (in other parallel with Collins) some theatrical art song-informed songs. Durham's voice is not as good or expressive as Collins', and her material isn't as stellar either. For all that, this isn't a bad record, particularly when it does get into its most melancholy classical-Baroque arrangements on "Wanderlove," "There's a Baby," and similar numbers. A couple of Mason Williams songs, "Wanderlove" and "Here Am I," are among the better offerings, and there's also a relatively little-known Harry Nilsson song, "Wailing of the Willow"."[4]

Track listing

LP/ Cassette

1. "Wanderlove" (Mason Williams) - 2:35
2. "I Wish I Knew" (Roger Nichols, Hal Levy) - 2:50
3. "There's a Baby" (Alan Bernstein, Vic Millrose) - 2:52
4. "That's How My Love Is" (Clive Westlake) - 3:10
5. "I Can Say" (David Reilly) - 3:38
6. "Gift of Song" (Patti Ingalls) - 3:08
7. "Wailing of the Willow" (Harry Nilsson) - 2:29
8. "The Light Is Dark Enough" (Jean Maitland, Richard Kerr) - 2:39
9. "Take Care of My Brother" (Art Podell) - 3:00
10. "God Bless the Child" (Arthur Herzog, Jr., Billie Holiday) - 2:49
11. "Here Am I" (Mason Williams) - 2:33

Personnel

• Judith Durham - vocals
• Steve LeFever - bass
• Hal Blaine - drums
• Richard Clements - arrangements
• Erno Neufeld - concertmaster

Technical

• Mike Shields - engineer
• Tom Wilkes - art direction
• Jim McCrary - photography

External links

• "Gift of Song" at discogs.com

References

1. "Gift of Song by Judith Durham". Sanity. Retrieved 11 September 2016.
2. "Gift of Song". iTunes Australia. Retrieved 17 September 2016.
3. "Judith Durham singles". Judith Durham UK. Retrieved 17 September 2016.
4. "Gift Of Song". AllMusic. Retrieved 17 September 2016.