Bryars: Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me Yet - Spiritual Music for Meditation, Worship & Relaxation

I took a chance on Gavin Bryars a couple of years back when I purchased a copy of his "The Sinking of the Titanic" and was pleasantly surprised at just how satisfying his minimalist approach to composition could be. Then recently,while scanning the Tom Waits section of an on line catalog, I came across an entry for "Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me Yet" and was immediately intrigued. I read the reviews and found the descriptions of what Bryars had done with a continuous loop of a little snippet of a lone voice singing a religious song. I became even more interested. Added to that was the fact that Tom Waits,one of my favorite people,was a part of this production and it wasn't long before I put in an order for a copy of this musical piece.As the five stars would indicate I was not disappointed. At once I was captivated by the beauty of the heart felt and simple song that The Tramp was singing. It spoke volumes on the faith and comfort that this individual took in his relationship with Jesus. Whether onr shares his faith or not you could not help but be touched by the tranquility and hope that came through in his voice.Now, how to keep this feeling fresh and alive for 74 minutes?Bryars achieves this admirably with the simple and elegant accompaniment supplied by an orchestra that is coupled in various movements by a string quartet, low strings, full strings and finally culminating with Tom Waits joining The Tramp on vocals,with full orchestra, in the 5th movement.It is topped off with a coda featuring Tom Waits on vocals with high strings.By the time the piece was finished I felt thoroughly at peace. This piece is not something you could listen to without fully devoting yourself to the time it takes but it is well worth the time. Enter this musical landscape with an open mind and an open heart.