The success of the Fron Male Voice Choir’s debut album, Voices of the Valley, was so vast that a follow up was inevitable. Voices of the Valley Encore is actually much more than a lazy cash-in from the world’s oldest boy-band (ages range from 16 to 60). Timed to coincide with the choir’s 60th anniversary, the project features erudite direction from Ann Atkinson and instrumental accompaniments from Jon Cohen, and the "boys" once again get to sing their way through a heady mix of pop standards ("Yesterday"), hymns ("Amazing Grace") and even a splash of opera ("Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves" from Verdi’s Nabucco). There’s also some filmic material ("Exodus") and a rousing West-End style finale in the shape of "The Rhythm of Life," featuring Michael Ball. It’s an encore worthy of an ovation. --Danny McKenna
Second album from Welsh male voice choir. A masterclass in choral singing that will blow away fans of the genre, this album does for male voice choirs what Paul Potts did for opera. Includes the tracks 'Yesterday', 'Bridge Over Troubled Water' and 'Amazing Grace'.

Customer Rating:
Summary: poor
Comment: This could be any reasonably competent male voice choir. I WAS VERY DIASAPPOINTED WITH IT. It did not have the depth and resonance and passion of a 'proper' Welsh male voice choir like Treorchy.
It seems like a sanitised version.
Nowhere near good enough!!!

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Customer Rating:
Summary: OK as aural wallpaper
Comment: Sorry but this just doesn't sound right. I bought the disc for the choir but the backing is too intrusive.
I'll play it from time to time but there are better recordings. There's too much commerce in this one, not enough passion.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Comment: I loved the first CD, but think this is very disappointing in comparison. The life and the passion of the first one seems lacking. There's too much emphasis on the backing and arrangements, and that then completely overshadows the choir. I personally think that the boys' voices don't need all that complicated background stuff at all. For me, it was boring, and completely unmoving, and definitely didn't showcase their wonderful voices.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Welsh Choirs
Comment: I bought this purely from the TV advertisement. I'm sorry but I find this choir tame and insipid. I've some great CDs in my collection with magnificent Welsh choirs raising the hairs on the back of my neck. Some of these choirs leave me emotionally uplifted. Not so with Voices from the Valley. To paraphrase a famous Irish rugby captain "Where's your ******* pride and emotion"?

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Welsh Voices
Comment: I bought this album because I enjoyed the first one so much which is everything you would expect of lovely Welsh voices, however I found that this Encore, although it has a good selection of songs and sounds like a good choir, unlike the first, it did not live up to my expectations of a great Welsh Male Voice Choir second time around. It is worth buying for easy listening.

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