Gift of Song | ||||||||||
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Studio album by Judith Durham | ||||||||||
Released | 15 February 1970 | |||||||||
Recorded | Western Recorders | |||||||||
Genre | Folk music , World music, Country music | |||||||||
Label | A&M Records | |||||||||
Producer | Chad Stuart | |||||||||
Judith Durham chronology | ||||||||||
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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.
The album produced the singles, "The Light Is Dark Enough"/"Wanderlove" which was released in January 1970 and "Take Care of My Brother".
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"."