Epiphany Project

Epiphany Project's self-titled debut album combines ethereal vocals with a deep interest in subject matter.

On the surface it seems almost like historical romance for the ears. Fortunately, pianist John Hodin and vocalist Bet Williams were able to drive far beyond the limitations that label implies.

A quick scan of the lyrics to Lockerbie, a song written in memory of terrorist bombing victims, boded ill for the CD.

The night was cold the air was still
The town stood peaceful on a hill
While far away a trouble stirred Then from the sky a thunder sound
sent metal crashing to the ground.

I read that on he cover, sighed heavily and prepared for the worst. Instead, I was amazed. Williams manages to overcome patently wooden and almost childlike lyrics by infusing her voice with incredible levels of emotion and sincerity. I came away liking the song in spite of myself.

The Long Grey Line is just as sentimental. Williams wrote it for her grandfather and other West Point graduates. Again, the lyrics are frightening simple and almost trite when read. However, when backed by music and William's incredible, soaring vocals, the song has an emotional impact which is much greater than the sum of its parts.

Widow's Walk, the tale of a sea captain who goes down with his ship and the wife who mourns him flows along the same lines, jerking a tear in spite of my stone-faced determination not to let it.

And so it goes. Each song on the album brings a new surprise and another reason to like Epiphany Project itself. Two of the nicer surprises on the CD are Tubwahun and Goth. The first is an arrangement of the Biblical Beatitudes, sung ancient Aramaic. Goth is even more impressive. Williams sings the Latin Mass on 72 overdubbed tracks, giving her already awe-inspiring voice the eerie illusion of being an entire choir of monks.

In all, there are 15 tracks on the CD and I couldn't think of one that could be easily skipped over. The last, Waltz of the Winds, is unlisted, so let your CD player run after you think the album is done. You'll be rewarded by an interesting piece which has been recorded to sound as if it were playing on an old Victrola. For a moment, I thought they'd put a Kate Bush track on the album by mistake.

Epiphany Project is available from Amazon.com.