As One

Jos Milton provides first-rate accounts of all of the featured repertoire. The timbre of Milton’s lyric tenor voice reminds me a bit of Peter Pears. And Milton shares his predecessor’s sensitivity to both the music and text, all delivered with admirably clear diction. Milton sings with great affection for the material, calling upon a breadth of colors and dynamics that enhance his grasp of the narrative.…Milton’s lyric tenor is not quite equal to the test. But overall, this is art song performance of a very high level indeed. Pianist Melinda Coffey Armstead is a superb collaborator, playing with great sensitivity and tonal beauty. The recorded sound is first-rate. The booklet includes composer bios and program notes for each featured work. Song texts are also included. Recommended.

The tenor Jos Milton and pianist Melinda Coffey Armstead come together here and interpret the works of Robert Owens, Ned Rorem, Zachary Wadsworth, Srul Irving Glick, and Libby Larsen as they celebrate the human connection to the earth across this very artistic affair. “Silver Rain, Op. 11” starts the listen with Milton’s powerful pipes alongside Armstead’s mature and emotive keys, and it makes for a very absorbing 7 movements, and “Youth, Day, Old Age, And Night” follows with the soaring vocals and gentle piano emitting a very poetic quality. In the middle, “The Place For No Story” showcases Milton’s diverse range amid the dreamy, stirring progressions from Armstead, while “Two Landscapes For Tenor And Piano” is full of intimate and reflective song craft that is quite bare and pretty. “My Antonia” exits the listen, and it’s packed with bright and upbeat moments, as well as rumbling bouts of vivid storytelling. The chemistry between the players is quite evident early on in the listen, as they illuminate these works with a very focused and memorable delivery that warrants repeated listens.

Several years ago, tenor Jos Milton earned a rapturous review in this column with his recording Southerly, a captivating collection of songs that all emanated from or were associated in some way with the Deep South and its culture. The disk was lovingly conceived and executed with relentless attention to detail, but what truly set it apart was the sense of deeply per­sonal connection between singer and repertoire. It is not that someone from other parts of the country couldn't or shouldn't venture to sing these songs and sing them very well. Rather, it was a case of Milton's background, experi­ence, and understanding of southern culture that allowed him to achieve an exceptional sort of authenticity with the project. It remains one of the finest song recordings to be released in the last twenty-five years. Milton's latest release.As One, is not quite as profoundly personal a project as Southerly, but it is no less compel­ling or impressive.…Milton possesses a sweet, clear voice that he deploys with assurance and musicality. There is a clarity and authenticity to his singing that calls o mind the best singing of the great Peter Pears. In particular, Milton has an uncanny way to making every song sound as though it were conceived for him right from the start. That kind of artistic ownership is the hall- mark of truly great singing. PIanist Melinda Coffey Armstead is a superb collaborator, meeting the considerable challenges of these songs with unruffled certainty and finding seamless sync with Milton. They are a marvelous team…