The Dawn of Grace

The return of Sixpence Non The Richer

The American pop rock band Sixpence Non The Richer was formed by the vocalist Leigh Nash and guitarist Matt Slocum in 1992. The artists were acquainted in a church and decided to create their own project. The first result of their cooperation was the disc The Fatherless And The Widow and it saw light two years after the formation of the band. It immediately caught the attention of the critics. Nash and Slocum enlarged the group’s lineup up to five members and recorded the album This Beautiful Mess. In 1997, their eponymous long-play was released. It was propelled by the worldwide hit Kiss Me, which is featured in the soundtrack of the teenage comedy She’s All That. The artists were ready for the new creations, having recorded enough material for the new album. However, the disc was delayed for several years due to the problems on the label Squint Entertainment, which was on the brink of dissolution. Finally, the studio released the album titled Divine Discontent only in 2002. In February 2004, Matt Slocum officially reported the disbanding of Sixpence Non The Richer. During several years, Leigh Nash was busy with her solo career and recorded two albums. Slocum also gathered a new project and got fully involved with it. Surprisingly, in November 2007, the artists decided to re-unite and re-form Sixpence Non The Richer to the inexpressible gladness of the fans. Soon they came into the studio in order to record a new full-length, which was signed to symbolize their comeback. This disc is the Christmas album The Dawn Of Grace.

The new reading of the classical songs on The Dawn Of Grace

It is no secret that two leaders of the band - Matt Slocum and Leigh Nash - describe the creativity of their collective as the Christian rock. Their new disc became not only the up-to-date event for the pre-Christmas period, but also an excellent way for the artists to demonstrate their belief. Nevertheless, the last work by the collective differs greatly from the standard Christmas carol albums. The disc opens with the famous Angels We Have Heard On High, decorated with the rich, colorful vocals by Nash. The melody The Last Christmas also is perfect in its vocal interpretation, wrapped in the minimalistic acoustic arrangement, masterfully elaborated by Slocum. The track O Come, O Come Emmanuel strikes with its triumphant sound - even taking in consideration the fact that it is sung to a mere acoustic guitar, while the acoustic carol Silent Night became an original duet by Nash and Dan Haseltine from Jars Of Clay. Nash charmingly performed the song Riu Riu Chiu, which is a traditional Christmas carol in Spain, in its native language. The miniature track Carol Of The Bells, which comes from the Ukraine, became one more classical Christmas song, which was interpreted by Sixpence Non The Richer in an unusual way. The song River, written by Joni Mitchell, is the saddest and soul-grabbing track on the album, Nash’s emotional voice made it strikingly piercing. The long-play finishes with two Christmas songs, written by the artists - the fascinating Christmas For Two and mysterious, inspired Some Children See Him.

The universal Christmas gift

The disc The Dawn Of Grace is not merely the long-awaited return of the band Sixpence Non The Richer, but also an extremely original Christmas edition. Its uniqueness is found in the fact that traditional celebratory songs got a new, absolutely unexpected reading, which makes the new standard for the Christmas discs. There is a great possibility that eventually The Dawn Of Grace would become the classics for the long-plays of such type, but for now it has the noble calling of innovative record. Surely, it is the most universal Christmas gift that anyone could ever imagine. The reason is that the album The Dawn Of Grace would be a great present for the long-time Sixpence Non The Richer fans and those, who want to make the home atmosphere more lyrical and worm. Moreover, the disc is sure to fascinate both those, who love the qualitative acoustic music, and those, who are fond of beautiful female vocals. The album The Dawn Of Grace is only the first release by the collective after its resurrection - as right now, Leigh and Matt work over the new studio issue by Sixpence Non The Richer. Taking in consideration the creative potential of the band, their amazing ability to record one excellent album after the other and wonderful party atmosphere of The Dawn Of Grace, the follow-up be the group is doomed to success.