Sing to the Lord a New Song

Today’s Wall Street Journal profiles “The Priests”, a trio of priests from Northern Ireland that is releasing an album of sacred vocal music with Sony BMG later this month:

. . . they’ve been navigating an unusual path between piety and pop culture. With the help of Radiohead’s string arranger and a producer who’s worked with U2, the group recorded an album of hymns sung in close harmony and a traditional liturgical style. In an unusually large launch for an unknown act, “The Priests” will be released this month by various Sony labels in more than thirty countries, including the United States on Nov. 18th.

The group will also appear in a televised concert on PBS beginning on November 29th. The group sounds like a welcome alternative to the watered-down pop Christmas albums many record labels start pushing at this time of year.