Jacob Heilbrunn wrote expansively on Lifeline Quartet’s recent release “Music of the Underground Railroad” after hearing the new 180 Gram 45RPM release on vinyl. He describes the African American spirituals escaping slaves used as Code Songs before and during the Civil War. Heilbrunn writes “Yarlung Records’ new album Lifeline thus arrives at an opportune moment.”
“The vocal authority of the Lifeline quartet is gripping. They achieve a kind of transcendent musicality as they pour their hearts into these affecting songs….”
“It would be hard to imagine these songs being performed at a higher level than they are on this recording. The sound quality, it almost goes without saying, is gobsmacking. Yarlung, which is based in Los Angeles, is a small label that goes to fanatical lengths to ensure that the performers it records are displayed at their best. Attiyeh is able to draw on the abundant top-notch engineering talent in the LA area and to employ analog tape and tube microphones, among other things, to attain sonic heights that are attained by few other recording outfits. There is a felicitous character to the sound that is almost as captivating as the songs themselves. I don’t urge you to listen to them; I implore you.”
Please visit The Spectator for the eminent Jacob Heilbrunn’s full article.
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Many thanks to Mr. Heilbrunn and the superb talents of Lifeline Quartet: Michelle, Quinton, Robbie and Mike, and to executive producers Craig & Diane Martin, Segerstrom Center for the Arts and Arian Jansen, for making this recording possible.