Harmonies and stylistics
I admit it: this is less a review and more of a compulsion to weigh in on the debate, as both a performer of early music and a longtime shapenote singer.

First of all, this is Anonymous 4, and these women are much to polished and professional to do anything less than magnificent. That being said, this is Anonymous 4, and they worked for years on perfecting their sound and in particular the blend of their four voices. They cannot be expected to sound like four random singers at a Sacred Harp convention, where anyone and everyone is welcome. Those who have said that this sacred music is for everyone are right: it is for everyone, back porch singers and trained professional alike. Anonymous 4 just happens to fall into the latter group. To say that this music only belongs to "common folk" (if you define that as people of little or no vocal training) is just ludicrous. That being said, A4 does have fun with the music. They know they're not singing chants and motets, so they alter the style of their singing, but within the boundaries of how their voices blend best. So are their scoops and slides too much or too little? That's a call that each individual listener will have to make. (Though I've heard back country shapenote singers do a lot more embellishment than what these ladies do!)

Second, in response to the critiques about harmony: that's exactly what shapenote singing is. What's more, this music was traditionally written with the melody in the tenor, not the soprano (which is what we are more used to). So yes, the melody is going to get buried until your ears get used to hearing the melody in the middle of the vocal parts rather than on top. That's not getting carried away with harmonic acrobatics: that's singing the music as it was written.

Finally, as to my rating, I base the 5 stars on how well this ensemble accomplished what they set out to do: supremely well, as always. Is it a CD I listen to everyday? Honestly I don't often listen to any of the A4 CDs I have, simply because I'm not often in the mood for chant! (I will say that I listen to American Angels more than any other A4 CD I own.) But when I do want this kind of music, there's nobody better!

spiritual americana
I have some of the older Anonymous 4 recordings which are more medieval
and gregorian in style (I love them!). They move on to cover spiritual
basics of the 1800s. If you like classical music, perfect harmonies
and spiritual americina, then you will be blessed!

Rich Heritage
Anonymous 4 consistently produces exquisite and authentically beautiful recordings and this one presents early American hymns in ways few groups can manage. Some tunes are highly recognizable while others are 'new' to me but a refreshing reminder of the singing heritage of religious societies in times past. For those who enjoy old hymns and authentic renderings, this is a must buy.

Superb
This collection of American Christian music is not only an enthralling musical experience but a spiritually uplifting one as well. Anonymous Four have transferred their luminous vocal quality to a new space with perfect success.

Can't walk away from it!
My only "complaint" about the CD is that I absolutely HAVE to sit and listen to the entire thing whenever I start it up! I usually have music playing in the background while doing other things, but not this one! There are no tracks that I find myself wanting to skip over as in most collections. In fact, I usually find myself going back and listening to selected tracks again (and again and...) after taking the hour+ to listen to the whole thing through once.

These four ladies produce a unique and remarkable sound. I can't recommend it enough.