This unusual Christmas disc made it to the initial ballot for the Grammys last year, and it is indeed a delight.  Julie moderates her vocal approach to a variety of styles, always successfully.  For the opening track, an Irish traditional carol, she drops to the lower register, but with a congenial folk-song style rather than an operatic chest voice (or the searching around for pitch that I often hear in a supposed folk-song style).  In the upper register, she has a lovely crystalline sound.  The selections run from plainchant and a  16th century Noël, through traditional carols and folk material, to some worthy contemporary selections.  In addition to the superb harpist Eric Sabatino, she is also supported by a second soprano, a counter-tenor, a string quartet, flutes, percussion, handbells, organ, and piano (the last three played by AAM member Gary Davison, who also produced the recording and made many of the arrangements).

Many of us have used Richard Wayne Dirksen's compelling "A Child My Choice" (text by the 16th century poet Robert Southwell) in its SATB arrangement, but the arrangement here for solo voice with string trio (made with the composer's blessing) has a charm all of its own.

The liner provides texts of those pieces not sung in English, as well as the Southwell poem.  Julie's diction, not incidentally, is as excellent in French and German as it is in English, though all I can claim for her Polish is that it sounds convincing!
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Many Christmas vocal albums rely on big- time bells and whistles for impact: solo singers with voices like trucks in high gear, mixed choir, a children’s chorus squealing away, orchestra and organ, and a brass quintet as the rather overwhelming cherry atop the pie. Keim , a Santa Fe native and former Santa Fe Desert Chorale singer, takes a refreshingly different approach on this studio recording, her second. (The first, the jazzy Only Yesterday, 
  was nominated for three Grammy Awards in 2004). The repertoire is intimate in terms of arrangements and performances, and the supporting musicians are top-flight: harpist Eric Sabatino, soprano Margaret Neil, countertenor Roger Isaacs, flutist and percussionist J. Gabriel Stone, a string quartet, and Keim ’s husband, the insightful organist, composer, and pianist Gary Davison. As a group, they solidly support Keim ’s bell- like soprano, precise diction, and warm communicative skills, and the results are rewarding. I especially liked Keim ’s floating ease in Adolphe Adam’s “Cantique de Noël” (known in English as “O Holy Night”); her heartfelt ardor in Max Reger’s “Mariä Wiegenlied,” warmly accompanied by Davison; and the rich-hued Michael Praetorius carol “Es ist ein’ Ros’ entsprungen” with Sabatino and Isaacs. In Davison’s exuberant choral medley “A Carol Garland,” Keim soars over the other voices and instruments like a cloud playing in high soprano register. I admit it was also nice to hear that almost creaky classic by Pietro A. Yon, “Gesù Bambino,” so prettily sung, and Paul Manz’s “E’en So, Lord Jesus, Quickly Come” in such a fervent sopranoand- harp arrangement. Instrumentally, Sabatino delivers a sensitive performance of the “ Interlude” from Britten’s 
 A Ceremony of Carols, and Davison perkily plays a “Vom Himmel hoch” organ chorale setting by Johann Bernhard Bach (Johann Sebastian Bach’s second cousin) on a notably happy- sounding positive organ by the Canadian builder Karl Wilhelm. One caveat: I wish this recording had been made in a larger and more naturally resonant space. Sometimes, the reverberation sounds artificial, and there are occasional sharp or flat edges in Keim ’s intonation — just the natural fluctuation that a voice experiences — that a more expansive acoustic would have blended better. — C.S.
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I purchased the CD, “A Child My Choice,” through www.cdbaby.com. I have enjoyed listening to it over the last two weeks.  It is an interesting blend of pieces, all well crafted and presented.  The musicianship is excellent all around, with meticulous attention to detail. I plan to order several as Christmas gifts.  Wow, the CD cover photograph of Ms Keim is stunning!
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So elegant, lovely, and exquisite, Julie Keim's A Child My Choice is a classical beauty. Although I sometimes shun sopranos as too shrill, Keim wins me over with her supple and warm, yet oh-so-precise instrument. Her excellent singing is perfectly framed by minimal accompaniment, primarily the harp (Eric Sabatino). 

This refined offering presents a full hour of gracefully-executed holiday fare. The album opens extremely well with The darkest midnight in December, an Irish traditional carol that is all about sweet melancholy. The gorgeous harmonies (with counter-tenor Roger Isaacs, I believe) on Es is ein' Ros' entsprungen (Low, how a rose e'er blooming), are breathtaking, and the same can be said about What Child Is This?. Keim's plainchant version of Ave Maria is haunting and memorable, especially with the backdrop of handbells. Keim's crackling Jesus born in Beth'ny is an Appalachian trip, and A Carol Garland--with its syncopated percussion and choral refrains--is a very cool melange of diverse carols. In truth, the 19 tracks are all superb. 

The mood and musical selections may be classical in tone, but My Child My Choice is accessible to a broad audience. Julie Keim is a phenomenal artist, and her album might well be your wise choice this holiday season.

--Carol Swanson 
(Reviewed in 2006)
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