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If you can decide, who is your single,most favorite soloist?
Posted: Thu Sep 13, 2012 5:23 am
by insane4libera
After hearing everything Libera related including St. Philips and Angel Voices, I have decided that i like Ben Philipp the very best. For me, he just has such unique and haunting style to his voice that none of the other singers so.
Re: If you can decide, who is your single,most favorite solo
Posted: Thu Sep 13, 2012 7:48 am
by liberainchicago
My favorite soloist? That is a tough one. So many to pick from. Maybe Micheal Horncastle.
Re: If you can decide, who is your single,most favorite solo
Posted: Thu Sep 13, 2012 12:40 pm
by kay
for me this is totally impossible, every boy soloist or not has a very special gift. that is enough for me. I simply won't decide on any one or two boys out of such a wonderful group.
Re: If you can decide, who is your single,most favorite solo
Posted: Thu Sep 13, 2012 1:45 pm
by maartendas
Favouritism is always based on personal taste. And as I have found, it also depends on mood changes and changes of attitude and listening development. So, an all-time favourite will always be "all-time favourite" for a set period of time ^^
If I think of old St. Philip's stuff, Daren Geraghty probably wins hands down for me, for his rendition of Evening Falls alone (directly followed by Jaymi Bandtock and Sam Harper's Panis angelicus). It's such a haunting amazing piece that his voice is perfectly suited for.
And that brings me to the most difficult part of naming your number one soloist. Because a soloist's quality lies first and foremost in his ability to sing a particular song or repertoire exceptionally well. Not only does he have to have a certain talent and ability, but also his personality needs to come forward and shine, and for each boy, different songs suit their different personalities. For the dramatic, mysterious atmosphere of Lacrymosa on Peace, Ben Philipp's focused, playful voice is ideal. For the innocent, dreamy sound of Touch the Sky, James Mordaunt's airy, small voice is ideal. For the soaring in-your-face majesticness of How Shall I Sing, Stefan leadbeater's crystal powerhouse voice is ideal. And so on.
Personal experience also plays a role. Having heard a soloist live will always leave an impact, that you can't get on record. So it's unfair to compare current soloists with those from days gone by. Even legendary ones like Michael Horncastle, Ben Crawley and Steven Geraghty.
And, ultimately, Libera is a group effort, front to back, start to finish. Try singing a solo with no backing whatsoever and you lose a lot of the magic.
Having said all this, I must confess that I will probably always have a soft spot for Ralph. I said it before but to me, he is a true artist. When I first heard him on The Fountain, I was floored. When I saw him live in Epsom, he was pretty much the soloist of the night and he carried that role with full conviction. For Song of Life, his voice is perfect and I cannot think of this song, one of my absolute favourite Libera songs, without him. When I saw his performance of Himig Ng Pasko, not only his singing but also the way he delivered those vocals in a foreign language with such feeling, I was in awe. When I first heard Still, Still, Still I was mesmerised. And finally, when he sang Do Not Stand in Arundel, I was crying it was so good and moving. So yes, as biased as it is, and with all the comments above, if I had to name one personal favourite soloist, it's him.
Now ofcourse it's time to see what the future will hold and what boy is able to change my mind
Re: If you can decide, who is your single,most favorite solo
Posted: Fri Sep 14, 2012 4:10 am
by TullyBascombe
The problem is that they just keep coming .....the soloists and the surveys. Over the past 7 years I've heard that question asked so many times I've stopped trying to answer it.
Re: If you can decide, who is your single,most favorite solo
Posted: Sun Sep 23, 2012 11:06 pm
by Julia
Like it was already said, this is a really hard question! I love so many Libera soloists that it is super tough to just pick one. But if I have to choose one, my favorite would be Joshua Madine. I am constantly amazed at how long his "soloing" years have continued, and how dedicated he has been to the group. But above all, I am astounded by his voice. He has a unique gift for captivating and mesmerizing an audience simply with his immense vocal talent, and the beauty and tone of his voice. Even now, whenever I listen to his versions of such songs as Faithful Heart, You Were There, Lullabye, Coventry Carol, and many others I get very emotional. Certain songs I can't imagine without him singing the solo parts. His versions of the songs are always very moving and powerful, full of control.
Whew! Now that I have gotten out all that dramatic nonsense let me just say as I said before- there are so many great Libera soloists and their ability as a group is out-of-this-world. But if I
had to pick just one, it would be Josh.
Re: If you can decide, who is your single,most favorite solo
Posted: Tue Oct 02, 2012 5:53 am
by symphonica7
Re: If you can decide, who is your single,most favorite solo
Posted: Sun Nov 03, 2013 8:20 am
by Farhood
Joseph Plat
Re: If you can decide, who is your single,most favorite solo
Posted: Mon Nov 04, 2013 6:02 pm
by Liesma
I agree, that there are many good soloists in Libera. Some of my favourite soloists are Joshua Madine, Ralph Skan, Tom Cully. But, if I need to choose one of them, it can be Joshua Madine.
Re: If you can decide, who is your single,most favorite solo
Posted: Tue Nov 05, 2013 3:45 am
by alcesalcesobservator
Perhaps a more pertinent question might be, "who's your favourite non-soloing member?"
Re: If you can decide, who is your single,most favorite solo
Posted: Mon Feb 16, 2015 10:21 am
by ludwig1874
Depends on the voice it is Tom Cully (and also as "Jamie Isaac"), from the "sweetnes" I favorisize ben philipp. Have you ever seen Bens Video on YouTube?? You are melting... especialy the Knight-Video.
Re: If you can decide, who is your single,most favorite solo
Posted: Tue Mar 10, 2015 5:47 pm
by Sue
To name several there are Adam Harris, Liam Connery, Benjamin Crawley, Steven Geraghty, Stefan Leadbeater, Ralph Skan, Daniel Fontannaz and Isaac London for me.
To name the 'one & only' it will always be TOMAS CULLY for me!
Re: If you can decide, who is your single,most favorite solo
Posted: Tue Mar 10, 2015 9:42 pm
by Robolib7
It is very difficult to separate the singer(s) from the (song(s). Over the past ten years that I have listening to Libera I have had so many favourites that I refuse to pick just one. So, limiting my choices to ex-soloists only, I guess my top five (in no particular order) would be Michael Horncastle, Tom Cully, Josh Madine, Stephan Leadbeater and Ralph Skan.
Re: If you can decide, who is your single,most favorite solo
Posted: Mon Jun 20, 2016 7:17 am
by Narnian
ludwig1874 wrote:Depends on the voice it is Tom Cully (and also as "Jamie Isaac"), from the "sweetnes" I favorisize ben philipp. Have you ever seen Bens Video on YouTube?? You are melting... especialy the Knight-Video.
Ben is a pretty funny boy and yeah... The knight and station vids are funny))
... About topic question... I cant decide to pick one member... maybe Cassius
Re: If you can decide, who is your single,most favorite soloist?
Posted: Tue Jun 21, 2016 1:45 pm
by john45
Easy. TDL - best ever.