Review
Title: I Believe
Artist: The Tonga Sisters
Publisher: Shadow Mountain
Genre: Inspirational Music
Year Published: 2022
Number of Tracks: 12
Format: CD, Digital Download
Price: CD, 13.98; Digital Download 10.99
Reviewed by Heather Harris Bergevin for the Association of Mormon Letters
I should first tell you how much I love close harmonies, and how my sisters and I used to sing together constantly (which is how I learned close harmonies), and my background as a musician and vocalist, and…yeah, suffice it to say that I know beautiful when I hear it, and love when the harmonies are both complex and in tune. I Believe by The Tonga Sisters will not disappoint!
Whether you’re interested in listening to something peaceful and gentle on a Sabbath morning, or whether you, like me, enjoy improvising second soprano parts while in the car, I Believe is for you. This album is a lovely offering filled with classical arrangements of our hymns, some in English, some in Tongan, and all with perfectly blended voices.
My personal favorite is the final track, which is an arrangement of “Sweet Hour of Prayer,” and “Did You Think to Pray.” If you’ve never heard or done “Sweet Hour of Prayer” as close harmony acapella, it’s one of the most peaceful and beautiful songs to perform in our hymnbook and has just the right parallel pitches to enjoy over and over. All of these songs, however, stand up to repeated listens, which is a great thing to find.
With strong vocals by Tiueti, Lela, Siva, and Nini Tonga, and featuring a host of other featured vocalists, arrangers, and instrumentalists (the cello!), I Believe is perfect for anybody who wants to bring in peaceful energy, whether you are my missionary niece, my mama, or my nephew Eddie. Bishops, if you’re looking for a peaceful gift for your ward this holiday season, this is a great selection! All tracks are hymns, and though there’s only a little bass line, the four sister’s voices are more than sufficient to make you forget this quickly. From a musician’s standpoint, I truly enjoyed this whole album and hope that you will, too. That’s the quickest way for me to ensure this group continues making albums for years to come.