A blog about music from my unique perspective (also a spot for some poetry I’ve written) |
We Three Kings is one Christmas song I've been familiar with from a child. My mom always liked it and had a couple of renditions she played which I can no longer remember the artists. I discovered Simply Three in 2018 when I listened to their famous cover of Avicii's Wake Me Up. They're a group of three string musicians: a violinist, a cellist and a bassist. (Not a bass guitar, rather a gigantic cello.) They do classical instrumental covers of pop songs and also compose their own works. Currently one member quit, so now they're Simply Two… S3 released a Christmas album in 2021 entitled Lux, an adventurous and even edgy exploration and reinterpretation of classic carols. Their rendition of We Three Kings is sweeping and dramatic. When I listen to it I picture the three kings plodding across the desert sands, braving fierce winds and unknown dangers, until they stand at the top of a rise and see Jerusalem spread… no, that doesn't make sense because Jerusalem is on a mountain At any rate, it sounds like an epic fantasy I like how their version goes off on its own, so to speak, striking a unique melodic path rather than treading the same time-honored route which would be assumed from standard sheet music, if that makes any sense. It's not a simple karaoke, but a complete reimagining. Words: 233. |