Trio (19)

TRIO are a singing experience from the heart of Snowdonia, featuring the great young voices of Bedwyr Gwyn Parri (baritone), Emyr Wyn Gibson (tenor) and Steffan Lloyd Owen (bass-baritone). But talent such as this does not appear from thin air – TRIO’s roots are deep in a culture of music and song, a culture where singing is the natural mode of enjoyment, and where singing in harmony is second nature. The songs on this debut album have been chosen simply because TRIO love singing them, and they range from favourite Welsh hymns to musical hits, together with a good measure of Welsh language and English pop classics of recent years. The common element is a strong melody, and songs which lend themselves naturally to harmony singing. And to complete the Deiniolen dimension – the remarkable slate quarry village where Annette and Bedwyr live and where Emyr grew up – the ensemble from the local Silver Band is heard on three of the tracks. Steffan also has a connection with Deiniolen, as his grandmother, Elizabeth Ann Owen, was brought up in the village.