| Gift of Song | |
| Type: | Studio |
| Artist: | Judith Durham |
| Cover: | Gift of Song by Judith Durham LP.jpg |
| Released: | 15 February 1970 |
| Studio: | Western Recorders, Hollywood, California |
| Genre: | Folk, pop |
| Label: | A&M |
| Producer: | Chad Stewart |
| Prev Title: | For Christmas with Love |
| Prev Year: | 1968 |
| Next Title: | Climb Ev’ry Mountain |
| Next Year: | 1971 |
Gift of Song is the second studio album released in 1970 by Australian recording artist Judith Durham.
The album was re-released in 1973 and again on CD and digitally in 2012.[1] [2]
The album produced the singles, "The Light Is Dark Enough"/"Wanderlove" which was released in January 1970[3] and "Take Care of My Brother".
Richie Unterberger from AllMusic gave the album 3 out of 5 saying "This seems to be A&M's (unsuccessful) attempt to break ex-Seeker Judith Durham into the American pop market. Not much of The Seekers' folk-pop is left on this heavily, though tastefully, orchestrated production. Durham and her handlers seem to be aiming for a Judy Collins-like Baroque-folk on many cuts, and (in other parallel with Collins) some theatrical art song-informed songs. Durham's voice is not as good or expressive as Collins', and her material isn't as stellar either. For all that, this isn't a bad record, particularly when it does get into its most melancholy classical-Baroque arrangements on "Wanderlove," "There's a Baby," and similar numbers. A couple of Mason Williams songs, "Wanderlove" and "Here Am I," are among the better offerings, and there's also a relatively little-known Harry Nilsson song, "Wailing of the Willow"."[4]