Consecrated is a deeply spiritual, personal album for Earl MacDonald, and therefore, a deeply refreshing one for the jazz listener. In both his musical artistry and in life, MacDonald clearly searches for beauty and a connection to the Divine, while comfortably exploring dissonance - both cognitive and musical.It's an album of traditional hymns, brimming with poetic elegance. Unlike any of MacDonald's previous award-winning recordings, vocals stand front-and-center, with Canadian "up and comer" Karly Epp introduced as an important, new collaborator. Her stirring vocal interpretations mixed with MacDonald's thoughtfully-crafted instrumental underpinnings convey a wide spectrum of sentiments, ranging from reverence and gratitude to petition, pleading and lament.