Search - NewGrange :: Christmas Heritage

+1/2 -- Acoustic Americana goes global for Christmas

hyperbolium | Earth, USA | 12/19/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This acoustic Americana sextet (Phillip Aaberg, Darol Anger, Alison Brown, Mike Marshall, Tim O'Brien and Todd Phillips) mixes string-band bluegrass with American jazz and British folk traditions on this reissue of their 1998 debut. The material blends traditional European material with American gospel, and the arrangements range from contemplative (almost New Age) piano interludes to hoedown-styled fiddle and lively gypsy jazz. O'Brien sings "Greensleeves," "In the Bleak Midwinter," and "Go Tell it on the Mountain," and the remaining performances are instrumental. This reissue includes a bonus track of "While Roving on a Winter's Night," recorded live in 1999. This would make a nice addition to any string-fan's holiday CD carousel, providing background music that's punctuated by a few upbeat tunes to fill the conversational gaps. 3-1/2 stars, if allowed fractional ratings. [©2005 hyperbolium dot com]"