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Our Review

Singer-songwriter Ali Matthews is Canadian, and I swear that some of the very best holiday music is born Up North. Matthews' generous Looking for Christmas (over an hour of great music!) is part of that excellent Canadian heritage, combining great classic and contemporary fare with four originals. The tone is folk-pop, and Matthews' voice is the sort of instrument that makes you glad to be alive.

Matthews' vocals are golden butter--all smooth, comforting, and delicious. She is the quintessential singer-songwriter: passionate, earnest, creative, and thoughtful. Here, Matthews sings in a small acoustic setting, and the natural intimacy makes listeners feel warm and cozy.

Looking for Christmas opens very well with a winning rendition of Love Came Down at Christmas; it's a "feel good" start to an upbeat album. I also enjoyed Matthews' achingly melancholy I'll Be Home for Christmas; the song truly showcases Matthews' outstanding pipes. She also demonstrates solid songwriting skills on numbers like the title track and The Cry of Bethlehem (which appears twice, once as an instrumental). My favorite cut has to be the O Come O Come Emmanuel/What Child Is This medley; the longest cut, the simple atmospherics, skillful fiddling, and backing harmonies of this blended carol sent chills up my spine. Beautiful!

There is a fresh honesty and openness to Matthews' style and compositions; listening to her is easy and rewarding. If you're open to well-executed singer-songwriter gems of the folk-pop variety, then you should invite Ali Matthews into your home this holiday season. Her Looking for Christmas is a sweet treat--although she's no shepherd or king, she's searching for the real meaning behind the holiday. The theme is universal, and Matthews' treatment is innovative and catchy. On a frosty Minnesota morning the Sunday before Thanksgiving, this is exactly the sort of music that floats my boat. Ali Matthews is quite a talent, and I will definitely be taking a hard look at her other releases. Bravo!

--Carol Swanson
(Reviewed in 2008)

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From the liner notes:

Produced and arranged by Ali Matthews and Rick Francis

Rick Francis: arrangements (with Ali Matthews); multi-tasking wonder (recording, playing, engineering)
Don Reed: "best fiddle player in the world" on tracks 5, 8, 9, 13
Joy Brown: piano player on tracks 9, 15
Jim Wilde: piano player on tracks 2, 5, 11
Jacob Moon: vocalist on tracks 6, 8
Junior Riggan: bass player & vocals on track 15
Jay Riehl: drums & vocals (with wife Jake Leiske) on track 15
David Rogers & Barb Fulton: powerhouse voices on track 5
Michael Harris: smooth & buttery voice on track 5

From the Website:

"Looking For Christmas" is a follow-up to Ali's successful Christmas CD "On Angels' Wings." With the same warm, rich pallet of sounds, the music provides a soothing seasonal soundtrack for any music lover. Blending traditional with contemporary and originals with familiar classics, the CD covers a wide range of styles from folk and jazz to bluegrass and Celtic. This 16 song collection captures the wonder and mystery of the Christmas season with the warmth and honesty inherent through all of Ali's music.

"I desire to write songs that connect us with each other; songs that tap into our hopes and heartaches, our fears and passions, the things that make us vulnerable, the things that tell us we are alive. I see a dark and broken world in desperate need of mercy and compassion and I am compelled to create music that will draw us closer to grace, to each other and to our Creator. I am not a preacher - just a fellow-traveller on this fascinating ride ...and I don't mind being transparent." Ali Matthews

Multi-award winning recording artist, Ali Matthews has been a performing songwriter since her teens and has built a strong following across Canada and beyond. She has released 5 critically acclaimed CD's since 2000 on her independent music label, Shake-a-paw music.

Ali Matthews

Looking for Christmas

Artist link

Track List