Our Review
A lot of CDs promise Celtic, but few deliver such an authentic and enchanting experience as A Celtic Christmas. The rich acoustic textures and pleasant musicality of these arrangements quickly warmed me up to the virtues of this record.
Featuring a tremendously talented group of contemporary folk musicians, A Celtic Christmas resonates with the sounds of the British Isles. George Balderose's fine work on bagpipes lays down the Scottish base for a catchy instrumental quartet. L.E. McCullough contributes a hint of Irish spring with his tin whistle. T.H. Gillespie adds beautifully traditional percussive sensibilities, and Ernie Hawkins knits these brilliant threads into a beautiful Celtic fabric with his strong, but relatively understated work on guitar.
I particularly liked the sound of The First Noel/Joy to the World medley and thought their arrangement of Auld Lang Syne, which featured the instrument and mood of each musician in turn, was appropriately sentimental for ringing in a new millennium.
An evocative and pleasurable experience.
--Richard Banks
(Reviewed in 1999)
No More
L.E. McCullough T.H. Gillespie, George Balderose, Ernie Hawkins
A Celtic Christmas
Artist link
Label: KRB
Length: 55 minutes
Genre: Celtic
Release: 1998
Track List
| Song Title |
|---|
| Il Est Ne|God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen|Good King Wenceslas |
| Angels We Have Heard On High|We THree Kings|O Come All Ye Faithful |
| Christ Child's Lullaby|Da Cold Nights Of Winter |
| Deck The Halls|We Wish You A Merry Christmas |
| O Little Town Of Bethlehem|I Saw THree SHips|Une Flambeau Jeanette Isabella| Here We Come A-Wassailing |
| Silent Night |
| The Wexford Carol|Christmas Eve |
| Amazing Grace |
| Greensleeves|Hark! The Herald Angels Sing|Jingle Bells |
| The First Nöel|Joy To The World |
| St. Stephen's Carol|Drops Of Brandy |
| O Come, O Come Emmanuel|It Came Upon A Midnight Clear|Away In A Manger |
| Auld Lang Syne |