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Our Review

I knew right away that Lords a Leaping was not your usual plate of Christmas sweet 'taters when I heard Jennifer Bell's unusual retooling of O Come, O Come, Emmanuel, which boasts an all-new contemporary pop structure, melody and words. The CD continues in this vein--or in almost every vein--with old songs made new, and each performed in a somewhat different style from the last. There's Christmas Time Is Here, jazzelicioully sung ahead of the beat by Ms. Bell), there's fine, refined riffing on guitar on a rock solid instrumental Silent Night), and there's a 5-pack of moody holiday songs written by John Cimino and performed ably by Adam Bell and Jennifer Bell. There's the holiday-angstified Christmas Without You and Christmas Party. Later on there's Will You Come?, another song of loss, though a bit more hopeful as sung by Ms. Bell. Finally, there are the rocking Light A Candle and The Bells of Christmas. I like these two Adam Bell performances best. His voice is adapted better to a rock beat, in my opinion, than to James Taylorish wistful ballads. If I have to pick a favorite among the Cimino-penned songs, I'm picking The Bells of Christmas, a nice little rock holiday anthem.

Though there are only nine songs all told, every one is different from the others and integral to the whole. Cimino and his "Central Pennsylvania Artists" meld freewheeling creativity and musicianship into a cool Christmassy listening experience.

--Richard Banks
(Reviewed in 2006)

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From the liner notes:

John Cimino - guitar, bass, backing vocals
Brett Albert - keyboards, backing vocals
Jennifer Bell - vocals
Adam Bell - vocals
Michael Hughes - drums, guitar on Silent Night (track 9)
John Wagoner - all instruments on Silent Night (track 5)

and featuring Jimmy Ernest on trumpet

Central Pennsylvania Artists

Lords a Leaping

Artist site

Track List