Faultless Christmas ClassicsWhen i first heard of this album, i was desperate to get my hands on it. I own everything Sarah has produced, and was eager to hear her reditions of these Christmas songs.
I have to say, the opening song sent chills down my spine. Memories of seeing her play live came to me, it was like having my own private concert in my living room.
Her voice is simply amazing, and im sure these Christams songs will have a place on your ipod, or in your CD player long after Christmas has passed.
Winter sung. Beautifully.Echoes of falling snow... It's a remarkable, if not implausible, notion. As is the notion that someone could recapture the traditional Christmas spirit for a new generation as Bing Crosby did for my parents' and grandparents'...
"River" is the first standout track you will embrace. The piano & guitar dance like snowflakes in a gentle wind around Sarah's voice. Forget the comparisons to Joni Mitchell - with all due respect - but I never knew the original and it won't matter to you either. It'll cling to you for warmth & meaning nonetheless. As will "Wintersong" - an original Sarah song. For anyone who's had to face Christmas without your loved one, it's particularly poignant - completely forgiving and loving in its nature. Completely fitting for Christmas. For our generation.
What makes this CD exceptional is the odd balance is strikes in its composition and tone. For those who've ever had to spend the holidays away from family, "I'll Be Home For Christmas" will both evoke and sate those inherent emotions. "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" finally gets the treatment its title deserves with its soft keyboard strokes that bounce merrily like jingle bells on mittens. Yet on "Christmas Time is Here", Sarah's melancholy voice and Diane Krall's drunken piano lullaby us with a bitter-sweetness that seems to reflect a fading optimism in the true meaning of Christmas in this post-9/11 world. Achingly so.
But of all this - if there's one enduring quality you can take away from this collection - it's the emotion that Sarah's voice brings to the music. It sets the tone throughout. Beautifully.
For true Sarah fans, "The First Noel/Mary Mary", "Songs For A Winter's Night", and "In The Bleak Mid-Winter" leave only her own unique footprints in the snow.
Maybe echoes of falling snow isn't such an implausible notion after all...
Beautiful, reflective, impressive Christmas album from Sarah McLachlanThis is a beautiful album, a treasure for Christmases to come. I saw Sarah in Glasgow on her 2004 'Afterglow' tour - one of the best performances I've ever seen. The overall sound quality was exceptional, her voice so wonderful, one of my abiding memories being the soaring harmonies with her band and backing singer (Kathryn Rose, I think). Out of the traditional songs on this album, I was particularly taken by her versions of 'Silent Night' and the beautiful 'In the Bleak Midwinter'. John and Yoko's great song 'Happy Xmas (War Is Over)' is very similar to the original in essence, but with the distinctive McLachlan touch. The oft-recorded 'What Child Is This (Greensleeves)' is lovely here, and Joni Mitchell's melancholy 'River' is as enchanting as k d lang's wonderful take on the same song. Sarah's wistful 'Wintersong', the only original song on the album, is simply heartbreaking, and compares with her very best work (in my view, anyway). Elsewhere we have the evergreen 'I'll Be Home For Christmas', recorded by The Platters in the '60s, and fans of the cult TV series 'Due South' may recognise Sarah's charming reading of Gordon Lightfoot's 'Song For A Winter's Night'. The overall mood is reflective, wistful, at times deeply sad even, but nevertheless a lovely album to treasure.
Good for summer, tooA winter album. Christmas theme. Mmm, I understand the hesitation and trepidation from even her most ardent fans. But this is Sarah and anything Sarah sings has to be bought. What can I say? This is just beautiful. Every track is gorgeous and the reworkings of traditional carols and some old favourites like Happy Xmas (War is Over) and River are just terrific. Can wait for Springsong, Summersong and Autumnsong. And the Mid-Seasonsongs.
The glorious winter starts right hereI am a HUGE fun who gets her single CDs from individual sellers in USA/Canada paying a fortune. I used to listen to "Surfacing" absolutely everyday for 2 years.
As some people already mentioned below, I was a little let down when I first listened to "Wintersong" as a whole CD. It just lacks [the edge] she normally throws into her tunes. But... no one can deny my herat-felt excitement every time I hear 'So this is Christmas..' when I put this CD on!
I keep playing this CD everyday. And I feel that "Wintersong" (no 4 song in this CD)is one of the best winter songs ever sung (together with "Snow" by Loreena McKennitt).
The glorious Winter starts right here.
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