Search - Various Artists :: The Very Best of Celtic Christmas

Ten years on, there are five volumes available in Windham Hill?s hugely popular Celtic Christmas series and this collection gathers together more than 75 minutes of highlights from them. Special gems include the Irish band Altan?s lovely and ethereal Soillse Na Nollag, the late Scottish fiddler Johnny Cunningham?s King Holly, King Oak with its quote from one of the oldest lullaby carols of all, and Karan Casey?s delectable vocals wending their way through On A Winter's Day. Galician piper/flautist Carlos Núñez' frisky Galician Carol adds a welcome touch of Iberian light and joy amid what sometimes feels like unremitting reflection and restraint. The songs and carols are heard primarily in acoustic settings, from which marshmallow-like synth lines extrude from time to time. For the most part, though, the musicians lean toward organic textures even when exploring more contemporary treatments, so the overall effect is modern yet homey, warm and peaceful. --Christina Roden