A Beautiful Winter Collection
10/06/1998
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Here is a good Christmas present to yourself. William Pint and Felicia Dale have exceeded their capable best with this CD. William's slightly throaty baritone, and fluid percussive guitar arrangments and Felicia's Hurdy-Gurdy are their signature elements. The CD opens with Martin Carthy's "January Man" a poignant tune of seasons that William sings perfectly. The third track, "Planxty Loftus Jones" is an O'Carolan classic, the Hurdy-Gurdy sounds somewhere between a mediaeval oboe, some obscure stringed instrument (which I guess does rather descibe a Hurdy-Gurdy) and a reed organ of ancient vintage. Fecilia does the Irish master proud, with just a touch of William's guitar in the background. "The Woodcutter's Song" is a lovely acapella song in the traditional English folk mode, with fine harmonies and perhaps a little overdubbing. "Over the Hill and Over the Dale" is a "Three Kings" Epiphany story that is just fabulous, and ties with the best on the CD. It has a elegaic feel "...now through Syrian lands they go. Now through Moab fey and slow...". Probably the best track is the last. It is "Auld Lang Syne". For those who've only heard this song bellowed drunkenly at New Year's Eve, this will be an eye (ear?) opener. The song was supposedly written by Robert Burns, though more likely it is much older, and he wrote it down and added to it. Burns said of this song "Light be the turf on the breast of the heaven-inspired poet who composed this glorious fragment". It is a very nostalgic, wistful and almost sad song of days gone by that will not come again, of growing old, of partings and goodbyes. William sings it just right. It is a beautiful song, sung beautifully, that finishes off a beautiful CD."
Track Listings (10) - Disc #1