As I checked back on my past Xmastime writings, I realized I had not commented on these Canadian fiddle greats’ A Celtic Family Christmas, although I had listened to it and liked it a lot.
So now that I bumped into the albums extended 2020 edition, I put it on and liked it even better – a ho-ho-whole lot better, in fact!
The name of the album is slightly misleading, though. We do get some of what I would call Celtic, but there also lots of country, folk and old time styles, also some jazz stylings.
And that’s the joy of this album: it never gets boring or stale. MacMaster and Leahy have not only come up with truly clever and sometimes totally hilarious ideas for the old war horses in the track listing; they also play them with fire and gusto. It must have been one heck of a recording session!
So, in my books, a seasonal classic and mainstay in our home in the weeks leading up to Christmas. From the foot-stomping Angels We Have Heard On High to the relaxed country funk (for want of a better word) of Little Drummer Boy and the sheer Looney Tunes madness of The Twelve Days of Christmas, this album delivers so many goodies to your Xmas music table, I can’t but recommend it most warmly 🇨🇦🎶🎄👍
https://nataliemacmaster.bandcamp.com/album/a-celtic-family-christmas-deluxe-digital-edition
FolkNotes 