‘Beautiful
Star’ (Rounder)
Get
ready for some kickin' holiday bluegrass with the
mandolin mama and the talented friends she's brought
with her. On "Beautiful Star," Rhonda Vincent's
12 offerings range from a toe‑tapping, mandolin‑,
fiddle‑ and banjo‑intensive "Christmas
Time at Home" (written by Vincent) to an almost
torchy treatment of "A Christmas Song."
The
acoustic simplicity of "Silent Night" makes
it worth a few more listens. Sharon White Skaggs–Ricky's
wife–and her sister Cheryl White join Vincent on a
tender harp‑accompanied "Away in a Manger."
A
children's chorus–about one‑third of them named
Vincent–adds a gathered‑round‑the‑tree
touch to "Jingle Bells." A positively rollicking
"Twelve Days of Christmas" is a fun wrap‑up,
especially since it sounds like some of the guys in
the choir might have been doing a little wassailing
beforehand.
by
Tom Gardner
Carl
Tanner ‘Hear the Angel Voices’ (TMG)
Tenor
Carl Tanner has always found himself drawn to "O
Holy Night," a song he has performed in venues
ranging from the lighting of the national Christmas
Tree at the White House to midnight mass at St. Patrick's
Cathedral, so he chose it to be the centerpiece on
his first album, a tuneful Christmas sampler titled
after a line in "O Holy Night."
Tanner
opens the CD with a robust "Joy to the World"
and immediately follows it with the tender "Mille
Cherubini," not exactly Christmas, but a soft
lullaby in Italian is close enough. He is effectively
joined on it and other tracks by the Seattle‑based
Northwest Boychoir, The Seattle Chorus and the Northwest
Sinfonia.
Tanner
rounds out his 16‑track holiday offering with
a mix of sacred and secular, a couple of Ave Marias,
"The Lord's Prayer" and "Panis Angelicus"
balanced by "Little Drummer Boy," "White
Christmas" and that much‑roasted chestnut
"The Christmas Song."
by
Tom Gardner
