Celtic Christmas: A Windham Hill Sampler
Another satisfying collection of Celtic music, traditional and contemporary, that includes such modern-day folkies asLuka Bloomand, for the lack of a better term, New Age composerLoreena McKennitt. Fans who rememberPlanxty, theBothy Band,Silly Wizard, andCapercailliewill embrace the performances here by individual members of those critically acclaimed and popular groups.Nightnoisesinger Triona Ní Dhomhnaill, who was once described as one of the greatest voices of the century, sings a haunting piece called "Solus," while her brother and former Bothy Band fiddler Kevin Burke create an enchanting place on "On a Cold Winter's Day/Christmas Eve." In the end,Celtic Christmasreally is all of a piece. Each work stands on its own, but taken together they form real feelings for the holiday that run from reverence to revelry and from joy to solitude. Moody and transcendent stuff.--Martin Keller