An Irish Christmas
Blending moods of reverence and quiet good cheer, Moya Brennan's first seasonal recording is a dignified, easy-to-like assortment of familiar standards and a few lesser-known carols, all well suited to her crystalline voice and the recording's prevailing themes of innocence and humble joy. Celtic influences and instruments at times serve more as adornments than centerpieces (e.g., "Deck the Halls" exudes a sort of Fleetwood Mac vibe), yet the disc's most distinctive tracks tap more deeply into Brennan's Irish roots, particularly the ethereal textures and vocal tenderness exhibited on "The Wexford Carol" (a carol Brennan traces to 12th-century Ireland). Beyond the tympani-powered opening track, "Carol of the Bells," the 47-minute disc embraces the season's softer, gentler moods, concluding with a lovely, unhurried version of "Oíche Chúin" ("Silent Night"). Here, Brennan--the principal voice of Clannad and the elder sibling of Enya--breathes the lyrics as much as she sings them (it's one of just two tracks sung in her native tongue), then closes by adding the voices of her own children. Pleasant listening.--Terry Wood