Christmas at The Biltmore Estate
The big folk scare of the '60s produced one of the genre's clearest voices in Judy Collins, who popularized Joni Mitchell'sBoth Sides Nowand went on to become something of a mainstream diva. Truth be told, Collins was never a true tie-dyed folkie: her voice wouldn't let her be. Collins's bell-like vocal grace and shimmering alto-soprano range belong more to the refined realm of art and classical music, and nowhere is this clearer than onChristmas at the Biltmore Estate. An intimate setting recorded live at an Asheville, North Carolina, mansion and a handful of traditional songs interspersed with Collins's brief reveries readily invite listeners to have a seat and warm themselves in this elegant performance.--Martin Keller