Search - VA-CELTIC HEARTBEAT CHRISTMAS :: CELTIC HEARTBEAT CHRISTMAS

Of the many Celtic Christmas offerings, A Celtic Heartbreak Christmas certainly has the edge on bragging rights and might be the best Celtic collection you can stuff in a big stocking this year. Many of the groups featured here are the premier players on the international Celtic music scene, and those that are not measure up with the same adept playing and spirit. Chief among the established bands are Altan, Clannad, and Nightnoise, while followers of trad jigs, reels, and airs will recognize Declan Masterson as the former piper for Patrick Street and Moving Hearts. Just some of the highlights include Celtia's "Christmas Pipes," a feel-good song driven by flute and pipes, and Anuna's "Angels Are Singing," self-described as "a serious attempt to resurrect 17th-century seasonal polyphony written in the style of Irving Berlin." Oddly enough it also sounds delightfully well suited to the doo-wop era. Highly recommended. --Martin Keller