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Holiday tradition continues...

John O'Neill | Alpharetta, GA | 11/04/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Windham Hill has been turning out these holiday gems for decades now. Eight titles in the popular Winter Solstice series, six Celtic Christmas collections, two in the Carols of Christmas series, and now the fourth in their latest series: A Windham Hill Christmas. "The Night Before Christmas" features all the artists you'd expect to hear from: Tim Story, Paul McCandless, Will Ackerman, Philip Aaberg, and, the man who may have started it all with his "December" lp, George Winston.



You'd think producer Dawn Atkinson would have gotten all she can out of these folks by now, but this collection, like the others, delivers a beautifully performed selection of relaxing arrangements of holiday favorites, most performed on guitar or piano. Sure it's nice background music but the real pleasure comes from listening to the artistry of these top notch performers.



My only complaint - and it's a small one: now that Sony has gotten its hands on Windham Hill the packaging and notes are bare bones. Gone are the detailed liner notes and artist photos. Even the cover photo seems to be lacking the sophistication of the earlier seasonal collections. Still the quality of the music, and isn't that what really matters, is up to the usual high standards. The holidays just wouldn't be the same without a new Windham Hill release each year."

You can NEVER have to many Christmas CD's

Thomas E. Graham Jr. | mechanicsburg, PA USA | 11/20/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This CD is fantastic! Don't be fooled into thinking this is just a rehash of old music, this CD contains NEW recordings by the artsists you've come to know and love. the title of the CD (The Night Before Christmas) pretty much sums up the mood this CD puts you in. Very peacful and relaxing music that has always been a Windham experience. If you love Windham Hill recordings you will love this CD. Each track is masterfully performed and I can honestly say, theres not a track on here that I do not like. Each song complements the other and sustains the mood throughout. I am glad to add this to my growing Windam Hill collection. Those worried that SONY will ruin the Windham label, put those fears to rest after you've listened to this CD.

Good Music, just what I'd expect from Windham Hill.

"

Play This One for the MONTH Before Christmas

Warren Kelly | Southern Ohio | 11/29/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I love Christmas music. Even when I worked retail, and the Christmas music started playing before Halloween, I loved Christmas music. Growing up, we always knew that it was really Christmas time because Dad pulled out the Christmas albums (not pictures -- records. Yes, I'm that old). Perry Como and Elvis, year in and year out. Now I have my own musical tastes, and my own Christmas music. Jazz, contemporary, blues, even a copy of Rock Power Praise's Christmas heavy metal compilation. And somewhere on my hard drive I have Joan Jett singing "The Little Drummer Boy."



This Windham Hill Christmas compilation is much more traditional. But traditional doesn't mean boring -- in fact, just the opposite. These songs are arranged so that you can play them no matter what the occasion -- a Christmas party with friends, a tree trimming party, or just a quick game of "find the mistletoe" with someone special. And next year, you won't be replacing it with something more trendy.



The CD does contain a fair amount of religious music, so those who are easily offended by actual references to Christ may not be pleased. "Angels We Have Heard on High" is one of my all-time favorite Christmas hymns, and I was glad that they chose it to start the album off. There are plenty of non-sectarian songs on here as well, though -- "O Tannanbaum," "Santa Claus is Coming to Town," and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" are a few representatives that I enjoyed particularly.



Windham Hill fans will find some old favorites on this CD, of course. Liz Story does "O Thou Joyful Day/O Little Town of Bethlehem," Philip Aaberg contributes "Wassail Song," and George Winston and Will Ackerman also make contributions. There are some new faces as well, and I'm sure we'll be hearing more from folks like Jim Brickman and Fred Simon. In fact, Winston's "Cherry Tree Carol" was a wonderful addition, and a song that I hadn't heard very much before.



The only thing that disappointed me, especially after enjoying Winston's fretwork on the final song, is that "Silent Night" wasn't performed on solo acoustic guitar. Barbara Higbie does an outstanding job on the song, and I enjoyed it quite a bit, but I absolutely love to hear "Silent Night" played on the guitar, as it was originally written and performed.



On the whole, listening to this CD was a perfectly enjoyable experience, and a great way to start off my holiday season. If you don't have it, then you need it."