Two Un-XMAS CDs

Here's two CDs for people like me who are bored with traditional holiday music. Enya's And Winter Came... is a must for her fans who love her breathy, lilting overdubs that can't be reproduced live. You'll never see her in concert because she does all the vocals & most of the instruments in the studio and would sound lousy without her sound engineers' technology. There's two non-original songs like a haunting 'O Come, O Come, Emmanuel' and a Gaelic version of 'Silent Night' done as you would expect in her recognizable style.
>>>Enya has a new greatest hits CD which includes a DVD collection of her videos and two 'making of' docs of two songs. I've never seen her videos so watching them was a treat although they're a bit repetitious. She portrayed herself as this gowned heroine of her own fairy tale fantasies cavorting through pastel forests & meadows surrounded by adoring animals. The Winter cover above gives you an idea what to expect from the videos. Here's a video from her Winter CD and, as a change of pace, filmed in a urban setting: http://enya.com/videos.php?vid=tawr
>>>Sting's new CD, If On A Winter's Night, is selling well enough to make it a small hit. In interviews he says he didn't want to record a traditional XMAS album because he thought that would be an act of artistic bankruptcy/having no new ideas. I'm sure his fellow entertainers who produced holiday music must be overjoyed to hear this dig. I bought the deluxe edition that includes an extra song and a 'making of' DVD. Here's a description from the cover: "Inspired by Sting's favorite season, If On A Winter's Night... takes traditional music from the British Isles as its starting point and evolves into a compelling and personal journey with music spanning over five centuries (including two of Sting's own songs). An evocative collection of lullabies, carols, and songs.'' He's backed by good acoustic musicians in tune with his concept although some reviewers have noted his vocal ability isn't up to the demands of some songs. That's for you to judge but give him credit for attempting something different. I'm planning to purchase the DVD of a concert filmed inside a church. A shorter version was recently shown on PBS.
>>>Here's a video of one song and a test of his singing: http://www.amazon.com/Sting/e/B000APVN7O/ref=s9_dpt_sa_videos
>>>Both CDs will please listeners who are tired of hearing 'White Christmas' for the zillionth time. OK OK I too love Bing Crosby's version and watch Holiday Inn every time it's shown. Bah Humbug and have a happy holiday!
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