by Catherine L. Tully

Artist: Eileen Ivers
Album: "An Nollaig - An Irish Christmas"
Year produced: 2007

This is a lovely compilation of Christmas music--with some highly recognizable tunes, such as traditional favorites like "Hark The Herald Angels Sing," and other, more unusual holiday fare. Ivers is an Irish-American fiddle champion, and the ease with which she yields her instrument reflects her both her skill and comfort-level with her chosen method of artistic expression.

You can hear Ivers play and experiment with rhythms, which directly impacts the mood of every track she plays on here. Whether sprightly, as on some of the more upbeat tracks here, or haunting--like the last track, "O Holy Night," which is tremendous, Ivers infuses her music with feeling and energy. Especially interesting is the interpretation of "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" which is arranged in a very unusual way.

Not only nice for the holidays, this is a CD that can be enjoyed year-round as the music is so appealing. The Celtic overtones make it a fun compilation and the album will have appeal for a wide range of listeners because of the combination of familiar holiday classics and their interpretations. "Do You Hear What I Hear" is a particularly different take on a holiday favorite that is positively loaded with the influence of Irish music, as well as an almost Caribbean flavor. Very cool--and very different.

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Catherine L. Tully is a freelance writer and photographer who specializes in the arts. She has written for American Style and Classical Singer, among other magazines, and reviews music for Marc Gunn's Celtic MP3s Music Magazine. You can reach her through her website at www.catherineltully.com.

Labels: cd_review_2007

Posted by Marc Gunn, Friday, December 28, 2007.
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