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xsBusiness - A Midwinter Night's Dream
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List Price: $18.98
Our Price: $12.84
Your Save: $ 6.14 ( 32% )
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: Quinlan Road
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Average Customer Rating: 
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Binding: Audio CD
EAN: 0602517854437
Label: Quinlan Road
Manufacturer: Quinlan Road
Number Of Discs: 1
Publisher: Quinlan Road
Release Date: 2008-10-28
Studio: Quinlan Road
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: Winter Magic
Comment: This is an excellent album for the winter season. Loreena McKennitt's voice is simply angelic and her renditions of classic holiday songs such as "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen," "Coventry Carol" and "Emmanuel" are absolutely beautiful. Similar to Nox Arcana's Winter's Knight, which coincidentally contains the same traditional songs, the original songs blend very nicely with the holiday tracks, making the entire album a dose of winter magic.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Don't Pass This Up
Comment: If you're already a Loreena fan, then you own this CD. If that's not the case yet, it's precisely what you expect and you should buy it when your budget allows.
If this is your first consideration of a work by this artist, then congratulations. You've uncovered an exquisite treasure to be cherished for a long time. By that I mean this amazing talent in general and, more specifically, this particular set of seasonal tunes. Loreena has prepared for you an enriching mix of songs you'll find as delightful as winter's breath stirring a snow drift into a Dervish dance.
This isn't your trendy A-list artist spinning the obligatory set of well-treaded yuletide faves. This isn't the background Musak you'll hear droning at the mall. This isn't the Christmas playlist churned out by the Top 40 radio station. No. You've got something unique here.
This is a luscious melange of pleasing holiday tunes built upon Celtic, Middle Eastern and other worldly instrumentals and rhythms and buoyed by Loreena's heaven-gifted voice. It's a sumptuous set of ear-candy for you, your family, and your holiday guests to enjoy.
Add this CD to your collection. Give it a try these winter months. Then see if you aren't ready to acquire more of Loreena's works. Be prepared for a musical journey that's nothing less than magical.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Fitting holiday feast for both your eyes and ears
Comment: Loreena McKennitt is not just a talented musician, she's given us quite a generous Christmas gift. In these days of iTunes and your standard 10-song CD with 40 minutes' worth of music, she's brought out a Bakers' Dozen songs for a Christmas feast for both your ears and eyes.
This 54-minute CD is comprised of a lot of the traditionals you'd expect with McKennitt's signature world-infused flair. Part Celtic-part Middle Eastern, these carols don't sound anything like the retreaded redux you hear so often on each year's crop of Christmas CDs. You really never know whether you're going to hear pipes and accordion or sitar on the next tune and the listen is a very pleasant surprise.
If you like traditionals with a different flair, Celtic-Middle Eastern world music, or just plain beautiful orchestration, you're going to enjoy this CD. It's so good, you'll want to dust it off when Christmas music is the last thing on your mind!
Rebecca Kyle, November 2008
Customer Rating:
Summary: This is how it should be done
Comment: I have always disliked Christmas/Holiday music as such, as it always seemed soupy, commercial and pretentious, particularly the overtly Christian variety. I was delighted to find a complete lack of such qualities in this recording.
From a critical standpoint, this is music that is well-chosen for the season even though it is good for other times as well. As well, an air of excellence and attention to detail in all aspects is readily obvious. It is expertly adapted, arranged, and performed by some outstanding musicians.
Excepting her first recording, I have every recording Loreena McKennitt has ever made, and I have never been disappointed; you will not be either.
Customer Rating: 
Summary: God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen!
Comment: If you have not yet heard "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" by Loreena McKennitt then you are MISSING OUT! It will always be one of the best Christmas songs out there. It's pure classic, the only version of the song you'll ever need.
As far as the rest of the album, there's definately some more hits.. and some misses.
"Good King Wenceslas" has a really great renaissance feel, "Snow" has entrancing vocals behind a wintery, snowblown orchestra. "Coventry Carol" sounds like the perfect dramatic song to accompany a church performance of the nativity story.
All of the tracks are pretty good of course (with a voice like Loreena's, it can't go too wrong) but none of the other tracks are stand-out worthy like those four. If you already have one of Loreena's mini-christmas albums I honestly don't think you need this one, but if you don't have a winter CD by Loreena you need to get this NOW!
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Editorial Reviews:
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2008 release. On her first full-length holiday album, Loreena celebrates the season with a CD that blends the five songs from A Winter Garden (1995) with eight new recordings inspired by seasonal favorites. 13 tracks including 'The Holly & The Ivy', 'Good King Wenceslas', 'Seeds Of Love', 'Coventry Carol' and more.
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