Sarah McLachlan is an artist with whom I have some familiarity, thanks
to her distinctive voice and the popularity of some of her songs,
particularly Angel, which is one of several excellent tracks on the City of Angels
soundtrack, which is so much better than the movie. I wasn’t too
surprised that a woman who so famously sang about angels had a Christmas
album out, and I was anxious to hear how she would put her own unique
stamp on classic carols, along with more contemporary fare. For the most
part, I liked what I heard.
Happy Xmas (War Is Over)
- Sarah’s voice always seem to have a yearning quality to it, which
makes it especially suited to this John Lennon classic. The constant
current of sleigh bells helps balance the song with a more optimistic
feel, as do the chorus of children who chime in on the “War is over”
portion, rather late in the song. Their voices are a little too high for
my tastes, making the words a little hard to understand the first time
through, but otherwise it’s a nice cover. “And so this is Christmas /
And what have we done? / Another year over, / And a new one just
begun...”
What Child Is This (Greensleeves) - This is
an interesting version of the song because the melody only occasionally
bears any resemblance to the one I’m used to. I like the delicacy of the
rendition, and the harmonies are lovely, but I can’t decide how I feel
about the tune being so different. Also, in a couple of places she
changes a few words. Usually it doesn’t bother me, but in one instance
she changes the first of a rhyming pair without changing the second,
which results in it sounding incomplete.
River - This
melancholy song is another that seems to fit especially well with
Sarah’s voice, especially on the chorus where she sings of wanting to
fly, with her voice soaring up to the rafters. The song ends with the
piano giving us a minor version of Jingle Bells that emphasizes
the sadness of the speaker. “It’s coming on Christmas / They’re cutting
down trees / They're putting up reindeer / And singing songs of joy and
peace / Oh I wish I had a river / I could skate away on...”
Wintersong
- Another very lonely sort of song, this one is piano-driven, and in
that accompaniment I occasionally hear a hint of Dan Fogelberg‘s Same Old Lang Syne,
or maybe I just imagine that I do since both have to do with lost love.
A downer, but quite lovely nonetheless, and the only one on the album
written by Sarah McLachlan herself. “And this is how I see you / In the
snow on Christmas morning / Love and happiness surround you / As you
throw your arms up to the sky / I keep this moment by and by.”
I'll Be Home For Christmas
- Another wistful track, this one features a saxophone solo and an
undercurrent of very desolate-sounding instrument that reminds me of
ocean surf. A nice track, but rather spooky.
O Little Town of Bethlehem
- The guitar work on this one is very interesting; I’m guessing that
what I’m hearing on this one is the dobro, a type of guitar I don’t
recall ever encountering before. It has a very distinct sound that is
somewhat reminiscent of a banjo. Sarah’s vocals on this one are so soft
are to almost sound like whispers, particularly since I was so much more
focused on the instruments.
The First Noel / Mary Mary
- The first is a very familiar song, while the second is one I’d never
heard before, but it’s a tender, quiet sort of lullaby. The song also
briefly features the melody of The Little Drummer Boy. While the track begins with The First Noel, it quickly goes on to Mary Mary
before returning to the original, which has a completely unfamiliar
melody and is augmented with urgently mysterious Middle Eastern-sounding
instrumentals. As with What Child Is This, I’m not sure how I
feel about it having such a different tune. But I do like the quiet
finale of the song. “Some people call him Emmanuel / Think I’ll call him
Jesus / Glory be to the newborn King.”
Silent Night -
There are some really gorgeous harmonies on this piano-driven track that
deviates occasionally from the familiar melody, though not to anywhere
near the extent of the previous track. One of my favorite tracks on the
album.
Song For a Winter's Night - This one caught me
by surprise because I’m a big Gordon Lightfoot fan, but I don’t think
I’d ever heard this song before. I’ll have to see if I can track down
Gord’s version. Sarah’s is richly harmonic, with an odd sort of
syncopated rhythm to it as she alternates between her alone and her in
multiple. Probably my favorite track. “If I could only have you near to
breathe a sigh or two / I would be happy just to hold the hands I love
and to be once again with you.”
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
- A backdrop of jingling bells gives this a fairly upbeat feel, though
the flugelhorn solo hits closer to the tune’s typical wistful tone.
In the Bleak Mid Winter
- A reverent version of a carol whose last verse is well-known but that
nonetheless doesn’t seem to make it onto very many Christmas albums.
Some nice guitar work on this one, and Sarah’s vocals are softly
beautiful. “What can I give Him, poor as I am? / If I were a shepherd, I
would bring a lamb; / If I were a Wise Man, I would do my part; / Yet
what I can I give Him: give my heart.”
Christmas Time Is Here - This song from A Charlie Brown Christmas
pairs Sarah with Diana Krall on the piano. I think I prefer her version
to the original, with its chorus of singing children. It’s very mellow
and a gentle way to end the album. “Sleighbells in the air / Beauty
everywhere / Yuletide by the fireside and joyful memories there...”
While some of Sarah McLachlan’s arrangements take arguably too much
liberty with the melody, it’s interesting to hear such different takes
on familiar tunes, not to mention a couple of songs I’d never heard
before at all. This is a melancholy album; I’m not sure it quite
delivers the dose of cheer expected of most Christmas projects, but if
you’re looking for something a little different in your CD player this
December, Wintersong may be just the thing for you.
No comments:
Post a Comment