My familiarity with the country group Lady Antebellum is pretty limited,
but I have heard the trio on various awards shows and the like, and
I’ve loved the tight harmonies and the bluegrass-tinged instrumental
accompaniment, so I was eager to give their new Christmas album, On This Winter’s Night,
a listen. I was not disappointed; thus far, it is my favorite of the
Christmas albums I have heard for the first time this year.
Hillary Scott, the only woman in the group, takes the lead on several
tracks. Her pleasant voice is the most prominent on the brief, big
band-sounding A Holly Jolly Christmas and the mellow All I Want for Christmas Is You, which highlights an uncharacteristically merry-sounding mandolin. The First Noel
begins as her solo, but it soon incorporates some lovely vocal
harmonies, and she alternates with Charles Kelley and a choir for Silent Night (Lord of My Life), a beautifully reverent track whose descant pleading for Christ’s presence is its most memorable feature.
Given my limited familiarity with these singers, I wasn’t as sure of
the identities of Kelley and Dave Haywood, though I understand that of
the two, Kelley usually takes the lead. Male solos – albeit usually with
some harmony here and there – include the plaintive I’ll Be Home for Christmas; the brass-heavy This Christmas; and the electric guitar-backed Silver Bells, which is the longest track on the album at five minutes long.
Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)
ultimately feels more like a duet, though it starts out as a male solo.
It’s livelier and less morose than I’m usually accustomed to hearing
it, which is also true of Blue Christmas, which actually includes some whooping, along with electric guitar and brass. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas alternates soloists, who are accompanied by gentle acoustic guitar and later piano, while the short but charming Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow is a true group effort that incorporates some cheery piano and fiddle.
On This Winter’s Night is the title track, and it’s also probably my favorite. Aside from the descant on Silent Night,
it’s the only song unique to the album, and it manages to touch on
romance, general goodwill and the birth of Christ all in one song.
Nearly four minutes long, it starts as a mellow male solo and builds to a
full, rich sound bolstered by an angelic-sounding children’s choir.
Particularly potent is the bridge, which declares, “The king became a
child a long, long time ago, and the child became a king so the whole
wide world will know what Christmas really is.”
The intricate
harmonies of these three singers underscore the sense of harmony that
Christmas is meant to bring about, and the rich instrumentation adds to
the beauty of this collection of 12 songs. While it will probably appeal
most to country fans, this sometimes reverent, sometimes playful album
is suited to anyone who loves harmonious Christmas music.
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