Sarah McLachlan - Wintersong

For the remainder of this holiday week, I will be featuring CDs that I received at my P.O. Box from professionals in the music industry. This was the very first to arrive - back in early November of last year.

A staff member (whose name I shall protect like Bob Woodward did for Deep Throat) for Filter Magazine decided to send me a promo copy of this CD - thank you for your generosity!

I had already purchased this CD when it arrived on shelves last October (my wife willingly gave me money to buy this one - WOW!). Upon seeing the second CD arrive in the mail, my wife claimed her very own copy.

This was also one of the CDs I had a chance to review over at FaLaLaLaLa a few weeks ago. To quote:

"She waited three years to record a new album. Thankfully for all of us, it was a Christmas album!

"The twelve Christmas songs get the full McLachlan / Pierre Marchand treatment - ambient echoes, soft distortion, folk & tribal elements, the piano and astounding voice of Sarah’s. McLachlan’s version of Joni Mitchell’s "River" might be the best version out there. And Vince Guaraldi’s "Christmas Time Is Here" with Diana Krall on piano is a must listen.

"My wife has played this one constantly since I purchased this in October. I keep hearing new elements and it gets better with every playing."

One of my new year's resolutions is to get better with the fact checking:

My wife pointed out to me that this is Sarah's first STUDIO album in three years. She's released two live albums - "Afterglow Live" (2004) and the recently released "Mirrorball - The Complete Concert" (2006) which also came from our secret friend from Filter (thanks again)! I still don't know what "Mirrorball" looks like but all the reports from my wife's place of business tell me it's good!

My wife also informs me that "Song For A Winter's Night" - Sarah's first holiday related song from 1994 - is on the album as well. If you're looking for her duet of "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen + We Three Kings" with the Barenaked Ladies, it's not on this album (although Jim Creegan from BNL plays double bass throughout the album).

How can I close this out? Well, my wife is still listening to this one and I'm still not tired of it yet. Sarah has made a great Christmas album.


UP NEXT: Who invited these Punx over for Christmas?


Capt