From the opening track's mournful oboe, cor anglais and uillean pipes it's obvious this will be an excursion into a Celtic evening. But what starts out engaging enough, with
David Arkenstone's artful blending of synthesizer and pennywhistle to the vocals of Triona Ni Dhmohnaill and Lisa Lunne's Celtic harp, soon turns dark. The tunes conjure images of the season, mournful ones for the most part, such as James McNally's "Black is the Colour" and
Patrick Cassidy's concluding "Lament," though Paddy Glackin and Micheal O Domhnaill's "The South Wind" and Brian Dunning and Jeff Johnson's "A Raven in the Snow" lighten it somewhat. Still, no matter how well it's played or how soulful it is, it's pretty depressing for Christmas music. ~ Ross Boissoneau