The success of Michigan's Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist, is not difficult to explain (their first two albums were picked up by Decca, and they've moved to the still larger Sony Classical for this Christmas release. The other monastic communities who have released recordings are largely male, and the sunny attitude of the singers may be infectious depending on your outlook. This program has lots of familiar material, even a version of We Wish You a Merry Christmas, and there's less of the Sisters' quotidian service music that made their first two albums so distinctive. Nevertheless, those who enjoy this group will find this a satisfying holiday outing. The mix of a cappella vocals and organ-accompanied hymns and carols is similar to that on the earlier albums, and the rather girlish sounds of the choristers (average age: 28) are, if anything, even smoother than before. Sample Snowflakes for a taste of both the Sisters' basic sound and their artless, but distinctive original compositions. A pleasure of these albums is the acoustically appropriate setting of the Sisters' Ann Arbor, Michigan, Motherhouse chapel, which keeps the text clear, but adds a chamber-sized version of cathedral resonance; one hopes that the Sisters' growing success and upcoming move to larger headquarters in Texas does not foreclose further use of this venue.
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