Deep Roots Magazine

 
 

 
Sing We Now of Christmas

Ding Dong, Merrily On High, Indeed!

Returned to print by Real Gone Music, THE THREE SUNS' amazing 1959 seasonal effort, A DING DONG DANDY CHRISTMAS, is lounge exotica run amuck, a genuine Yuletide gem.
by David McGee
 
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Reviews

Christmas Beyond the Blue

BLUES, BLUES CHRISTMAS VOLUME 3 leads this revised and updated review of four essential blues Christmas albums, including last year's DEATH MIGHT BE YOUR SANTA CLAUS
by David McGee
 
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Sing We Now of Christmas

Being About an Aural Feast at Yuletide

A vintage seasonal classic from 2011: The BRASS BAND OF BATTLE CREEK gets to the heart of the Yuletide.
by David McGee
 
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Sing We Now of Christmas

Tales of Two Carols

Origin stories: 'In the Bleak Midwinter' and 'Angels We Have Heard on High'
by David McGee
 
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Sing We Now of Christmas

The Soft, The Warm, The Syncopated Yule

A trifecta of outstanding stocking stuffers for this--and every--Yuletide season: AMBER WEEKES's THE GATHERING; ROBERT PRESTA & ADRIANA SAMARGIA's FIRST SNOW; and RALLY 'ROUND THE CHRISTMAS TREE, PARAGON RAGTIME ORCHESTRA
by David McGee
 
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Sing We Now of Christmas

Don’t Mean a Thing If It Ain’t Got That String!

Canada's THE SULTANS OF STRING and their guests put a new spin on the spirit of the season, but it's is still the spirit we’ve known for bringing good tidings of great joy. Dig the best Christmas album of the 2017 Yuletide se...
by David McGee
 
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Sing We Now of Christmas

A Bluer Shade of Christmas

An update of our 2019 review of four essential Christmas blues anthologies: Volumes 1-3 of BLUES, BLUES CHRISTMAS and Legacy Recordings' DEATH MIGHT BE YOUR SANTA CLAUS.--a bluer shade of Christmas, if you will.
by David McGee
 
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Sing We Now of Christmas

This American Yule

With conductor/artistic director HARRY CHRISTOPHERS at the helm, the HANDEL AND HAYDN SOCIETY offers a journey through traditional carols using American tunes.
by David McGee
 
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Sing We Now of Christmas

The Coolest Yule

The Uptown Vocal Jazz Quartet's first seasonal outpouring, FOOLS FOR YULE, offers some bracing surprises in its mix of original songs and classic holiday fare.
by David McGee
 
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Sing We Now of Christmas

‘I WONDER AS I WANDER’

STORIES BEHIND THE SONGS: JOHN JACOB NILES's own account of writing 'I Wonder As I Wander,' plus an online discussion of the meaning of 'on'ry' in the first verse.
by David McGee
 
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Sing We Now of Christmas

Strictly Coolsville

A trio of brilliant holiday albums bearing title variations of WONDERLAND rank with the essential anthologies of seasonal fare. Released in 2003, the recordings range from rare to familiar, the artists from obscure to beloved. ...
by David McGee
 
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Sing We Now of Christmas

A Quick Delivery of Yuletide Joy

At only 18 minutes in length, BALSAM RANGE's 2017 Christmas EP, IT'S CHRISTMAS TIME, is memorable, moving and succinct.
by David McGee
 
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