Reviews :
Twenty years after her landmark Watermark album, Enya's seventh studio disc, And Winter Came continues a phenomenally successful career that has included more than 70 million albums sold worldwide. And Winter Came is an enchanting evocation of the changing landscape of winter as well as the festive cheer of the holidays. One of the most successful female artists of all-time, and second only to U2 as the biggest selling Irish artist in history, Enya brings her beguiling and ethereal music to bear on the darkest and yet most hopeful season with And Winter Came.
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Reviews :
The spectacular one-night only concert of David Foster and Friends, featuring Foster, Andrea Bocelli, Michael Buble, Josh Groban, Katharine McPhee, Celine Dion, Blake Shelton, Brian McKnight and Charice, is now available on CD and DVD. Spotlighting #1 hits, award-winning songs and other favorites-all but one originally penned and/or produced by Foster-the May 23, 2008 show at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas was unforgettable. Now 'Hit Man: David Foster and Friends' scores a direct hit with music fans at home.
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Reviews :
2008 release. On her first full-length holiday album, Loreena celebrates the season with a CD that blends the five songs from A Winter Garden (1995) with eight new recordings inspired by seasonal favorites. 13 tracks including 'The Holly & The Ivy', 'Good King Wenceslas', 'Seeds Of Love', 'Coventry Carol' and more.
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Reviews :
Lovely Classic Mix
This is a lovely, classic mix of interesting and complex choral arrangements of Christmas and holiday classics.

Angelic Voices for the Christmas Season
They are magnificent. However, the popular traditional Christmas songs, I thought, detracted from the wonderful tone they set with the Celtic-type music.
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Reviews :
The BEST Christmas Album is The Celtic Woman
A Christmas Celebration As perfect as The Celtic Woman group is, this Christmas album is undoubtly the best musical work that they have done and a lot of the credit goes to David Downs. As a "retired" member of a chorale with 150 members I tend to be more critical than most people since I come from a musical background. Buy the DVD and you will not be disappointed!

A Wonderful Christmas Gift...
2007's Celtic Woman: A Christmas Celebration" features the famous Irish group in their five-woman configuration, performing in Dublin backed by the Irish Film Orchestra and the Philharmonic Choir. The result is a beautifully arranged mixture of traditional Christmas songs in a visually lush presentation.

Among the selections: Carol of the Bells, Little Drummer Boy, In The Bleak Mid-Winter, and Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas. Some songs are presented ensemble, others feature solos by one or another of the Celtic Women. David Downes did many of the arrangements and alternately accompanies on piano or directs the orchestra.

"A Christmas Celebration" is very highly recommended to fans of Celtic Woman and those looking for a classic Christmas presentation on DVD. This presentation has been previously broadcast on PBS in 2007 and 2008.
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Reviews :
Good Music Bad CD
This is a great CD. However, the copy that I bought from Amazon -- along with the CD Forest would not play properly. I have never had this problem before but it would make me think twice about buying a CD, especially as a gift, from Amazon. Since I already own copies of these albums, I thought my gift was a sure thing. What a disapointment!

sooo relaxing
Sooo relaxing. I could be studying for finals at 2 AM and 20 degrees F outside, and when I listen to this, all my stress goes away, and I just want to go outside and walk around. It really does change your mood, instantly, giving you the goosebumps and that little special feeling. I LOVE this CD and LOVE George Winston - by far his best CD
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Reviews :
Who knows what you want for Christmas better than Mannheim Steamroller?

Here at Christmas HQ, we've hit the right note every holiday season since 1985. This Christmas, we're serving a mix of nostalgia (Where Are You Christmas?) and flat-out fun (You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch! And 'Humbugs'!

'Christmasville' is the album the whole family will listen to as you travel over the river and through the woods this season!

This record was born out of a once-in-a-lifetime project: Universal Theme Parks commissioned Chip Davis to create music WITH vocals-- for a holiday show called 'Grinchmas'. Thus, for the first time, you'll hear Mannheim Steamroller with voice as the final instrument
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Reviews :
Got wrong CD content
I purchased 3 different CDs in the same time with different person. I got other 2 CDs in a few days, and when I got this CD it was like 10 days behind. Once I received this CD ,it was wrong CD content. Then I have to e-mail and waiting for the right CD which after Thanskgiving I received it. And mailed the wrong one to him.
It was a long process and I hope seller learned from this experience.


My baby's favourite!
Ever since Zeppelin was a colicky infant, I've been playing this album at his bedtime. Now, at 18 months, he's usually asleep halfway through the second song. Then I get to enjoy the rest of the album in peace. Also excellent for slow, sensual belly-dance music.
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Reviews :
Second only to Riverdance as an international Irish showbiz phenomenon, previous installments of this Platinum-selling extravaganza have become beloved PBS standards. The original buxom quartet of female singers, Lisa, Maev, Orla, and Chloe, have duly been joined by Hayley and are, as usual, backed by a full symphony orchestra and choir, plus enough traditional instruments (the house fiddler, Mairead, is a powerhouse) to keep things legit. The material ranges from folkloric ("Dúlaman" is best known from Clannad's legendary rendering), to a standard from another Celtic nation ("Caledonia," Dougie McLean's love letter to his native Scotland), to classical lite (Handel's poignant "Laschia Ch'io Pianga"), to movie hits ("Somewhere Over The Rainbow" in a delicately lovely, a cappella, close-harmony treatment), to homegrown New Age (Enya's "Newgrange"). Most tracks are produced to turn, presented in the aural equivalent of Technicolor or day-glo, in which colors pop while diverging ever so slightly from nature. In short, although the album offers fresh material, it covers old ground -- but this is exactly what the act's target audience expects and desires. Fans of acoustic folk would likely find the prevailing aesthetic a touch garish, but fans of Sarah Brightman and Il Divo will be diverted and thrilled. The deluxe package offers four bonus tracks, three of them live, plus a silver claddagh charm. --Christina Roden

Celtic Woman Photos

More from Celtic Woman

Celtic Woman

Walking in the Air, Chloe

Lisa

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Reviews :
NOT the same-old same old
The Christmas CD is a breath of fresh air, as its name implies. Though there is a track that is what some would call "traditional Mannheim Steamroller", most of the tracks - if heard "blind" - would not be linked to the artist. There are Renaissance, Gregorian chant, and you-name-it stylings. One waits with anticipation for the next track as the current one ends. For one arranger/conductor to achieve such variety (with quality) is amazing. I mean, there is similarity in styling with Montovani, Arthur Fiedler, Ray Conniff, Ferrante & Teicher, Frank Mills, 101 Strings, etc. These are great styles, don't get me wrong, but usually one knows what to expect before listening to a new album. This is fine, and does help a person avoid styles they don't like and/or choose styles they are confident they will like when buying a new album.

But Chip Davis is unique: one knows it will be quality music, but it won't be cookie-cutter styling or even nuances of similar stylings. No, Chip Davis considers each piece on its own and decides what treatment best suits the melody, meaning, and even the era in which it was written. He is a comfortable with Gregorian chant as with Bach or the driving, uplifting beat of a "Mannheim Steamroller" arrangement. There is nothing cheap or simplistic; there are no travesties of the composer's/writer's intent. What a rare achievement this is!

I appreciated that the liner notes by Chip Davis are descriptions of the styles used on each piece and the reasons for each choice. He obviously respects and appreciates his listeners, and desires them to be drawn into the music in a deeper way than most arrangers/conductors. This isn't dry, boring notes, but a journey with him as each track is developed. I really appreciated this, and it helped me enjoy the album even more.

Finally, the choices all "go together" well. These are classic carols that have stood the test of time (with one exception, but it has a similar "feel" so fits in well). I highly recommend this album.

Absolutely the Best Mannheim Steamroller Christmas CD!
There have been many Manheim Steamroller Christmas CDs over the years, at least seven that I know of. "Fresh Aire Christmas" was the second I believe, and in my opinion far and away the best. It's not that the other CDs weren't good, they were. But this collection is exceptional. From the opening fanfare of "Hark! The Herald Trumpets Sing" to the last beautiful notes of "O Holy Night" there is not one bad song here.

But what makes this CD great is how the music flows together. If you sit back and close your eyes you can almost imagine you are at a concert. The range of musical styles varies from piece to piece, including upbeat songs like "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" & "Carol of the Bells" to the soft and beautiful "Veni Veni" & "Greensleeves." But my favorite here is "O Holy Night." It is by far the best instrumental version I have ever listened to, and better than most vocal arrangements.

I would highly recommend this to any one looking for a wonderful musical experience, not just for Christmas but for something that could be listened to all year round.


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