Celtic Christmas follows previous successful Putumayo Christmas releases such as A Jazz & Blues Christmas, New Orleans Christmas and Christmas Around the World, which combined have sold over 1 million copies. Celtic Christmas offers Celtic interpretations of Christmas classics along with an original recording. The collection begins with the joyful singing of The Albion Christmas Band on “Here We Come A-Wassailing,” and moves into Charles T. Cozen’s instrumental version of “O Come, O Come Emmanuel.” Dougie MacLean closes out the collection with a soulful Scottish rendition of “Auld Lang Syne.” Launch date: 2011.

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December Staff Picks (12/1/2011)

TDmonthly Review:

WHAT IT IS
This 11-track album features Celtic-style Christmas songs from artists in Ireland, Scotland, England, Canada and the US. Covering classics such as "Joy to the World," as well as less familiar tunes like "Noel Nouvelet," the CD features a range of styles within the Celtic genre.

WHAT WE THOUGHT
Putumayo has compiled another interesting and enjoyable album. Showcasing a mixture of songs that many people are already familiar with and combining them with Celtic instrumentation, new listeners will ease into the genre without feeling overwhelmed. A great example of this is "Nollaig Bhan," which is the familiar song "White Christmas" sung in Gaelic. The album heavily features instrument-only tracks, so if you´re looking for an album of sing-a-long jingles, you might want to look elsewhere. But if you´re looking for an intriguing album to play during family activities like trimming the tree or drinking cocoa by the fire, this might just be the pick for you.

WHY THEY´LL WANT IT
For parents who want to expose their children to a wide variety of musical genres and avoid the canned Christmas pop that infiltrates the radio during the holidays, this album is a great choice. This CD would also be a good choice for stores that cater to adults as well as children, as it is appropriate for all ages.

— Justina Huddleston