Cherish the Ladies: On Christmas Night

On Christmas Night
Lively yet relaxed, warm and inviting, song and tunes, of the winter season a specifically of Christmas -- all those elements combine to make On Christmas Night a lovely, welcoming part of the holiday season.

Heidi Talbot is the lead singer for this version of Cherish the Ladies, and she does a stand out on pop chestnuts such a Little Drummer Boy, carols such as The Holly and the Berry, and lesser known songs including The Castle of Dromore. These songs are layered and woven with tunes which range from lively jigs to quiet instrumental renditions of familiar melodies such as Hark the Herald Angles Sing. There are ten sest on the recording, opening with the song On Christmas Night paired with the O’Carolan tune Charles O’ Conor and ending with a set that begins with O Little Town of Bethlehem and takes off into The Kerry Reel and Limestone Rock.

As always. band leader Joanie Madden’s work on flutes provides a running line of brightness through the music, and she adds backup vocals and button accordion here too. Donna Long joins in on fiddle and piano, Mary Coogan plays guitar, banjo, and mandolin, Marie Reilly plays fiddle, viola , and concertina, and Talbot plays bodhran in addition handling the lead singer’s place. The project was mostly recorded at the music room in Madden’s house in Yonkers, New York, and retain a bit of that feeling of musical friend sharing an evening os seasonal tunes and songs.

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by Kerry Dexter