The McGarrigle Christmas Hour

Performer: Kate & Anna McGarrigle
Distributor: WEA (Distributor)

Notes: Personnel: Kate & Anna McGarrigle; Emmylou Harris, Greg Prestopino, Janie McGarrigle, Martha Wainwright, Michel Pepin, Pat Donaldson, Rufus Wainwright, Beth Orton, Lily Lanken, Tom Mennier, Jody Golick, Sylvan Lanken, Dane Lanken, Joel Zifkin, Jordi Rosen, Vinnie Dow, Ruben Mahr, Jane Adams, Jack McKeever, Danielle Bolduc, Campbell Hendrey, Chaim Tannenbaum. A jubilant, folk-tinged gathering of family and friends, Kate and Anna McGarrigle's CHRISTMAS HOUR finds the Canadian sisters performing with Rufus and Martha Wainwright (Kate's children), Lily and Dane Lanken (Anna's daughter and husband, respectively), and other notable guests, including Emmylou Harris and Beth Orton. Here the McGarrigles have created a relaxed, friendly holiday atmosphere, a setting where Harris sits in on a beautiful rendition of "O Little Town of Bethlehem," Rufus Wainwright leads his own charming "Spotlight on Christmas," and Martha Wainwright wishes everyone "Merry Christmas and Happy New Year." This festive set also features several sing-alongs, including stately versions of "Seven Joys of Mary" and "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen."

Entertainment Weekly (p.80) - "It's a family affair....The hushed chamber feel keeps up..." -- Grade: A- Uncut (p.105) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "Emmylou Harris contributes a solemn 'O Little Town Of Bethlehem' to a broad mix of classic and contemporary holiday songs." Mojo (Publisher) (p.118) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "Irish whistle and little drummer boy snare give 'God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen' a rosy trad glow, but Martha's 'Merry Christmas And Happy New Year' is edgier, its stocking filled with homesickness and angst."

Active from the 1970s on, Canadian sisters Kate & Anna McGarrigle possess voices that blend in the magical ways that only those of siblings can, and are both powerfully affecting songwriters. While their music is nominally in the folk-rock vein, their arrangements draw from diverse sources and lend a bracing sense of place, community, and family to their music.

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