Customer Reviews

An Irish Christmas

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"An Irish Christmas" is Moya's 6th album and was released last year in the UK. This CD is a beautiful listening experience for Christmas in Moya's signature sound. Many will know Moya as the first lady of Celtic music, the voice of Clannad and older sister to Enya. "An Irish Christmas" is a collection of Christmas carols celebrating Moya's beliefs in the Nativity. The good thing about this CD is that there are two songs added that where not included on the UK release but the bad thing is Moya's two original songs from the UK release where not included on this CD. My favorite song from this CD is "Carol Of The Bells" which is perfect for Moya's haunting vocal style. Her song "Oiche Chin" Galic for "Silent Night" is sure to be a hit as her two children sing with her on it. This CD brought a touch of Ireland to my home last year with the UK release and I am sure will this year with this release.

I was in Barnes and Noble when they were playing this and I was enchanted and bought a copy. One of my friends heard it and was likewise enchanted. By the time I was finished sharing it I had handed out 14 copies to friends, many of whom cited this as their favorite Christmas album this year! Absolutely lovely voice and unique, so that it's not just another version of the same songs sung by a different artist. You can tell that she is moved by what she sings and also that some of these songs are definitely being sung with the heart of a mother singing to her children and wanting them to feel warmth and magic of the Christmas season.

"An Irish Christmas" is Moya's sixth album. It is a beautiful Christmas experience presented in Moya's signature sound. Many know Moya as the voice of Clannad and the older sister of Enya. She has been called the first lady of Celtic music. "An Irish Christmas" has a collection of Christmas carols that celebrate Moya's beliefs in the Nativity. "I Still Believe" and "Love Came Down" are the two original songs on the album which Moya helped to write. "Oiche Chin" which is Gaelic for "Silent Night" is sure to be a hit as Moya's two children, Aisling & Paul, join her in this song. My favorite song on the album is Moya's version of "Carol Of The Bells". This song is perfect for Moya's haunting vocal style. It brought a touch of Ireland to my home for Christmas 2005. It is a great album and I highly recommend it to everyone. Moya has six solo albums at this time which I highly recommend to you as well. "Two Horizon's" is my personal favorite. She is also the lead singer for the Celtic group Clannad which is where Enya got her start.

My order came in late, January, to be exact--but I'm still listening to Moya's Christmas CD and loving it. Moya's voice is one of the most incredible I've ever heard. If I were to be asked for a suggestion for future CD's, I'd like to hear more in Gaelic.

This is one of my favorite Christmas albums. The songs are hauntingly beautiful. Many traditional songs are given a different, subtle interpretations which is what I love about it. It is not just another churned out commercial album. The layered vocals and music contain a lot of depth and emotion. It's one of my most played cds during the Christmas season.

I won't play my review down one bit: this is among my top 5 favorite Christmas albums of all time, and for valid reason. Not only is this among the finest new agey celtic albums I've ever heard, but it's also my favorite of all of Moya's solo recordings. From "Carol of the Bells (which it admittedly took a few plays to get into my blood) to "Oiche Chuin (Silent Night)" there is nothing on here that makes you feel like hitting the skip button. Moya's crystal clear, distinct voice is surrounded by traditional irish instruments and dreamy new age keyboards with sometimes dramatic--but never overdone--celtic production that goes down as smooth and easy as Irish Cream in your coffee.

My favorites are a very addictive "Deck the Halls," complete with the sweetest violin accompaniment that urges you to sing along, "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen," beautiful treatment of "Joy to the World," "In the Bleak Midwinter," "Angels We Have Heard on High," and, best of all, the fabulous "In Dulci Jubilo." Unlike her usual recordings, both in and out of Clannad, she sings most of the songs in English, which should make this album easier on people who aren't as into her body of work as I or others are. It's simply beautiful, not the least bit boring or overdone, and it's a must-have for any Christmas season.

My top 10 Christmas albums:
1. Winter Wonderland--New Age Christmas Favorites from Island View Entertainment (Available here at Ammy in a New Age 3 disc box set, Christmas in the Aire)
2. An Irish Christmas--Moya Brennan
3. What's It Gonna Be, Santa--Chicago
4. December--The Moody Blues
5. Green Hill Signature Series Christmas Sampler
6. Rejoyce--Kohl's Songs of the Season 2002
7. Star Bright--Vanessa Williams
8. The Christmas Collection--Olivia Newton-John
9. Smooth Jazz Christmas from Island View Entertainment (Available here at Ammy in a Jazzy Christmas 3 disc box set, A Jazzy Little Christmas)
10. Christmas Memories--Steve Wariner

Happy Holidays, everybody!

Beautiful CD. I received it for myself last year and when I needed a couple of gifts this year, I knew just what I wanted to give. Arrived in very good time and in excellent condition, good packaging. Moya Brennan is a treasure!

I bought this CD as a Christmas present for my wife who is Irish...she loves it....so do I and I'm not Irish.

This is a beautiful blend of traditional christmas music garnished with lovely irish flavours. Great CD to have in your car when cruising to the countrysides with your loved ones. Its different in a very good way from the nondescript monotonous christmas carols we're used to. I love it...and this coming from a man who doesn't fancy x-mas carols very well makes it worth having and listening to.

Singer-harpist Moya, also known as Maire, first came to prominence via Clannad, a group originally formed by four of her relatives. She later established a successful solo career, mainly as a Christian music singer. Although she is less well known than her younger sister Enya, who is famous for Orinoco flow, this mellow Christmas offering confirms that Moya is a fine singer in her own right.

Moya contributed two excellent original songs here, but mainly contented herself with singing traditional songs. Not just any traditional songs, though, because Moya avoided most of the obvious choices. Silent night is included, but Moya chose to sing it in Gaelic. Among the other songs here, the most frequently recorded is probably Joy to the world. The two originals are I still believe (a song about missing somebody at Christmas) and Love came down at Christmas (a song about the birth of Jesus).

I was pleased to find great songs such as In the bleak midwinter, Carol of the bells, The Wexford carol, Deck the halls and In dulce jubilo all included. You'll find them all on other Christmas albums, but perhaps not as often as you might expect. God rest ye merry gentlemen, another Christmas classic, is easier to find but is by no means over-recorded.

If you are looking for a mellow Christmas album that avoids most of the really obvious songs while offering a reasonable degree of familiarity, this is definitely one to consider.