A Yuletide Celebration

Album Review

A Yuletide Celebration is a gentle, positive pagan celebration of the season, with songs that are lovingly composed. The production quality varies from track to track, yet the lyrics are consistently insightful. Tauring adds some welcome new songs to the holiday mix. "The Carol Medley" has a bit too much background crowd-noise on the first section, yet it's worth sticking with for a pleasing round of "Wassail" as the concluding selection. It's a nice family touch that Tauring's son, Oskar Tauring-Traxler, opens this part by ringing bells and calling out "Wassail." It's sad that "The Wheel" has the technical flaw of fingers slipping on the strings, as the lyrics are meaningful and the tune melodic. Listeners may hope that the artist will re-record this one in future. "Winter's Come" is a more effective example of Tauring's skill; it's ethereal, lonely, introspective, and beautiful as a winter snowfall. "The Underworld Grave (Yule Poem)" is a rhythmic spoken piece with percussive accompaniment, also skillfully presented. The one that perhaps shines the brightest is "Starlight Yule Bright," a truly lovely and harmonic melody with a gentle lullaby tempo. This one is sure to gain repeat play throughout the holiday season and also be selected by listeners well into the coming years. If Tauring ever releases a holiday single, this would be a prime candidate for it. So while there are occasional glitches on the technical side, when it comes to lyrics, Tauring continues to offer the thoughtfulness and quality she is known for. Those who enjoy this seasonal collection may also wish to listen to her album Faith in Me.