This holiday season, I have a huge confession to make.

The Christmas Song by Alvin & The Chipmunks is one of my favorite holiday songs.

Yeah, yeah, I can hear your groan all the way over here.  But I’m sure you have your guilty pleasures, too.  Perhaps it’s Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer.  I don’t know.  But whatever it is, I won’t judge you for it.

In our house, we accept all kinds of holiday music in to the fold.  While decorating our tree, we crank out tunes of artists ranging from Frank Sinatra to Run DMC to Perry Como.

Some are for the kids, sure.  But some are for the adults as well.

This holiday, I’ll be adding some new songs in to my rotation.

Award-winning children’s musician and her group Elizabeth Mitchell and Friends has released The Sounding Joy featuring songs from the Ruth Crawford Seeger Songbook American Folk Songs for Christmas.

For those of you who are thinking, “Seeger?  Like, as in Pete Seeger?”, the answer would be yes.  Ruth was his stepmother and a formidable musician in her own right.

Mitchell gathered an impressive group of musicians, including Natalie Merchant, Joan Osborne and Dan Zanes to create an album of 24 holiday songs drawn from Seeger’s songbook.  Accompanying the album is a beautifully designed jacket with artwork by Brian Selznick, with notes from Natalie Merchant, Mitchell’s husband Daniel Littleton and Mitchell herself.

The album starts off with “Oh, Mary and the Baby, Sweet Lamb”, it’s lively clapping call-and-response cementing a foundation of community that seems vital to Mitchell’s livelihood and runs like a current throughout the album.

The Sounding Joy offers up renditions of familiar Christmas songs such as “The First Noel” and “Christmas Day in the Morning,” among others.

“Joy to the World” was a song I adored as a child, and I was delighted to hear with Mitchell’s voice.  Accompanied by her daughter, Storey, the two create a glorious harmony together.  You can’t hear this song and not get filled with some kind of holiday spirit.

Mitchell and her daughter also sing “Silent Night” and it’s perfect in it’s simplicity.  It’s quite possibly my favorite song on the album.

Allowing strong vocals to shine seems to be a favorite of Mitchell’s, as is evident in uncomplicated songs like “Mary Had a Baby”, “Sing Hallelu”, “Cradle Hymn” with it’s angelic voices, and “Joseph and Mary” featuring Natalie Merchant.  Merchant also lends her amazing talent to “Singing in the Land”.

The album, like the liner notes, tends to run a bit on the long side.  Darker tracks like “Aint’ That a Rockin’ All Night,” “Bright Morning Stars Are Rising,” “The Blessings of Mary,” and “Great Big Stars” don’t hook you with a catchy melody off the bat and can take a while to hit their stride.

“Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming” is exactly what I think of when I recall hearing Christmas music as a child with hints of a round and three- and four-part harmony.

“Sing-a-Lamb” featuring Dan Zanes and Suzan-Lori Parks has a Gospel hymn feel to it that is a refreshing change of pace for the album.

Closing out the album is “Children, Go Where I Send Thee”, a cumulative song that adds characters and singers along the way.   It’s a great track to conclude the album, as it brings back almost everyone that’s appeared on The Sounding Joy and captures the essence of the musical community Elizabeth Mitchell has so fondly described in her liner notes.

Elizabeth Mitchell and Friends’ The Sounding Joy may not be for everyone.  It’s probably not going to appease your young listener.  But if you’re looking for some quiet holiday music to wrap presents to while you sip your spiked apple cider, this is the album for you.

You can enjoy a FREE download of “Children, Go Where I Send Thee” HERE!!!

Wishing you all a very happy and full Thanksgiving!

The Sounding Joy is available on Elizabeth’s site, iTunes, and Amazon.

 

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