From Amazon.com
Enough already!!
Album Rating: (2 of 5 stars)
Review Comments: I have all of the Solstice releases. This will be the last I buy. It sounds more like the "Easy Listening Jazz" FM stations that are franchised around the country than Christmas. I used to put the CD's on at night with the tree lights on, house lights off and the snow falling outside. The collections were a perfect blend of ambient mood and beautiful sounds that REALLY sounded like a secular holiday moment. I was convinced they would be the new sound track of the Holiday's. A good thing has gone too far and is no surprise that Windham Hill not really being Windham Hill anymore would drop the ball.
My favorite "Winter Solstice" cd
Album Rating: (4 of 5 stars)
Review Comments: I own Windham Hill's "Winter Solstice IV" and I must say I prefer "Winter Solstice VI". It is for those who like their Christmas music on a quieter register. Beautiful instrumentals and blissfully peaceful.
Thought provoking, a classic for all seasons
Album Rating: (5 of 5 stars)
Review Comments: This is great music, period. Though it really is appropriate for any time of the year (and I just cannot go almost an entire year without listening to this one), it simply would not be Christmas without this disc. I defy anyone to hear this while reading by the glow of a fire and say that they don't like it.
This is the best of the first series of six Winter Solstice discs (seven if you count the "Silver anniversary edition" of Vol. 1), though I found all six enjoyable to some degree. I find that I can only hear so many versions of the "classic" Christmas songs before I tire of them, especially with repeat playings. Winter Solstice VI gives you an excellent alternative to the tried-and-true. So put this one on, kick back, and enjoy where this collection of songs takes you. All the songs are wonderful in their own way, though "Western Sky" alone would have made it worth the cost of buying this one.
Some good gems, but my least favorite of series
Album Rating: (3 of 5 stars)
Review Comments: There are some good moments on this one, but this is my least favorite of Winter Solstice series. I think Windham Hill did return to form & quality with their next offering, "A Winter Solstice Reunion". This one opens with an uncharacteristically "smooth-jazz" piece called "Joyful Times".
"Yesterday's Rain" & "Snow Dance" are pleasant, but to my ears they are in a similar vein. (Perhaps more New Age-like). And "Western Sky" is similarly pretty, but at nearly seven minutes, it becomes a bit long & repetitive. This is the most uneven disc to date. The earlier discs contained quiet, often acoustic pieces that weren't quite as slickly (over) produced. Most likely this reflects the departure of Will Ackerman a few years before, and I believe Dawn Atkinson may not have worked on this one either though I may be mistaken. There are still some great gems here, such as Michael Hedges' "Ursa Major", Liz Story's "Snowfall" & Tim Story's great contributions .
Slow pace Christmas treat, sit back and enjoy....
Album Rating: (5 of 5 stars)
Review Comments: This is the most relaxing Christmas Music. Each note is in a way a Christmas Present for your ears. The Celtic influence is a lovely change and you can feel a sense of Christmas magic is woven through this CD. Some pieces are Jazzy, but still laid back. "Secret Places" is in a way haunting. "Snow Dance" is serious, while "Western Sky" is all encompassing and classic. You really can't feel rushed when you want to listen to this music. I won't let you rush at all, it will make you sit down and sip hot spiced apple cider! Take a deep breath...you can do this...
~The Rebecca Review
Purchases
1 Joyful Times - Marion Meadows
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