Below are some of my favorite albums and song titles for Winter Solstice. If you know any others, feel free to recommend them in the comments!
And Winter Cameby Enya
Twenty years after her landmark Watermark album, Enya's seventh studio disc, And Winter Came continues a phenomenally successful career that has included more than 70 million albums sold worldwide. And Winter Came is an enchanting evocation of the changing landscape of winter as well as the festive cheer of the holidays. One of the most successful female artists of all-time, and second only to U2 as the biggest selling Irish artist in history, Enya brings her beguiling and ethereal music to bear on the darkest and yet most hopeful season with And Winter Came.
Winter Solstice Carols - reclaiming the celebration of the seasonby Megha Morganfield
A collection of 15 holiday songs celebrating the return of the light, and hope renewed for peace and community. Inspired by Mary Daly's book "Gyn/Ecology", Megha Morganfield rewrote 12 tradition carols, retaining their melodies, but enlivening them with universal transcendent messages. A collaborative production, the Winter Solstice Carols is a recording with harp, guitar, piano, violin and voice.
To Drive the Cold Winter Awayby Loreena McKennitt
This is not your father's Christmas album. Loreena McKennitt's primary instrument is the harp, but her primary technique is to take a traditional folk song and supersize it with strings, modern rhythms, and lush orchestration. It's a style that works ideally with this material. Her takes on "The Wexford Carol" and "The Stockford Carol" will make you rethink holiday songs. Other highlights include "The Seasons" and "In Praise of Christmas," all songs that are weepy enough to please Grandma but never so sappy they sound fake. Add two cups of hot cider and a roaring fire, and this album will turn Scrooge into a fan of the season.
Midwinter Night's Dreamby Loreena McKennitt
On her first full-length holiday album, Loreena celebrates the season with a CD that blends the five songs from A Winter Garden (1995) with eight new recordings inspired by seasonal favorites. 13 tracks including 'The Holly & The Ivy', 'Good King Wenceslas', 'Seeds Of Love', 'Coventry Carol' and more.
Winter Carols by Blackmore's Night
Richie Blackmore, Candice Night and their Renaissance rock band put together a lovely collection of Celtic and medieval inspired winter holiday music with this CD. As usual, Candice's heartfelt vocals and Richie's brilliant instrumental work shine particularly bright. Even though I personally celebrate Winter Solstice, their Christmas Eve is one of my favorites; the lyrics are multi-cultureal and it captures the spirit of this season beautifully. Winter, Lord of the Dance, Ding Dong Merrily On High, I Saw Three Ships and Ma-O-Tzur are are also standouts.
Beautiful Darkness - Celebrating the Winter Solstice by Jessica Radcliffe/Lisa Ekstrom/Martin Simpson
This unusual collection of tunes, songs and spoken words will help you celebrate the Winter Solstice as the joyous, life-affirming spiritual festival it is meant to be. Includes "To Drive the Cold Winter Away," "Solstice Fire," "The Holly & the Ivy," "One Small Candle/Beautiful Darkness," "Holly Bears the Crown" and 12 more songs of the season. This recording was inspired by John & Caitlin Matthews' book, The Winter Solstice
Solstice Live! by Paul Winter & friends
A live recording of one of The Paul Winter Consort's legendary annual Winter Solstice Whole Earth Celebrations in New York City. A world music festival with 20 guest artists performing ancient & modern Sun-welcoming songs from all over the world including Celtic Galicia, Ireland, Russia, Native America, Africa, India & the Ecuadoran Andes, SOLSTICE LIVE! captures the adventure & drama of this musical journey through the longest night of the year. Perfect for multi-denominational family celebrations.
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And of course, there are these non-Pagan but still awesome Christmas albums that I recommend, just for my Gleeks, a capella aficionados, and Aussies!
The Christmas Album by Glee
Glee decks the halls and gets you in the holiday spirit with the release of Glee: The Music, The Christmas Album. The Glee cast sprinkle a little Christmas cheer with their dazzling renditions of such holiday classics as “We Need A Little Christmas,” “O Holy Night,” “Jingle Bells” and a very special Dr. Seuss inspired “You’re A Mean One, Mr. Grinch” featuring Grammy Award winner k.d. lang. 12 songs to fill your holidays with Glee!
Christmas Cheer by Straight No Chaser
2009 holiday release from the 10 member vocal group. Sticking to the formula that made them both a novelty and a sensation, Christmas Cheers is a collection of both new and classic holiday songs with smooth harmonies and a comedic twist. With the holiday coming up fast, it's time to bring on the cheer and get ready for another round of Straight No Chaser!
Holiday Spirits by Straight No Chaser
Originally formed a dozen years ago while students together at Indiana University, the a cappella group has reassembled and reemerged after their video for 'The 12 Days of Christmas' became a phenomenon with almost 8 million views on YouTube. In an era when so much pop music is the product of digital processing and vocal pro-tooling, Straight No Chaser is the real deal- the captivating sound of ten unadulterated human voices coming together to make extraordinary music that is moving people in a fundamental sense... and with a sense of humor.
Aussie Christmas (Vol. 1 & 2) by Bucko & Champs
[Bucko & Champs]'ve a keen eye for (affectionately!) skewering Aussie culture and folkways on such songs as "Australians, Let Us Barbecue" (set to the tune of the Australian national anthem), "We Wish You a Ripper Christmas," "Aussie Jingle Bells," and the remake of the old Australian Christmas tune "Six White Boomers" (kangaroos pulling Santa's sleigh instead of reindeer). Bottom line--even if you're not terribly familiar with Australians and their ways, you'll find a lot of fun, good humor and Christmas feeling on this collection!
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