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List Price: $17.98 | | Label: Zoe Records
Salesrank: 415
Released: September 30, 2008 |
| Our Price: $12.83 |
| Used Price: $9.99 |
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| Media: Audio CD |
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Come Darkness Come Light: Twelve Songs of Christmas Track Listing:
1. Once in Royal David's City
2. Hot Buttered Rum
3. Still, Still, Still
4. On a Quiet Christmas Morn
5. Come Darkness, Come Light
6. Christmas Time in the City
7. Candlelight Carol
8. The Longest Night of the Year
9. Thanksgiving Song
10. Bells Are Ringing
11. Christmas Carol
12. Children, Go Where I Send Thee
Editorial Review:
Finally, a Christmas album worth listening to all year long. When Mary Chapin Carpenter set out to create Come Darkness, Come Light, she took a far different approach to recording a holiday album than most artists do. Rather than simply lending her voice to time-worn Christmas standards, Mary Chapin wrote her own set of heartfelt songs which explore the many meanings and emotions that Christmas evokes in each of us. These songs, mixed with a few hand-picked gems from other writers and rarely heard traditional tunes, will speak directly to the hearts of all Mary Chapin Carpenter fans. These are not merely holiday songs, they are simply great Mary Chapin Carpenter songs, both warm and intimate. And while they artfully capture the spirit of the season, this is a rare Christmas album that doesn't feel like it needs to be kept on the shelf between New Year's and Thanksgiving. With stellar support from longtime musical partners Jon Carroll (piano) and co-producer John Jennings (guitars), Mary Chapin's voice goes down as warmly as hot cider on a cold winter's night.
Come Darkness Come Light: Twelve Songs of Christmas Reviews:
If you're tired of the same old stuff... 
2009-12-19 - here's one for you. Mostly originals. The lyrics are strong and grab you and make you come back again and again. The images she draws echo in your mind and will reward the fan.
Mellow MCC Christmas 
2009-12-07 - I love this album. Perfect to listen to late at night looking at the Christmas tree. My favorites are the title song, Thanksgiving Song, Bells Are Ringing, Christmas Carol, and, especially, The Longest Night of the Year. I keep hitting the replay button on that one. Not surprisingly, all of my favorites were written by Mary Chapin. The traditional carols and covers are great, too, but there's just something special about the songs she writes herself. Highly recommended for anyone, but especially for MCC fans.
Mellow music for an Advent evening
2009-12-06 - Some traditional, some original, all done in elegant simplicity, bringing us back to a gentler time. The only Christmas music I don't dread hearing before Thanksgiving!
christmas
2009-09-27 -
I ask for this CD as I like christmas songs not well-known.And Mary Carpenter sings gently...it is good for soul.
A very original, mellow Christmas album
2009-09-07 - Despite being in the business for about twenty years at the time she recorded this album, Mary had never before recorded a Christmas album. She'd actually recorded an original Christmas song, Bells are ringing, which she co-wrote and which originally appeared in 1999. A re-recording of that song is included here, along with several other original songs and some covers of songs that rarely appear on American Christmas albums.
The set opens with Once in royal David's city, which is an extremely popular Christmas carol in Britain but (it seems) not so popular in America. It's not the only carol that Brits love but which rarely appears on American Christmas albums. Mary could have filled a whole album with them, beginning with While shepherds watched, but she's recorded an outstanding version of Once in royal David's city, so I'm happy about that.
Mary follows this with the Christmas love song Hot buttered rum, which I don't remember hearing before but might have done so. Then comes the traditional carol Still still still. I don't remember hearing this in English before, but I've heard versions on German Christmas albums. Again, it's a great choice by Mary. A cover of On a quiet Christmas morn (a song written by Robin and Linda Williams) marks the end of the opening covers sequence.
The next seven songs include five original songs, one outside cover (of Candlelight carol, written by John Rutter) and a re-recording of Bells are ringing. All are well worth a listen. They tell us about Mary's thoughts about the Christmas season. In the last of these songs, simply titled Christmas carol, Mary expresses her twin desires for snow at Christmas and for peace throughout the world, but leaves nobody in any doubt that peace is what really matters to her.
The final track is a cover of Children go where I send thee, in which Mary performs the complete twelve verses. Coincidentally, I simultaneously bought Joan Osborne's Christmas means love, so two covers of this song arrived in the same parcel, but Joan only bothered with the first four verses. So if you love this song, Mary's album is the one with the full-length version.
I love this album, but it definitely isn't a party album. You need to take the time to appreciate this album - and if you do, you'll be well-rewarded. To help you along, the booklet includes full lyrics for all the songs. If you enjoy mellow folk-country Christmas music that steers clear of all the obvious songs, you'll love this album.
