MICHEMALOU: Snow on Snow

MicheMalou

Snow on Snow

© 2004 Slide Rock Studios (634479061011)

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A very unusual collection of seasonal music from many different European countries, dating from the 14th century right up to 2004, performed on harps, guitars, bass guitar, bodhran, and other instruments by a group with multi-national line-up.

notes

"Snow on Snow" is MicheMalou's third CD and was released in November, 2004. It contains a very interesting collection of seasonal tunes ranging from the 14th century German carol "Susani" to Marie-Louise's 2004 composition "Ice Palace".

Listen out for the 16th century English tune "To Drive the Cold Winter Away". On this site you will only hear the first two minutes of this song, which constitutes little more than the introduction. After the introduction there is a vocal section with electric harp solo and a group of carol singers complete the song which lasts over 5 minutes.

The instrumentation on "Susani" is particularly interesting because it combines a Grand Concert Pedal Harp with a Bowed Psaltery and a Fender Stratocaster guitar.

A very unusual version of "What Child Is This?" (a tune based on the old English "Greensleeves ", reputedly written in the 16th century by Henry the VIIIth ") appears here, sung by Michele over the backing of 'massed' Bodhrans by Gavin with a Native American Flute solo from Marie-Louise.

The arrangement of "Silent Night" is also of great interest because it combines the original German text with the English translation in a very unique way. This is probably the most famous Christmas song of all. The melody was written by Franz Xaver Gruber on Christmas Eve 1818, combining text written two years previously as a poem by Joseph Moor. It was first performed in the St. Nikolaus Church in Oberndorf, Austria, on the very same day it was composed.

We could go through every track but perhaps it's best if you just take a listen...

MicheMalou started recording this album in October 2003, with the intent of finishing recording during the Christmas/New Year period of 2003/2004 but this turned out to be an over-optimistic goal. They actually finished the CD in October of 2004. It is not easy recording Christmas songs or tunes in the Texas summer heat!

The line-up of MicheMalou for this CD was the same as for their "Otherwhere Otherwhen" CD from 2002:
Marie-Louise Norton: Harps/Vocals/Native American Flute
Michele Cook: Harps/Vocals/Bowed Psaltry
Colin Norton: Acoustic Guitars/Electric Guitars/Bass Guitars/Tambourine
Gavin Norton: Bodhran/Vocals

We hope that you enjoy the music!

reviews

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  • Simply a beautiful, peace-inducing album
    author: Carl Olson

    The instrumentals are the strength of this album. The mix of acoustic and electric instruments recalls classic Steeleye Span, but in a more contemplative way. A beautiful ode to the winter holiday.

  • Everything about this album is expressive and lovely.
    author: Carol Swanson

    Oh, I love Celtic/new age/folk groups like MicheMalou! The (mostly) ancient instruments (harps, bodhrans, bowed psaltry, various guitars, tambourine); the magical ambiance; the roughly rustic, yet artistically delicate, presentation; and the pervasive heart that underscores such efforts all add up to wonderful holiday music for me. MicheMalou is the astute combination of Michele Cook and the talented Nortons (Marie-Louise, Colin, and Gavin). Together, they make the most beautiful music. Snow on Snow even possesses a beautiful name and cover art (thick flakes of snow on a deep pink flower)! Everything about this album is expressive and lovely. The song selection, for example, is terrific; the 14 tracks feature the best of ancient carols (including "In the Bleak Midwinter" TWICE) and one Marie-Louise Norton original (the exquisite "Ice Palace"). The CD opens well with the most delicate "To Drive The Cold Winter Away"; the instruments are breathtaking, and the singers (mainly Michele) truly impress on the challenging vocals (although her voice sometimes gets a bit lost behind the instruments). For the most part, however, Snow on Snow is about the transcendent instrumentals (9 out of 14 tracks). My favorite instrumentals include the simple elegance of "Susani," as well as "Masters in This Hall" with its driving bass line. As for the vocal numbers, I loved the harmonies and drums on "What Child Is This?" The three-part harmonies on "Dona Nobis Pacem" are equally wonderful. MicheMalou is a great Celtic/new age group shoveling Snow on Snow for the holidays. With snow like this, you may want to grab a shovel yourself! --Carol Swanson

  • A year-round Holiday CD
    author: Ted Dowell

    This is a CD you can play any time of year, not just at Christmas. Very interesting with the varied instruments and variety of songs. The harps are very soothing, just a very enjoyable CD!

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