Album Notes

Review by Carol Swanson for www.christmasreviews.com....

Wow! Laini Risto had me from the moment she opened A Northwest Lullaby for Christmas with her amazing a cappella intro to "Some Children See Him." Singing "Some children see him bronzed and brown, the Lord of heaven to earth come down," Risto's magnificent alto fills the room with gentle richness, enveloping the listener in a warm embrace of folk, jazz, and pop.

The album is appropriately named. First, the title track "A Northwest Lullaby," is an absolute winner. Penned by Risto and Jim Fischer, it celebrates nature and winter in the Pacific Northwest in the context of the first Christmas celebration. The lyrics are lovely:

"Falling snow on trees of green,
Quiet mountains, cold the stream,
Days grow short and nights grow long,
Sings the wren a winter song...."

A Northwest Lullaby for Christmas has 11 tracks, mostly well-known holiday offerings. There are three original tunes (the artist's own title track and "A Gift to All"; and Cal Scott's "The Road to Heaven") and three fine medleys ("There's A Song In The Air/Away In A Manger"), "O Come, Oh Come Emmanuel/We Three Kings", and "I'll Be Home For Christmas/Home For The Holidays"). In fact, the "O Come, Oh Come Emmanuel/We Three Kings" medley is one of my favorite cuts. It opens with exotic, almost tribal, percussion underlying "O Come, Oh Come Emmanuel"; as the percussion fades, the song transitions into a gentler format for "We Three Kings" with some inspired harmonies. Other wonderful moments include the melancholy beauty of "I Wonder as I Wander," which features moving violin passages, and Risto's and Fischer's "A Gift to All," an introspective and moody number that delivers a message of hope for the weary world, noting that "in every child there's a promise of peace" and presenting notable flute interludes.

This excellent album will appeal to a broad audience of holiday music aficionados. Risto is an absolutely outstanding singer; she is somewhat reminiscent of the great Judy Garland in her prime. For a first class experience this Christmas season, consider tucking yourself in the nearest cradle for A Northwest Lullaby.

--Carol Swanson