Recorded in various halls and abbeys in Ireland, and completed in the Church of Our Lady in Guelph, Ontario, harpist/arranger/vocalist Loreena McKennitt's first foray into the crowded field of holiday music -- she would go on to release an EP called Winter Garden in 1995 -- is steeped in old-world atmosphere.
To Drive the Cold Winter Away celebrates the winter solstice through eight traditional English, Scottish, and Irish carols and ballads and two Mckennitt originals.
The artist's reverence for her source material is moving, and her meticulous yet simple arrangements help tracks such as "The Wexford Carol," "The Kings," and "Let Us the Infant Greet" resonate with all of the grace and piousness that the lyrics and poems strive for.
McKennitt has succeeded in making a beautiful, haunting, and ambitious yuletide song cycle that despite taking itself a little too seriously, ranks among her finest.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | In Praise of ChristmasLoreena McKennitt, Traditional | Loreena McKennitt | Play | 06:06 | 13 MB | 34 MB |
| 2 | The SeasonsLoreena McKennitt, Traditional | Loreena McKennitt | Play | 04:51 | 11 MB | 27 MB |
| 3 | The KingLoreena McKennitt, Traditional | Loreena McKennitt | Play | 02:05 | 4 MB | 13 MB |
| 4 | Banquet HallLoreena McKennitt | Loreena McKennitt | Play | 03:53 | 8 MB | 22 MB |
| 5 | SnowArchibald Lampman, Loreena McKennitt | Loreena McKennitt | Play | 05:38 | 12 MB | 35 MB |
| 6 | BalulalowLoreena McKennitt, Traditional | Loreena McKennitt | Play | 03:12 | 7 MB | 18 MB |
| 7 | Let Us the Infant GreetLoreena McKennitt, Traditional | Loreena McKennitt | Play | 03:47 | 8 MB | 20 MB |
| 8 | The Wexford CarolLoreena McKennitt, Traditional | Loreena McKennitt | Play | 06:10 | 14 MB | 37 MB |
| 9 | The Stockford CarolLoreena McKennitt | Loreena McKennitt | Play | 03:06 | 7 MB | 17 MB |
| 10 | Let All That Are to Mirth InclinedLoreena McKennitt, Traditional | Loreena McKennitt | Play | 06:59 | 16 MB | 37 MB |
| 45 mins | 104 MB | |||||
| 45 mins | 265 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Richard Dadd | Cover Art |
| 2 | John Hazen | Digital Recording, Engineer |
| 3 | Brian Hughes | Digital Remastering |
| 4 | Archibald Lampman | Composer |
| 5 | Loreena McKennitt | Accordion, Adaptation, Arranger, Celtic Harp, Composer, Finger Cymbals, Harp, Liner Notes, Primary Artist, Producer, Tambourine, Tin Whistle, Vocals |
| 6 | Scott McKowen | Design, Package Design |
| 7 | Shannon Purves-Smith | Viol, Viola |
| 8 | George Seara | Digital Editing, Sequencing |
| 9 | Cedric Smith | Vocals |
| 10 | Traditional | Composer |
| 11 | Jeff Wolpert | Digital Remastering |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |