Mistletoe & Wine

Mediæval Bæbes她们再度请来John Cale为她们制作这张圣诞节专辑，这也是该团多年来唯一的一张圣诞节专辑，本专辑中收录了多首熟悉她们过去专辑的乐迷们喜爱的代表作，并追加了两首全新演唱的歌曲「冬青与常青藤」以及「美丽的欢唱」。 全片中的歌曲大半是以清唱配合清淡的中世纪乐器如古笛、竖琴、鼓和鲁特琴所完成。片中您能听到被英国民谣摇滚前卫歌手Steeleye Span当初所唱红的Gaudate这首带着中世纪异教色彩的歌曲。而片中其他歌曲不时也都传出这等异样的中世纪感受。但这些奇异的感觉在她们如同恩雅的歌声中，却毫无恐怖感，而有一种「甜蜜的玩笑」般可爱。 by James Christopher Monger Nettwerk's offering for the 2003 holiday onslaught is from Great Britain's pagan/early music/sensualist ensemble the Mediæval Bæbes. Ex-Miranda Sex Garden leader Katharine Blake steers the group through 15 Latin, Welsh, Italian, French, and English -- as in Old English -- yuletide standards. All of the songs, except for "The Holly and the Ivy" and "Dulce Jubilo," are culled from previous releases. Besides the occasional flourish of flute, harp, drum, and lute, these lovely secular and non-secular songs are for the most part performed a cappella. Highlights include the lush "Coventry Carol" and a beautiful rendition of the Latin chant "Gaudete," made famous by English folk-rock pioneers Steeleye Span in 1972. This is not just an anthology of joyous festival music -- the babes can get downright spooky, especially on tracks like "Undrentide" -- it's an often somber examination of pre-Santa Claus holiday piety. The gorgeous closer, "Blow Northern Wind," erases some of that gloom, brings the wheel back around, and sets things right with its dreamy Enya-like lucidity. The production is crisp and clear, and the tracks are paced flawlessly, making Mistletoe and Wine: A Seasonal Collection a cut above the usual Christmas pap.