Them Christmas Bells are A’Ringin’: A Skaggs Family Christmas Volume Two
A Skaggs Family Christmas Volume Two is a country celebration of Christmas, winter, and joy which is clearly expressed in its opening track, “Christmas Time’s A Coming,” a tribute to both the holiday season and Southern vernacular. This spritely bluegrass arrangement is a fitting introduction to the ten tracks on the album.
Blue grass, a cappella, country, classical, and popular styles are woven together, producing a pleasing blend of Christmas sounds. While A Skaggs Family Christmas Volume Two includes traditional Christmas songs (“Silent Night,” “The First Noel,” “Joy to the World,” “Children Go,” “Oh Come, Oh Come, Emmanuel”) there are also more modern songs and songs that aren’t so commonly heard on Christmas compilations and albums (“Light of the Stable,” “What Songs Were Sung,” “Flight to Egypt,” “Reunion Song”).
Accompanying the CD is a DVD featuring the Skaggs Family performing 26 selections in concert. Songs from the CD are performed, as well as traditional Christmas hymns and modern Christmas songs (“Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!,” “Hangin’ Around the Mistletoe,” “Winter Wonderland,” “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town” “White Christmas,” “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”). Produced by Ricky Skaggs, the DVD is a country get-together that includes quite a few non-country performances (including an instrumental, classical rendition of “Joy to the World”).
The Skaggs Family Holiday Tour begins Monday, November 28, at the Brooks Center for the Performing Arts in Clemson, SC, with stops in Virginia, Maryland, Tennessee, Indiana, Ohio, and North Carolina.
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