Reviewed by John Irvine

The boys are back in town! Those monks are back, aiming at the number one Christmas spot, and frankly I'm surprised they haven't tried for a Christmas number one single as well. What makes this album bearable as a Christmas release is that the music is as un-Christmassy and uncommercial as one could hope for with not a single sleighbell in sight. Uncommercial, that is until 'Gregorian Chant' took the charts by storm. Expect 'Canto Passiontide' and 'Canto Pentecost' to follow soon. Seriously, though, as a follow up to the blockbuster smash 'Canto Gregoriano' this is in many ways a sequel superior to the original. The problems of the recording acoustic are still there -booming and echoey in the extreme - but we're used to it now, it's part of the Silos 'sound', and it's like an old friend we're glad to have round from time to time. But not too often. The selection of chants is far more logical than the previous collection, focussing as it does on chants mainly associated with the Christmas season. Although extracted from the same sessions that produced 'Canto Gregoriano' there is no duplication of items between the two collections. The packaging for this disc is everything that the first release should have been: texts in Latin and English and brief notes on each chant in the collection explaining its origin and its significance. There's even a full colour picture of the lads themselves for you to cut out and keep and a picture of the monastery and a brief indication of the work they do. Perhaps they're on a recruitment drive. Musically, I can recommend this album without reservation, since the performances are superb for this category of music. If you were intrigued by the success of 'Canto Gregoriano' but didn't buy it, buy this instead. Your investment will be greatly rewarded.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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