Reviewed by Steven Whitehead

Frankly, your reviewer was expecting something insufferably cute when first he saw this CD with its twee artwork. I mean, what sort of name for a choir is "Blossom Street" and anything with the sub-title "A Collection of Christmas Lullabies" usually puts me in much the same mood as King Herod. However I am wrong on most counts (but still think Blossom Street is an odd sort of name). The singing is acapella throughout and absolutely first class and the content is well worth investigating. 'Sleep, Holy Babe' is a collection of Christmas lullabies which reflect the old traditions and restful, contemplative nature of the nativity story rather than the more rousing carols that get belted out by the drunks at Midnight Mass. This is music for the Crib Service rather than singing around the Christmas tree and has much of interest. Some works date back as far as the 16th century, such as Richard Piggott's "Quid petis, O Fili?" from a collection owned by Henry VIII. Others are freshly composed, and eight of the 12 tracks, including Gerald Finzi's "A Lullaby", are recorded here for the first time. This is well worth investigating whether you like to explore less familiar material or enjoy top class acapella singing or indeed both. And, as with all Naxos releases, this is outstanding value for money.

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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