Fiddler’s Green – ‘Seven Holy Nights’ (2022)
Rating: 8.0/10
Release: 25th November 2022
Label: Deaf Shepherd Germany
Fiddlers Green have recorded a nice holiday album here. It is festive while still sounding Celtic and folksy. Opening with a twin bill of Merry Christmas Everyone and Merry Christmas Everybody certainly gets one in the spirit. The songs are similar but points for covering Slade. Mull of Kintyre is a great McCartney song and I love that is included here. While not exclusively a Christmas tune it really works with its longing for home and hearth. Christmas standards like I Saw Three Ships and The Twelve Days of Christmas sound good in the Celtic style but I truly hate the Twelve days of Christmas and I cant even listen to it the whole way through. Its not a knock on the band or this version, just the song. God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman is outstanding. It builds to a satisfying conclusion and may be my favorite version ever. Lord of the dance is a great traditional style English Hymn that is rarely done and along with the Jona Lewie song Stop the Calvary which I had never heard before I think that the song selection here is really great. White Christmas and Jingle bells get the punk treatment and sound wonderful however both songs have been done a bit too much. Danny Boy is simply outstanding but I’ve never heard a version that I did not like as the song is perfect. Finally I come to the last two songs. Rudolf is not a favorite of mine but this version is pretty good with its beautiful strings and a very interesting almost Hawaiian sound at times. Finally the title track Seven Holy Nights is Christmas gold and will forever be in my Christmas soundtracks. So overall this is a great Christmas album with some really wonderful songs and it does not sound like every other Christmas album which I love. It is essential Holiday listening for all who love this style of music and destined to become a classic.
Tracklist
- Merry Christmas Everyone
- Merry Christmas Everybody
- Mull Of Kintyre
- I Saw Three Ships
- Twelve Days Of Christmas
- God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen
- Lord Of The Dance
- White Christmas
- Danny Boy
- Stop The Cavalry
- Jingle Bells
- Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer
- Seven Holy Nights