The latest and greatest of Whistling Prairie. We recorded these songs in December of 2012 for release in 2013. We’re amazed that despite the small amount of time we have together as a family we were able to record 13 songs! The mixing is done, and we’re happy to present Whistling by the Fire!
Whistling By the Fire
1. O Come All Ye Faithful—The first in our “Come” suite, this features that traditional Whistling Prairie sound emphasized with a driving rhythm. Vocals by Crystal, Brittany and Amanda. Amanda-violin, Brittany-mandolin, Crystal-pennywhistle, Judy-guitar, Ed-bass, John-drum.
2. O Come, O Come, Emmanuel—The second in our “Come” series is a peaceful rendition of a carol, that in its original Latin is over 1000 years old. Brittany and John sing the vocals. Amanda-accordion, Crystal-dulcimer, Judy-guitar, John-drum, Ed-bass.
3. O Come, Little Children—For the final piece in our “Come” trilogy, we used handbells as a background. Crystal, John and Brittany do the vocals, Amanda-handbells, Brittany-mandolin, Crystal-ukulele, John-banjo, Judy-guitar, Ed-bass, Judy-fish.
4. Hail the Blest Morn!—Also known by Star in the East or Brightest and Best of the Songs of the Morning, this hymn was published in the Southern Harmony in 1835, and interestingly enough was also published in the LDS Collection of Sacred Hymns in 1841. We rediscovered it on the internet, and immediately fell in love with it. Crystal and Brittany do the vocals, Judy-guitar, Amanda-violin, John-autoharp, Ed-bass, Amanda-finger cymbals.
5. Fum, Fum, Fum/Patapan—We recorded this lively combination of Spanish and French Christmas Carols in 2004, but love it so much that we covered it again with our much improved recording ability. John joins Brittany, Amanda and Crystal on the vocals. Brittany-bodhran, Crystal-viola, Amanda-pennywhistle, Judy-guitar, Ed-bass.
6. O, Du Fröhliche—We found this upbeat version of the classic German carol in a YouTubeflash mob sung in the U-Bahn in Stuttgart. We’re happy to have two men in the family now so that we could have some nice Dim-Sums keeping the beat. Everyone on vocals-Amanda, Brittany, Crystal, Judy, John, Ed.
7. What Child is This?—This beautiful Sarah McLachlan melody for the song is combined with the more traditional melody in our arrangement. Amanda-vocals and harp, Crystal-viola and vocal harmonies, Brittany cello.
8. The Angel Gabriel–This Basque Christmas carol is a tribute to Mary, as the mother of the Savior. We love its alternating time signature in three and four groups of three beats. Brittany, Amanda and Crystal sing the vocals and Judy plays the piano
9. The Christmas Song—Only a great song like this one can become so classic that it can actually go by the title of THE Christmas Song. We do it simply here with Crystal singing and playing viola, Judy on guitar and Amanda on bass.
10. Wassail, Wassail—This adapted string quartet version of Mannheim Steamroller’s arrangement of the song was a fun challenge for us. Amanda-violin, Judy-cello, Brittany-mandolin, Crystal-pennywhistle, John-finger cymbals.
11. Tenn Lys—This Norwegian advent song (Light the Candles) written in 1987 quickly became beloved across Norway. Our niece, Abby Stevens, who learned it while on a mission in Norway, recorded it with us when she visited us last Christmas. Abby-vocals, Amanda-piano, Brittany-cello.
12. The Angels Cried—In honor of Kurt Evans, our nephew, who passed away in 2012, we covered this carol that he performed every year for his family. Nobody can play and sing it like he did! John and Amanda-vocals, Brittany-mandolin, Judy-banjo, Crystal-guitar, Ed-bass.
13. Plant a Santa—We hope this song makes you smile like it does us. We’ve been planting a Santa for many years now! Ed and Crystal do the vocals and Crystal also plays piano. Brittany-mandolin, John-banjo, Judy-guitar, Amanda-bass, Abby-shaker.