Reviewer: Nick (Queens, NY United States)

Patty Loveless’ \”Bluegrass & White Snow\” Christmas album is a great gift for anybody this holiday season, whether a fan of country music or not. Here is how I rate each song in a 1-5 scale.

1) Away in a Manger- nicely done in a traditional, bluegrass fashion. (4 stars)

2) Silent Night- I like Patty’s rendition of this Christmas classic. Trisha Yearwood is featured on backup vocals on this song. (4 stars)

3) Joy the World- great and having Emmylou Harris on background vocals adds to this song’s appeal. (5 stars)

4) Carol of the Bells- the instrumental version of this song by the Nashville Mandolin Ensemble is excellent. (5 stars)

5) The First Noel- I love Patty’s version of this song. Trisha Yearwood on background vocals enhances its greatness. (5 stars)

6) Little Drummer Boy- My FAVORITE song on the album!!!!! An AMAZING duet with Rebecca Lynn Howard. Their voices blend awesome with each other, making it my all time favorite version of this song. (6 stars!!!!!)

7) Silver Bells- I love Patty’s version of this song. Patty gives this song a more down home feel, making it extra special. Amy Grant & Vince Gill are great on backup.(5 stars)
O Little Town of Bethelem- Patty did a good job on this song. (5 stars)

9) Christmas Time’s a Coming- a nice bluegrass Christmas tune, makes you appreciate the coming of Christmas even more. (5 stars)

10) Santa Train- Co-written by Patty and her husband, Emory Gordy Jr. An uptempo Christmas song. Sounds great! (5 stars)

11) Christmas Day At My House- another song written by Patty & Emory. Tells story of the joy inside the household on Christmas day. (5 stars)

12) Beautiful Star of Bethlehem- I love this song. Patty’s alto range can be seen in this song. One of the cd’s most soothing songs. (5 stars)

13) Bluegrass & White Snow- My second favorite song on the album!!! Proves Patty’s great songwriting skills. I love it. Dolly Parton on background vocals blends great with Patty’s voice and makes it a true bluegrass Christmas classic. Love the ACAPELLA ending to this song.(6 stars)

Amazon Customer

From this opening traditional tune, things only get better. \”Silent Night\” begins with hammer dulcimer and violin (and has Trisha Yearwood contributing background vocals to great effect!). \”Joy to the World\”–a duet with Jon Randall–features rich, gorgeous harmonies and the unlikely but strikingly effective combination of bells and banjo. An instrumental version of \”Carol of the Bells\” is absolutely lovely, using as it does mandolin, mandola, mandocello, chimes, and even wine glasses. I don’t know when I’ve heard a prettier version of this classic. Other traditional tunes include \”Silver Bells,\” \”Little Drummer Boy,\” and \”O Little Town of Bethlehem.\”

\”Christmas Time’s A Comin’\” is a catchy and beautifully harmonious modern Christmas tune by Tex Logan, and Loveless gives it everything she’s worth. On \”Santa Train\”–co-written by Loveless and her producer Emory Gordy, Jr.–articulates the childlike eagerness even adults have for Christmas, and has some terrific train sound effects from the propulsive rhythmic beat of the song itself to the \”oo, oo\” background vocals that suggest a train’s horn. \”Christmas Day at My House\” is a fond look back at long-ago childhood Christmases–this tune was also written by Loveless and Gordy, as is the final cut, \”Bluegrass, White Snow\” is a wonderful way to end the album, with Dolly Parton and Ricky Skaggs contributing searingly beautiful background vocals to Loveless’ sturdy singing. I can’t recommend this highly enough!

In the wake of the success of the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack, with its traditional country and bluegrass music, Epic Records green-lighted Patty Loveless’ plan to record an acoustic country album, and she earned critical kudos and respectable sales for 2001’s Mountain Soul. Bluegrass and White Snow: A Mountain Christmas, her holiday follow-up, repeats the approach on a collection of traditional and original seasonal music. As with Mountain Soul, Loveless and her husband and producer, Emory Gordy, Jr., display their knowledge of bluegrass and mountain music, filling the tracks with mandolins, dobros, and fiddles, over which Loveless sings fervently in her Kentucky twang. But the songs on Mountain Soul tended to be ones written in the styles in which they were being played, whereas many of the Christmas carols heard here are being adapted to these arrangements. \”Silver Bells,\” for example, isn’t even a traditional song, but rather a composition by the Hollywood movie songwriters Jay Livingston and Ray Evans, and \”Little Drummer Boy,\” another ringer, is given perhaps its first arrangement not to feature any drums. Meanwhile, in his pursuit of a mountain sound, Gordy isn’t above eliminating his wife, whose name is on the front of the album: \”Carol of the Bells\” is an instrumental featuring the Nashville Mandolin Ensemble on which Loveless does not perform. The album is better, and sounds more authentic, on country-oriented material such as \”Christmas Time’s a Comin’\” and \”Beautiful Star of Bethlehem,\” and on the three new songs written by Loveless and Gordy, especially the up-tempo \”Santa Town\” and \”Christmas Day at My House.\”