Starting with a moody rendition of "The First Noel," Cincinnati's Over the Rhine put a new spin on the Christmas classics, including not one, but two versions of "Silent Night". Yet both editions transcend the somberness of the original.
The Darkest Night of the Year also contains other staple Christmas classics redone such as "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear", "Greensleeves" and "O Little Town of Bethlehem," yet manages to avoid the lengthy list of holiday cliches. All their Christmas covers break out of the stale mold of previous versions so well that you're half way through the album before you realize it's a Christmas album, and then it's too late. Not that it's all covers, either. The gray ambiance of "Coal Train" and "A Little Lower Than the Angels" both display Ric Hordinski's textural prowess on guitar, and the heartbreaking "Mary's Waltz" tells the story of a childhood friendship where one of two friends leaves "...on a night in December...".
On The Darkest Night of the Year, Over the Rhine take the familiar if not overused genre of Christmas albums and infuse it with a quiet energy. Capturing the melancholy that can come with the season. The darkest night, indeed.
5 tocks
Other coverage for this album
ReAL Magazine 2002Reviewed by Jeremy KeillorI recently gave this album to a friend describing it as "the sexiest Christmas Album of all time." Maybe not what everyone is looking for in a Christmas disc, but there's something deeply sensual about these dark, somber arrangements of classic carols and originals. Ultimately it represents the antithesis of the shopping mall muzak so often associated with Christmas. And Linford's essay in the…The Phantom Tollbooth 1998Reviewed by James StewartThere's something about Over The Rhine's records--the sublime, sultry vocals and understated music usually lead me so much deeper into my own thoughts, that I rarely listen closely. While I have especially fond feelings for all their albums, I'd be hard pressed to name more than a handful of their songs. Because of that, the need to write this review, and hence concentrate more closely, on this…The Phantom Tollbooth 1998Reviewed by Steven S. BaldwinThe true test of a really great Christmas album ought to be whether or not you can't wait until Christmas time to play it. The Darkest Night of the Year is one of those albums for myriad reasons. The truth is I've played this one as late as March, and as early as July, and it always sounds great. Over the Rhine's music is hauntingly beautiful, from the soothing strains of Karin Bergquist's voice,…The Lighthouse December 1996Reviewed by Ed RockTake a deep breath. Relax. Over The Rhine's Darkest Night of the Year is the Christmas disc of the year. This is not a loud collection of rock-n-roll holiday tunes to help speed shopping or tree decorating. This disc is peace on Earth. As the last effort with the original Over The Rhine lineup, The Darkest Night of the Year is music for after the shopping's been done, the tree has been trimmed,…Similar sounding releases
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