The 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, to Ric Hordinski's ethereal guitars, to Linford Detweiler's enthralling keyboards, to Brian Kelley's jazzy drumming. There are some creatively dressed original songs here too, among some Christmas standards, and all of them are delivered with Over the Rhine's charming style.
The mix of this music's moody melancholy with the beautifully realized melodies would be enough to make this an all-time favorite Christmas album alone. There is something sorrowful in the mix here, however, that makes this album something more. Listen and you'll know that Joseph and Mary didn't have it easy being turned out of the inn, that the state of the world when Jesus was born was full of unrest, that the times were so bleak (like they are today) that a savior really needed to come into the world kicking and crying, with stars shining, and angels singing, and shepherds dropping to their knees.
In the creative hands of Over the Rhine, Christmas sounds like so much more than just another holiday to throw up the tree and string it with blinky lights, but a time to throw our hearts toward heaven and pray for more Light. Our dark souls needing solace are the perfect dusty old mangers for God to grant new birth, and thankfully he does. That's a feeling of joy and message of hope I can take with me all year long, and thanks to great helpers like this album, I can.
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 Richard RichardsonStarting 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…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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