Warmer In The Winter

Lindsey Stirling

2017 - Concord Records.  If you have watched America’s Got Talent then you will recognize Lindsey Stirling.  But for those of us who don’t follow such nonsense then let us introduce you to Ms. Stirling.  Lindsey is a trained classical violinist who has become a mega YouTube star; while creating some very unique music that crosses over a wide variety of genres to create her own genre.  We enjoy and cherish the creativity that musicians maintain. Nonetheless when I started listening to this album, I was turned off.  This album includes thirteen songs in which three are written by Lindsey.  These three songs include “Christmas C’Mon,” “Time To Fall In Love” and the title track.  The melodies of these lots of work.  One can tell that Lindsey is quite new to writing lyrics as each stanza in each of the songs must rhyme with the previous.  The over use of rhyme defeats the purpose of the story within the lyric, thus creating not a song but commotion.  The album opens with her rendition of the classic song “Dance of The Sugar Plum Fairy.”  This would have been a decent song if it weren't for the addition of the fake pop drum beat.  The album continues with a horrific rendition of “You’re A Mean One, Mr. Grinch.” Another song she destroys is Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas.” But all is not lost as I progress through the album I find some incredible renditions of classic songs.  Her portrayal of “Angels We Have Heard On High” is pure angelic.  She also performs a wonderful arrangement in “I Saw Three Ships.”  Lindsey keeps to the traditional sound in “Let It Snow” and “What Child Is This.”  Where as in “Jingle Bell Rock” she performs in a wonderful Jazz mentality. The album closes with an elegant and gentle version of “Silent Night.”  If it were up to me, I would have just released an EP with these six songs as they are purely elegant.  Sometimes we need to hear a song as an instrumental to appreciate its true beauty.  Lindsey brings out the delicacy and elegance, in which these six songs were written, within her classic performance.  Download these six songs and forget the rest.  $$$-$$$$

(This review was printed in the November / December 2017 issue of Strictly Country Magazine.)

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