published: 1 /
2 /
2025
Label:
Rabblerouse Music
Format: CD
Contemplative take on Christmas from eclectic Tyneside folk quintet ‘The Unthanks
Review
Tyneside folk quintet ‘The Unthanks’ (Rachel and Becky Unthank, Adrian McNally, Niopha Keegan and Chris Price) have brought out “In Winter” - a Christmas album with a difference. The group are renowned for their unique eclectic approach, infusing traditional folk songs, especially Northumbrian, with other musical genres. Recorded in one wintry week on the North York Moors, ‘In Winter’ is a mix of traditional Christmas carols interspersed with lesser-known medieval songs and original compositions, all marked by their own distinctive style.
Songs to listen out for in this nineteen-track collection include: the opener with its delicate piano-playing; ‘O Tannenbaum’ with its melodic, layered harmonies; ‘Dark December’ with its jazz overtones and resonating saxophone; a vibrant version of the Traditional Catalan lullaby ‘Carol Of The Birds’, famously sung by Joan Baez in 1966; the idiosyncratic ‘The Cherry Tree Carol’, from the fifteen century, featuring a jealous Joseph; a stripped-back ‘In The Bleak Midwinter’; the haunting, mournful ‘River River’; homage to the NHS during the pandemic ‘Nurse Emmanuel’; the rousing fan favourite, written by the Unthank father George, ‘Tan Barrel In Dale’; and the closer, the ballad ‘Dear Companions’, an original composition co-written by Becky, with its stirring impressive choral finale.
With its imaginative interplay between dark and light, beginnings and endings, ‘In Winter’ is a contemplative, intriguing collection.
Track Listing:-
1
In Winter's Night
2
O Tannenbaum
3
Dark December
4
Gower Wassall
5
The Holly And The Ivy
6
O Come All Ye Faithful
7
Carol Of The Birds
8
Carol Of The Beasts
9
The Cherry Tree Carol
10
Bleary Winter
11
In The Bleak Midwinter
12
The Snow It Melts The Soonest
13
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
14
Coventry Carol
15
River River
16
Nurse Emmanuel
17
Tar Barrel In Dale
18
Greatham
19
Dear Companions
Band Links:-
https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Unt
http://www.the-unthanks.com/
https://twitter.com/theunthanks
https://www.instagram.com/theunthanksb
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