Weird enough – or, perhaps, fortunately so – this year hasn’t yet seen the usual deluge of Christmas albums, and of those which were announced only Chris Rea’s seasonal comp is of any interest – or so it seemed until Kate Rusby announced the forthcoming issue of the “20 Christmas Is Merry” platter. Its title doesn’t reference that of her 2012 opus “20”; neither it’s a hint of how many tracks are in there. Instead, it’s said to be “a celebration of two decades of magical festive music”: something the lady loves and knows how to do.
To be out on December 5th, this release is comprised of Kate’s concert recordings, documenting her tours over the last five years, with a handful of freshly created unplugged versions of Rusby’s favorite Yuletide pieces. A treat, indeed.
20: Christmas Is Merry
CD 1:
1. Hark Hark (live 2023)
2. Christmas Is Merry (live 2023)
3. Holly King (live 2020)
4. Sweet Chiming Bells (live 2020)
5. The Frost Is All Over (live 2024)
6. Arrest These Merry Gentlemen (live 2023)
7. Paradise (live 2020)
8. It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year (live 2023)
9. Sunny Bank (live 2020)
10. Little Town Of Bethlehem (live 2020)
11. Sweet Bells (live 2023)
CD 2:
1. Bradfield (live 2023)
2. Glorious (live 2024)
3. Winter Wonderland (live 2020)
4. The Moon Shines Bright (live 2023)
5. Here We Come A Wassailing (live 2020)
6. Let The Bells Ring (live 2023)
7. Kris Kringle @ 20
8. Little Jack Frost @ 20
9. Hippo For Christmas @ 20
10. Holly And The Ivy @ 20
11. The Wren @ 20
