The Oh Hellos
The Oh Hellos’s Family Christmas Album
What would the holidays be without more holiday music that sounds just like last year’s holiday music? You may call it tradition, or endless repacking, or a lack of creativity, but it’s a major industry and there’s not much you can do about it except enjoy it. One option to consider is this fiddle and mandolin collection of traditional carols and hymns redone in a San Marco, Texas style.
The Oh Hellos take old favorites including “Silent Night” and “Oh Come, Oh Come Emanuel” and “Oh Come All Ye Faithful” and mashed them up with “I Saw Three Ships” and Joy to the World”. The result is a zippy, pleasant half hour. You can sing along if you wish, and the country string sound cuts the edge off the syrupiness of the seasonal sounds. Both Tyler and Maggie Heath sing; it’s a brother and sister duo that is as authentic as they come. The effect is somewhere between a camp revival and a really competent children choir. While they are four tracks on this project, there are maybe a dozen songs, and there’s a free flowing jam energy under it all. I received this as a download, but I suspect you can find a CD somewhere to wrap and stuff a stocking with.
