A Folk Song Christmas

All Ages

Birth - 12 months

by Phil Rosenthal

This recording stands out from other Christmas albums by transforming classic Christmas carols into catchy folk and bluegrass tunes. Phil Rosenthal, his children Daniel and Naomi, and many musical guests perform together and independently throughout the album. The instruments range from the usual folk instruments of fiddle, guitar, mandolin, bass, and banjo, to more obscure instruments including the debro, flute, berimbau, mandola, flugelhorn, dulcimer, and various percussion instruments.

Age: 4 Year-olds | Title: A Folk Song Christmas | Artist: Phil Rosenthal | Label: American Melody

Why we chose this music

Hearing traditional Christmas songs in untraditional tempos and instruments will be a wonderful learning experience for your little one. Have they ever heard a dobro? This member of the guitar family is prominently featured in many songs on this album. "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" illustrates the unique sounds of both the dobro and the berimbau (a single string percussion instrument). The more common instruments are also very appropriately placed; Rosenthal's son, Daniel, plays the trumpet behind the all-female vocals of "Hark! The Herald Sing" for a lovely effect, and the fiddle nicely reflects the female melodies in "Away in a Manager". "Little Drummer Boy" impressively breaks the mold by presenting a clear and catchy beat without using the expected snare drum! There is also a great balance of instrumental songs dispersed between the folk carols, allowing your child ample opportunities to experience the music and new sounds and combinations.

Some less common Christmas songs also appear for a few surprises - new Christmas songs for your little one! - "Mary Had a Baby", "The Eyee Came to the Door A-Bleatin'", and the upbeat "Breakin' up Christmas", which sounds like a regular hoedown! It will definitely get you bouncing to the beat, if not up on your feet dancing. The majority of the songs are great for snuggling or bonding together in the living room and enjoying the Christmas tree, whether you're singing with the songs or letting them lead your thoughts. A fun and unique offering in this CD is the interesting facts about each song and its origins included in the inside cover. Did you know that "Jingle Bells" was originally written by James Pierpont for his Sunday school students to perform as a Thanksgiving program? You can bond with your little one over discussing where the songs came from.

My four-year-old niece, Emily, LOVES Christmas music, so I was excited to introduce her to this wonderful CD. She sang along with all the songs she knew, and hummed along with the ones she didn't. "The Twelve Days of Christmas" is her favorite, even though the only line she can remember is "five golden rings." She makes up the other ones (she has the counting part down), and it is often times more entertaining than the actual song. Most recently, she had, "four Spongebob Squarepants, three little mermaids, two Emilys, and a big "ol present for me!"

--Audra

About the music and song list

Performing on A Folk Song Christmas is Phil Rosenthal, Daniel Rosenthal, Beth Sommers, Naomi Sommers, Sunia Carrol, Jeff McQuillan, Linda Schrade, Dave Kiphuth, Stacy Phillips, Debi Smith, and Dan Tressler. It was produced and engineered by Phil Rosenthal, and recorded at Rosenthal's record label American Melody in 2001.

Phil Rosenthal is a well-known singer, songwriter, recording artist, and record producer. He sings, and plays guitar, banjo, and mandolin. Phil even still teaches private guitar lessons today for any level musician. He began his career as a professional musician in the 1970s in two local New England bluegrass bands. He joined The Seldom Scene in 1977 and performed in the United States, Europe and Japan. He even played at the Grand Old Opry and the White House. The Seldom Scene received a Grammy nomination for their album, Scene 20.

In 1986, Rosenthal left the band and founded the record label American Melody with his wife. American Melody is focused on producing bluegrass and folk music for families and children, and has won many awards from the Parents' Choice Foundation, and the American Library Association.

Song List

1) Away in a Manger (3:20)

2) The Twelve Days of Christmas (4:57)

3) The Ewe Came to the Door A-Bleatin'/ Christmas Day in the Morning (2:39)

4) God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen (3:07)

5) Hark! The Herald Angels Sing (3:18)

6) Jingle Bells (3:17)

7) Mary Had a Baby (3:20)

8) Good King Wenceslas (3:14)

9) Silent Night (2:48)

10) The Little Drummer boy (4:03)

11) Go Tell it on the Mountain (2:53)

12) Breakin' Up Christmas (1:55)

13) Peace (3:25)

14) Deck the Halls (3:05)

15) O Little Town of Bethlehem (3:45)

16) We Wish You a Merry Christmas (4:24)

What our customers are saying

If you know a child who loves music then you will definitely want to check out this CD. I wanted to introduce my children to folk and bluegrass songs and instruments such as the banjo, fiddle, guitar, flute and many more. This is one holiday CD that can be enjoyed by the entire family and I absolutely love the renditions of "Mary Had a Baby" and "God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman." This is joyous and it is sure to get everyone moving as my own children (and even my husband) were dancing around the room and singing. The vocals in this CD are exceptional, the unique arrangements are pleasing and interesting and overall this is wonderful album to celebrate the holiday season.

--Maureen, Sanford, FL