• Wondrous Love, 2000
• Christmas Carols, 2000

It's always refreshing to hear recordings hit the scene from "new talent", especially in a genre as relatively narrow as Celtic Christian. Caroline Bowles' Wondrous Love and Christmas Carols are two such recordings. Bowles, who has for several years led worship at contemporary services at St. John the Divine Episcopal Church in Houston, Texas, has selected several folk hymns that are important parts of Christian musical heritage, and updated them to appeal to the aesthetic sensibilities of modern audiences. Musically, these recordings combine elements of new age music with more subtle folk and Celtic influences.

Wondrous Love, 2000 Radio Angel Music

From the bagpipe-emulating electric guitar work of "My Shepherd" to the real shuttle pipes of "Amazing Grace", to the clear Celtic flavor of "Wondrous Love's" cello accompaniment, this album contains several Celtic punctuation points among a sea of mellow contemporary music. It is all tied together, however, with the haunting percussion work of Ray Dillard, which I consider to be one of this recording's most distinctive elements. As an example, "I Will Arise" is a sweet ethereal piece whose tonal instrumentation is limited to cello and flute, but its impressive percussion keeps it moving along. Though reminscient of Michael Card's adaptation of this old hymn, Carolyn's is more mellow and less melodramatic.

Also impressive is Karen Leslie Birch's fresh oboe treatment in "St. Patrick's Hymn". The oboe is joined by a pleasing hammered dulcimer arrangement; I haven't heard this familiar hymn quite this way before.

--Cory C. Engel, CelticChristianTunes.com

Christmas Carols, 2000 Radio Angel Music

Despite it's deceptively plain title, this album is anything but ordinary.

These tracks gain a new personality on this disc, thanks largely to the arrangement and conducting of Paul English, who also contributed his keyboarding and production skills to the project. The orchestration adds a certain richness to these familiar sacred hymns.

Celtic influences in this album are somewhat more subtle than in Wondrous Love, but nonetheless clear in the Highland pipes of "Away in a Manger" and "In the Bleak Midwinter". Continuity of this style is maintained by harp and flute emphases in several songs.

Music selection is important when considering holiday music purchases, so I've taken the liberty of listing the tracks below:

• O Come, O Come Emmanuel
• Of the Father's Love Begotten
• Creator of the Stars of Night
• Lo, How a Rose e'er Blooming
• What Child is This?
• Huron Carol
• A Stable Lamp is Lighted
• Away in a Manger
• When Jesus Left His Father's Throne
• Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence
• In the Bleak Midwinter
• O Little Town of Bethlehem
• Silent Night

I really enjoyed these choices of songs; they seem to flow somehow, unlike the smattering of tunes often heard on Christmas CDs. Like "Wondrous Love", this album is representative of the continuity of a strong Christian musical heritage from ancient times to the present. While the lyrics and music of most of these tunes were composed in the 19th century, some lyrics date back to the 4th century, with music composed in the 11th century.

I encourage you to listen to clips from these recordings at Radio Angel. Both are available at Barnes & Noble Booksellers, Borders Books & Music Cafe, and Body Mind & Soul Books, Inc. CDs and cassettes may also be purchased on line at Radio Angel.