Friction Bailey delivered one such album a year ago that I've waited until the time was appropriate again to review even though I will confess listening to it in July a few times.

The second album from the husband, wife and parent duo of Steve and Joy Guiles, they pretty much pick up where they left off on their impressive "Tengo Yellow Pedal" debut. The only difference of course is that rather than lending their stripped down folk with the beautiful vocal blend to their own material, they are performing holiday standards.

Few songs have been covered as frequently as the catalog they've chosen here ‹ God Rest You Merry Gentlemen, O Holy Night, O Come, O Come Emmanuel, Silent Night, O Come All Ye Faithful, Deck the Halls/Drummer Boy and Auld Lang Syne ‹ but as evidenced here, there's a big difference between hearing these songs all bubblegummed up on a pop album and hearing it Friction Bailey style.

Take "Silent Night" for example. A beautiful song more or less no matter who is singing it, that for me makes me escape to a candlelight service at church on Christmas Eve, Steve and Joy strip it down to accordion and light strumming on the guitar, letting their vocals do the rest of the work.

"Christ the Child King," one of two originals on the disc, follows with a similar vibe contemplating the weight and significance of the baby Jesus in the manger that is such a familiar image this time of year. "Do we have to know about or understand redemption or the sacramental lamb? Do we have to comprehend the trinity? How he was God and he was man what that means? That this song and the original that appears earlier in the album "We Will Sing" are the two songs most likely to get regular rotation from the album on my iTunes this holiday season are evidence of Friction Bailey's songwriting prowess.

The combination of breathing fresh air into songs too often butchered by crappy pop stars and adding a pair of new holiday songs to the mix make this a wonderful holiday gift from a couple who, when the new little one on the way grows up a bit, will hopefully deliver another album of original material.

posted 12.06.04

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----- Matt Ralph has bags full of bad CD's. Add to his collection at matt@tangzine.com