If On a Winter's Night, Sting (Deutsche Grammophon)

Where Bob Dylan threw himself wholeheartedly into a 1940s-50s pop Christmas on his new holiday disc, Sting went a lot farther back -- three to six centuries, in fact. This probably won't be a surprise to the folks who remember his recent CD Songs From the Labyrinth, a similar excursion into early folk and classical music with period instrumentation. The Police-man designed this 2009 album as less of a holiday celebration and more of a reflection on the winter season, highs and lows alike. Sting contributed two originals to this album, "Lullaby for an Anxious Child" and "The Hounds of Winter," and he translated a Schubert song from a winter song cycle, "Hurdy Gurdy Man" (no relation to Donovan). The rest of the album consists of mid-millenium holiday and winter songs, including a new version of "Gabriel's Message," which Sting previously performed for A Very Special Christmas. There's a deluxe version of the disc that adds a making-of video and a bonus cut, "Blake's Cradle Song," the iTunes edition features another bonus cut, "Bethlehem Down," and a live version of the album on CD and DVD is slated for late November. All told, this is a strong artistic expression for the season, but there's nothing rock 'n roll about it -- this is strictly antique folk music, much like the Blackmore's Night holiday album of a few years ago.