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The concept is quite simple, really. Can the lovely, gentle refrains of a solo acoustic harp affect healing? Relieve pain? Lower blood pressure? Help patients relax for better focus? Although scientific evidence may be unclear, you do not have to be a physician to know that beautiful, soothing music can have a profound effect on how we feel as human beings. Cure our medical ills? Perhaps not, but it certainly will not make us any worse, and this new age instrumental music is surely good for the soul.

Amy Camie first began recording harp music when a friend entered hospice care, and she has been helping people every since. Although the harp is no magic potion and will never replace my arthritis medication, it can curb the sharp edges of a particularly harsh day, and Camie's Christmas Love is just the vehicle to do it. Her playing is light, delicate, and emotional. The tempo is rather deliberate--no sprints or swirling runs to distract. Camie has chosen 14 pieces that reflect the more reverent moments of the holidays--no "Frosty" or "Rudolph" here. My favorite tracks here include the incredibly fragile "Do You Hear What I Hear" and the closing "Stille Nacht" (done with the wondrous Chip Davis arrangement of Mannheim Steamroller fame). The fact that Came employs arrangements by Davis and (new age star) Jim Brickman tells you a lot about her and this excellent music.

Amy Camie, I thank you for your exquisite album, Christmas Love. I feel better already! Merry Christmas!

--Carol Swanson
(Reviewed in 2005)

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From the liner notes:

Amy Camie: Solo Acoustic Harp
Producer: John Camie
Engineer: Adam Long

"This CD was inspired by the light in my children's eyes, the love in my husband's heart and the joyous little girl in me who wanted to come out and play." --Amy Camie

From the Web site:

Amy's joyful interpretations of Christmas favorites, arranged by Jim Brickman, Chip Davis and Michael Scott, truly captures the magical spirit of the holidays.

Influenced by her parents, who were both music teachers, Amy began her music career at an early age. She began piano lessons in kindergarten and harp lessons in the fourth grade.

Amy is a graduate of Indiana University where she studied harp with two of the most respected teachers in the country: Susanne McDonald and Linda Wood. Amy now lives in St. Louis, Missouri with her family and continues to play harp professionally.

She is currently conducting scientific research with William Collins, Ph.D., a psychologist and neurotherapist in St. Louis, to determine the impact of her music on the immune systems of newly diagnosed breast cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. She hopes to provide scientific validation for the importance of music in the healing process.

Amy Camie

Christmas Love: Celebrating the Child Within

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Track List