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Our Review

Under a Star is sweetly homespun music, a loving family affair. This folk/Celtic offering features the Crouthamel crew; multi-talented daughters Anne, Robbin, and Holly run the Four Calling Birds studio with mother Gail. This largely instrumental album presents spritely arrangements of holiday classics and two Crouthamel originals. This is fun folk music of the feel-good variety.

Originally trained on the violin, viola and piano since an early age, sisters Anne, Robbin, and Holly play a whole host of folk instruments on Under a Star, including dulcimers, the tambourine, and the Irish flute. Robbin composed the two new numbers (the only ones with vocals; Holly bravely steps up to the microphone) and handled the arrangements on the familiar carols. As she crafted the colorful arrangements, she actually threw in a few new instruments for her sisters to master before the pieces were recorded, and they proved themselves up to the task. The music is upbeat, and the arrangements are quite complex. Interestingly, Robbin has thrown in some electric guitar, which provides an offbeat rock sensibility to some numbers.

The album opens well with a buoyant Joy to the World, which exudes both an old world and a contemporary (electric guitar) vibe. I particular liked He is Born, the Divine Christ Child; the robust fiddles convey almost a hoe-down effect. The rich violin harmonies on the melancholy Coventry Carol also swept me away.

The Crouthamels are an impressive family, and they have accomplished much through love, dedication, faith, and hard work. Their Under a Star CD is a fine first offering from their newly-built Four Calling Birds home/studio in Bucks County, PA.

--Carol Swanson
(Reviewed in 2006)

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From the liner notes:

Four Calling Birds

Anne--Violin, Viola, Electric Guitar, Drums, Tambourine
Robbin--Piano, Hammered Dulcimer, Keyboard, Viola, Irish Flute, Drums
Holly--Violin, Mountain Dulcimer, Acoustic and Electric Guitars, Irish Flute, Drums, Vocal

Anne, Robbin, and Holly Crouthamel were homeschooled and studied classical music on vilins, piano, and viola from early ages. Their private music teachers included faculty members of the Curtis Institute and the Juilliard School, as well as members of the Philadelphia Orchestra. From the beginning of their music educations, Anne, Robbin, and Holly enjoyed performing both together and separately in recitals, concerts, and church services. As they grew, they participated in youth orchestras and chamber music groups, won numerous scholarships and competitions, and performed as soloists with orchestras in NJ and PA. When the girls discovered an interest in Celtic and American folk music, they taught themselves to play the hammered and mountain dulcimers, acoustic guitar, drums, and quena....

The girls and their mother, Gail, started their art and music studio, Four Calling Birds, Ltd., in 1999.

During 2006, Four Calling Birds' major music project was to arrange, compose, and produce a new Christmas CD. Robbin began arranging and composing the music early in the year. As is her custom, when she finished each arrangement, Robbin left Anne's and Holly's instrument parts on their beds for them to find and learn. On more than one occasion this year, their delight over a new piece was mixed with surprise. Some of the parts were for instruments they'd never played! But, with their typical enthusiasm for new challenges, they marched off to purchase new instruments and add the Irish flute, electric guitar, tambourine, and drums to their growing music vocabularies.

By the summer's end, with most of the recording completed, Anne and Holly were in for another thrill. Robbin had written two new original Christmas compositions, which included vocal parts. Since none of the girls have ever had vocal training of any sort, we all greatly appreciated Holly's willingness to step up to the plate (microphone) and sing these special new pieces to complete "Under a Star."
--Gail (Mama bird)

Anne, Robbin, and Holly

Under a Star

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Track List