Review and More

Our Review

Spectacular simplicity. Just the woman and her piano, Lynn Brownell's A Minnesota Christmas is an intimate evening of personal holiday splendor. Her 15 tracks of pleasing favorites combine solemn religious numbers (including "The Lord's Prayer") with playful secular delights.

This is all about Brownell's sophisticated voice. She possesses a comfortable range, lots of genuine emotion and punch, and a smoky flexibility that rides remarkably well over a wide variety of songs. More than just technical skills, Brownell sounds like she's having a very good time, and that makes the listener smile, too. Her piano-playing is also a wonder; one track ("It's Christmastime/O Tannenbaum") is a richly-rewarding instrumental. On rare occasion, the piano slightly overcrowds Brownell's warm tones; still, the overall package is lovely.

A Minnesota Christmas is an ideal holiday pick for those who desire the intimacy of an easy-listening evening with a very talented woman who will tickle the keyboards and croon just for you and you alone. Enjoy!

--Carol Swanson
(Reviewed in 2005)

More

From the Web site:

Lynn's childhood favorite classic Christmas songs performed by Lynn Brownell. Piano and vocals.

BIO: After being around music so much as a small child, I felt really safe just going up to pianos and trying them out. My Father worked at a music store selling pianos all through my school years. Sometimes on Sundays I would tag along with a friend to my Dad's store and mess around all day. This made me feel quite free with music, and I then developed a great love for playing and singing along.

At 15, because I had such a wonderful interest in music, My parents suggested that I take piano lessons. However, after just two lessons I realized that reading dots on a page was seriously cutting into my freedom with the piano, so two lessons was all I took.

At the beginning of my college years, I realized that what I wanted to do most in life was music. So I began to work. I played in practically every high class restaurant and club in the Twin Cities - not to mention a few in New York and L.A. Somewhere during that big chunk of time when I performed everywhere, I became confident that I could write quality lyrics, and began to write songs frequently.

In 1999, I moved to New York City and I'm still getting a lot of work for events and in restaurants and such. I have recorded 7 CDs to date, and look forward to continued success for the rest of my life. Music is my life, my blood, my soul.

Lynn Brownell

A Minnesota Christmas

Order from CD Baby

Track List