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Ring the Bells of Christmas is a tasty holiday treat featuring two valuable ingredients. First, singer/fiddler Karen Pendley offers a great country resume (having served as a featured vocalist and fiddle player at many prominent Nashville venues) and warmly-crafted, crystalline vocals. Second, add a large dollop of bluegrass guitarist Curtis Jones, whose flying fingers provide truly accomplished support. The end result is a most satisfying acoustic snack enriched with folk/country/bluegrass seasonings. Sweet!

Pendley's release presents eight tracks over only 27 minutes, and I wish the richly-crafted refrains could have lasted much longer. Ring the Bells of Christmas blends four ancient carols with delightful contemporary choices such as Bill Monroe's exuberant Christmas Time's A-Comin', an excellent opener, and Willie Nelson's poignant Pretty Paper. Pendley's soulful treatment of the latter is an emotional treasure. The title track is extremely cool; I was singing along with the catchy chorus well before the excellent song ended. As for the more traditional numbers, I especially enjoyed Hark! The Herald Angels Sing for its exquisite guitar intro, bright fiddle interlude, and heavenly vocal harmonies.

Karen Pendley's Ring the Bells of Christmas is a first-class country offering that will leave you wanting more!

--Carol Swanson
(Reviewed in 2006)

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From the liner notes:

Producer: Martin Norgaard
Co-Producer: Karen Pendley
Recorded at Adair Road Studio
Engineered by Martin Norgaard

Karen Pendley: lead vocals, harmony vocals, fiddle and flute
Curtis Jones: acoustic steel string guitar, nylon string guitar, mandolin
Martin Norgaard: fiddle
Lawson White: percussion
Marilyn Barclay: up-right bass, harmony vocals
John David: harmony vocals

Karen Pendley

Ring the Bells of Christmas

Artist link

Track List