THE KNIGHTS BEFORE CHRISTMAS | ALLMUSIC.COM

The Knights Before Christmas Review by James Manheim

The Brooklyn-based string orchestra The Knights has a progressive edge, performing and recording contemporary music as well as standard repertory. One might not think there'd be much room for a contemporary edge on a Christmas album, but The Knights Before Christmas fills the bill and offers a refreshing lushness in a musical scene often marked by innocuous calm. Although there are vocals on many of the tracks, this is very much a Knights album, with string arrangements done mostly by members of the group. They are fairly complex, and the traditional tunes are done in such a way that they reside comfortably next to one of Bartók's Romanian Christmas Carols, Sz. 57. They are an international lot, with a couple (including O Holy Night) in Spanish, a Hebrew instrumental tune, and appearances by pipa virtuoso Wu Man, with whom The Knights have worked before, and by the folk group, I'm with Her, in a rhythmically intricate The Little Drummer Boy. The group even ventures into jazz/R&B with vocalist Krystle Warren on Another Lonely Christmas. Apart from the album's seasonal uses, there are genuinely original ideas here, and those looking for a Christmas release with the side benefit of exploring new ideas will be especially enthusiastic.