The Indigo Girls

Holly Happy Days (IG/Vanguard)

By Joanna McNaney
Published: October 16th, 2010 | 1:00pm

That’s right: the Indigo Girls have released a holiday album. Don’t let this scare you, though—this isn’t your mother’s Christmas album, and there are even some Hanukkah tunes! Holly Happy Days is a mix of new and old songs, along with three originals written by the lovely Amy Ray and Emily Saliers. “Your Holiday Song” is classic Indigo Girls folk-rock songwriting at its best, filled with lush harmonies and tight acoustic guitar work. Some of the standard Christmas fare like “O Holy Night,” “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” and “Angels We Have Heard on High” aren’t as moving as the more charismatic performances of lesser known covers like “It Really Is (A Wonderful life)” and the enchanting bluegrass ditty, “I Feel the Christmas Spirit.” Still, it’s refreshing to hear new takes on old classics, especially when it challenges traditional Christmas album listeners to reconcile that, yes, even the Indigo Girls sing Christmas carols.

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Vanguard Records