Di Meola Al: Winter nights 1999

Elegant, melodic, and beautifully crafted, Winter Nights finds guitar hero Al Di Meola in stunning holiday form. Di Meola"'s first-ever seasonal recording features fifteen tracks, with original compositions like ""First Snow Lullaby,"" alongside touching renditions of traditional carols and contemporary standards. It"'s Al Di Meola"'s singular style of speed and precision, his ability to reconcile energy with sensitivity, that allows him to make just about any song his own-even Peter Gabriel"'s ""Mercy Street"" and Paul Simon"'s ""Scarborough Fair."" Taking chestnuts like ""The First Noël"" and ""What Child Is This?"" and making them sound fresh is no mean feat, but Di Meola pulls it off with aplomb. Another gift is his ability to conjure images so vivid, you need only close your eyes to see faraway landscapes (""Ukraine Winter Song""). Di Meola"'s renditions of ""Carol of the Bells"" and J.S. Bach"'s ""Ave Maria"" are floating and ethereal. His goose bump-giving version of ""Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"" is equally evocative, with lush acoustic guitars layered like warm blankets.