To Drive the Cold Winter Away
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| To Drive the Cold Winter Away | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | January 11, 1987 | |||
| Genre | Folk · seasonal recording | |||
| Length | 44:29 | |||
| Label | Quinlan Road | |||
| Producer | Loreena McKennitt | |||
| Loreena McKennitt chronology | ||||
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| Review scores | |
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| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |    [1] |
To Drive the Cold Winter Away is Canadian musician Loreena McKennitt's second studio album, released on January 11, 1987. It pays homage to her childhood memories of music for the winter season, the most vivid of which "came from songs and carols recorded in churches or great halls, rich with their own unique ambience and tradition."[2]
To capture that remembered ambiance, McKennitt kept the arrangements sparse, celebrating the beauty of simplicity. She also chose to leave the found sounds of life in the performances, which were recorded on location in churches and great halls:[3]
- The Church of Our Lady in Guelph, Ontario, Canada
- Glenstal Abbey, A Benedictine Monastery near Limerick, Ireland
- Annaghmakerrig (The Tyrone Guthrie Centre) in County Monaghan, Ireland
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "In Praise of Christmas" (traditional) | 6:06 |
| 2. | "The Seasons" (traditional) | 4:55 |
| 3. | "The King" (traditional) | 2:04 |
| 4. | "Banquet Hall" (McKennitt) | 3:53 |
| 5. | "Snow" (Archibald Lampman, McKennitt) | 5:35 |
| 6. | "Balulalow" (traditional) | 3:09 |
| 7. | "Let Us the Infant Greet" (traditional) | 3:46 |
| 8. | "The Wexford Carol" (traditional) | 6:07 |
| 9. | "The Stockford Carol" (McKennitt) | 3:02 |
| 10. | "Let All That Are to Mirth Inclined" (traditional) | 6:52 |
| Total length: | 44:29 | |
