M.C. Taylor, the brains behind Hiss Golden Messenger, comes on the Goldmine Podcast to talk about the Hiss Golden Messenger 2021 holiday album, O Come All Ye Faithful (Merge Records).

Taylor takes holiday music into a more contemplative realm with this release. As he puts it: "Big, brash holiday music — the type that we hear in big-box stores in the middle of December — has never resonated with me," Taylor certainly accomplishes a unique holiday mood on O Come All Ye Faithful. with renditions of holiday standards such as "Joy to the World," "Silent Night" and the title track, along with covers of Creedence Clearwater Revival's "As Long As I Can See the Light," Spiritualized's “Shine a Light” and Woody Guthrie's "Hanukkah Dance." But the best song just might be the HGM holiday original, "Grace." All songs on the album are delivered by Taylor and Hiss Golden Messenger’s extended musical family, as well as special guests that include Grammy Award-winner Aoife O’Donovan, Nathaniel Rateliff, Erin Rae and Buddy Miller.

Listen to samples of songs and Taylor's own descriptions of the music. It's a wonderful conversation to put you in the proper holiday spirit.

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