Songs: Come Into My Heart, Hot Buttered Rum, My Gift To You, Almost Day, Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree, Blue Christmas, Away In A Manger, Jingle Bells, Maria, Jingle Bell Rock, It Came Upon A Midnight Clear

Personnel: David Maloney -- vocals, guitar, banjo; David R.-- bass, harmonica; Ed Sherry -- mandolin, dobro, banjo; Heidi Schwabe -- violin; Lynn Clyde -- harmony vocals; and others

Judging by the growing number of recordings available in the Christmas music section at your local record store it would seem that just about everyone this side of rap and heavy metal has a Christmas record. It's certainly true in the country and pop markets. There is so much to choose from that it can be hard to decide what to buy. But if you're looking for something that mixes a little of the traditional with something new that is not Nashville-slick and overproduced then you should check out Angels Bending Near The Earth by folksinger David Maloney.

Originally one-half of the longtime popular Bay Area duo Reilly and Maloney, David has been pursuing a solo career now for the past seven years. He continues to tour and record, and he also recently released another excellent CD called Goin' To Town. After 27 years in the music business and 16 recordings he felt the time was right to record a solo Christmas CD, and with Angels it appears as if it has been worth the wait.

There are 11 selections on Angels, with three of them written by Maloney, and they also happen to be the prettiest pieces on the CD. Come Into My Heart is an ode to winter and Christmas, My Gift To You is about the song itself being what he has to give as a gift, and the lovely Maria are all heartfelt efforts written and sung in the classic Maloney style. The sweetest song, literally and figuratively, is Hot Buttered Rum, a song written by Tommy Thompson of The Red Clay Ramblers. Almost Day is a happy Huddie Leadbetter novelty song from yore that has a nice old-timey feel to it. Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree and Jingle Bell Rock are two pop standards that swing to a saxophone, Jingle Bells fiddles along, and Blue Christmas has a crisp country feel to it. Away In A Manger is a traditional song that is done well with a cello, and the closer, It Came Upon A Midnight Clear, is also a traditional tune, with the second line of the song being where the title of this recording comes from.

Like the holiday season itself, this CD is a wonderful combination of traditional, pop and original songs by one of the Bay Area's most talented troubadours, singer and songwriter David Maloney. Your Christmas will be anything but blue when you make room for Angels Bending Near The Earth in your collection of holiday recordings.

This cool Yule recording is not yet available in stores. It can be obtained, along with his other CDs, via mail order from Pelican Records at (415) 457-9159. Or you can see David Maloney perform live at the Sweetwater in Mill Valley, along with The Westerleys and Glenn MacPherson, on the show Local Gold on Tuesday, December 10th. It is a veritable CD release party for all three acts, and CDs make for great stocking stuffers. Have a merry one.