Over The Rhine: Blood Oranges in the Snow

Holiday albums generally fall into one of two categories—seasonal standards reinterpreted with a pop approach, or original offerings that take a spiritual slant. Blood Oranges in the Snow finds Over The Rhine bridging the divide with a set of tunes that sound like immediate Christmas classics. Given the group’s sensitive songwriting and hushed harmonies, they’re well up to the task; though they eschew a wholly religious regimen, they evoke the spirit of the season with crisp images of snow-covered fields and the nostalgic glow of home and hearth. Much of the album is given to wistful reflection—the beguiling title track, a hopeful “First Snowfall,” the quietly yearning interpretation of Merle Haggard’s “If We Make It Through December”— but none is so specific as to deter year-round enjoyment. Coming on the heels of last year’s Meet Me at the Edge of the World, it’s as welcome as the first sighting of Santa.