Holly Happy Days
Holly Happy Days is the 12th studio album and first holiday album by Indigo Girls, released on October 12, 2010 by Vanguard Records. It is their third album on the IGR/Vanguard imprint.
The album contains nine standards and three originals. Their arrangements are mostly acoustic, with bluegrass music influence. The Indigo Girls chose songs from several holiday traditions, such as Woody Guthrie's Hanukkah track "Happy Joyous Hanukkah," and traditional Christmas hymns like "Angels We Have Heard on High"—arranged for guitar and mandolin in what the group called a Baroque-inspired style. Other tracks, like "Your Holiday Song," were written to include all faiths.
Critical reception
The album was praised by reviewers for outlets including PopMatters, The Independent, and All Music Guide, which called the album "an enjoyable, somewhat offbeat, and fresh take on the holiday album."Track listing
- "I Feel the Christmas Spirit"
- "It Really Is "
- "O Holy Night"
- "Your Holiday Song"
- "I'll Be Home for Christmas"
- "Mistletoe"
- "Peace Child"
- "The Wonder Song"
- "In the Bleak Midwinter"
- "Happy Joyous Hanukkah"
- "Angels We Have Heard on High"
- "There's Still My Joy"
Personnel
;Indigo Girls- Amy Ray – vocals, acoustic and electric guitar, mandolin
- Emily Saliers – vocals, acoustic guitar, nylon string acoustic guitar, ukulele
- Luke Bulla – fiddle, mandolin, rhythm acoustic guitar
- Jim Brock – percussion, finger cymbals
- Alison Brown – banjo, piccolo banjo
- Brandi Carlile – guest vocals
- Victor Krauss – bass
- Mary Gauthier – guest vocals
- Janis Ian – guest vocals
- Carol Isaacs – accordion, piano, harmonium
- Lloyd Maines – pedal steel and dobro
- John Painter – electric guitar
- Don Saliers – piano
- Julie Wolf – guest vocals and additional vocal arrangement
- Peter Collins – production
- Denise Plumb – art design
- Trina Shoemaker – mixing