This is Loreena McKennitt's second album, released in 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.” To capture that remembered ambience, 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: 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. "The King" features vocals by Cedric Smith. Shannon Purves-Smith plays Viola on two other tracks. Everything else was done by McKennitt. "Snow" uses the words of the poem of the same name by Archibald Lampman. It was included on a Windham Hill Records album titled Celtic Christmas (1995). This is Loreena McKennitt's second album, released in 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.” To capture that remembered ambience, 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: 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. "The King" features vocals by Cedric Smith. Shannon Purves-Smith plays Viola on two other tracks. Everything else was done by McKennitt. "Snow" uses the words of the poem of the same name by Archibald Lampman. It was included on a Windham Hill Records album titled Celtic Christmas (1995). false 2025-11-08 04:19:18 To Drive the Cold Winter Away 1994 1994-01-01 1994-01-01 46 Celtic Celtic New Age Folk Folk Rock New Age Rock 119173 2159301 69816d6a-9c02-40ee-aff2-8a287e4ab363 c1e5344e-1bff-4727-9417-a4f55e41b5ff 1148a2fb-a21e-355c-84c1-bed9b7ce3f0b /media/data/media5/Music/Loreena McKennitt/To Drive the Cold Winter Away/folder.jpg Loreena McKennitt Loreena McKennitt 1 1 In Praise of Christmas 06:06 1 2 The Seasons 04:51 1 3 The King 02:05 1 4 Banquet Hall 03:53 1 5 Snow 05:38 1 6 Balulalow 03:12 1 7 Let Us the Infant Greet 03:47 1 8 The Wexford Carol 06:10 1 9 The Stockford Carol 03:06 1 10 Let All That Are to Mirth Inclined 06:59 Loreena Isabel Irene McKennitt (born February 17, 1957) is a Canadian singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and composer who writes, records, and performs world music with Celtic and Middle Eastern influences. McKennitt is known for her refined and clear soprano vocals. She has sold more than 14 million records worldwide.