by Roch Parisien
In a style that crosses Mark Knopfler and Jerry Donahue with a hint of Ry Cooder, Canadian dobro/mandolin/guitarist Don Ross offers tasteful, often inventive arrangements of English, German, and French traditionals. Some harp, keyboard, trumpet and delicate percussion embellishments apply, but in general the sparser the better here. Highlights include a freeform, digeridoo-inflected "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen" and a more literal but lovely "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring."