Coming from Wisconsin's cherry-growing peninsula, guitarist Doc Heide and mandolin player Eric Lewis ply their instruments to an assortment of Christmas carols and hymns, veering from traditional favorites into the Episcopal Psalter of Heide's youth. The results are finely picked and strummed, with the most dynamic and textural variation often coming when they go into minor chording. The duo's straddling of classical and folk traditions, with their Spartan, dexterous arrangements, makes for a sound as suitable for active listening as for classy aural wallpaper.
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