Cori Connors' News

Cori Connors relied on her love of music when she was asked to write lyrically based songs for the oratorio Saints on the Seas, a composition commemorating the early pioneers who sailed to America from the British Isles and Scandinavia, meant for a 2001 European commemoration of the Saints. Connors's compositions spoke of the hearts, and heartaches, of those early Church members who sailed across the ocean on their way to Zion before they ever took a step on the trail westward.

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Our Review

Four years ago, I reviewed Sleepy Little Town, one of my favorite holiday albums ever (reviewed here). Now here comes remarkable Cori Connors with a brand new Christmas album entitled One Small Boy. Fantastic!

In order to embrace One Small Boy or Sleepy Little Town, you have to have a taste for newly-minted holiday tunes. After all, Christmas is all about nostalgia, and we love hugging the imprint of favorite melodies from long ago. Listening to age-old carols is like time travel; you move comfortably from year to year, almost like Scrooge in the company of the Ghost of Christmas Past. It takes a real artist to drag us to Christmas Present and Future with original music. Cori Connors is such an artist; her gentle, buoyant, and expertly-written folk music makes us believe in the magic of Christmas all over again.

Connors has put together some dandies for One Small Boy, and the extensive liner notes contain all the lyrics. The opening cut is the title track, and its message is simple, direct, and beautiful. Daughter Kate provides the backing vocals on this one, and the harmonies are fluid and emotive. The lyrics are priceless ("A perfect life; a noble death/No greater love; no truer friend/In my heart He's born again/One Small Boy"), and the melody wraps itself around the message like the softest, most supportive blanket.

For me, great music is all about "the voice," and Connors has the clarity and texture to make each piece speak personally to the listener. I love this kind of music, which presents itself rarely and provokes true emotion without being overindulgent.

Happily, Connors does not confine herself to her terrific original numbers (like the charming Hannaleh!). In fact, she presents more traditional carols here than on Sleepy Little Town. Her heartbreakingly beautiful, minimalist approach to In the Bleak Midwinter makes it one of the best renditions I have ever heard. By the time the violin kicked in, I was almost in tears. Connors' treatment of the ubiquitous Silent Night similarly impresses; I really like her inclusion of extra bars, providing pauses between the phrasing of "Silent Night" and "Holy Night," etc. Her Noel creatively springs from the foundation of The First Noel; this sweet transformation makes you see the well-loved carol in a whole new light.

I have never cared much (relatively speaking) for Auld Lang Syne, but Connors gives the traditional Scottish tune an uplifting turn. This is what I appreciate most about Cori Connors; she transforms tired retreads into fresh discoveries and effortlessly crafts new friends that feel familiar the first time through.

Never heard of Cori Connors? Shame on you! Connors is amazing, and One Small Boy is a worthy successor to Sleepy Little Town.
--Carol Swanson (Reviewed in 2009)

ONE SMALL BOY, the latest recording of Cori's newest Christmas Songs, is on its way. Cori says: "I'm in love with the stories these songs tell, and the sweetness of the old traditional tunes I've chosen for this album. It has been such a joy to embrace the spirit and warmth of Christmas this past year as we have worked on this project. I loved doing Sleepy Little Town in the same studio with most of the same fabulous musicians. Michael Dowdle's beautiful guitar work lays a solid acoustic foundation to the songs. Theresa Ellis once again created sweet string arrangements. Mark Stephenson, who arranged and played piano on You Would Have Loved This, has created a hauntingly beautiful piano arrangement for In the Bleak Midwinter. Mark was also the studio engineer on this whole album, as he was on Sleepy Little Town. Michael Huff's magical hands testify on the piano for Give Me Jesus. My dear friends Dave and Carla Eskelsen and Mark Robinette lend their gifts with instruments and voice, and my daughters Kate and Annie provide sweet familial harmonies. They are joined by other amazing artists in creating this musical portrait.

The spirit of that first Christmas album, Sleepy Little Town, permeated the space where we worked. I had a little ceramic house that lit up in the dark. It glowed in the corner of the room when I recorded both albums, and the scent of the same pine candle filled the air. That candle is pretty much spent now. If no one ever hears this album it will still have been a cherished memory just creating it. Though, truth be known, I want the common warm blooded good person to be able to feel the spirit of peace when they hear this music. That's why I make it. I hope you can feel what I felt in writing, arranging and recording these songs."