Welsh Wednesday #16

#16: O Tannenbaum by Cerys Matthews

What makes Christmas bearable? Well, a Cerys Matthews record can certainly help. In 2012, Cerys released 'Baby, It's Cold Outside', a selection of Christmas carols she performs in her own unique style, her wonderful Welsh lilt accompanied by acoustic instrumentation - guitars, banjos, harps, etc. Somehow, when these songs are sung by Cerys, it's like you've never heard them before, as if she breathes new life into them.

Sadly, for some bizarre reason, she saw fit to include the duet with Tom Jones she released some years before, the song that gives this record its name. It sticks out like a sore thumb and absolutely does not belong here. But that leaves 14 other gems to choose from and I've decided to go for her rendition of the German folk song O Tannenbaum (O Christmas Tree) in which Cerys even attempts a verse in the German language. I can't tell how good her German is, or if there's a noticeable Welsh accent - I'll leave it to Dirk and Walter to offer their thoughts. Either way, it's delightful.