Mossy Creek

Each year, Mid-Valley Title commissions a Christmas album from a talented local band. This year, bluegrass band Mossy Creek got tapped for the job. Christmas with Mossy Creek is a very likeable collection of Christmas tunes. Singer Erin Haley opens with a pretty version of the praise song “Beautiful Star of Bethlehem.” Perennial favorites such as “Winter Wonderland,” “What Child Is This?” and “Silent Night” all pleasantly appear on the disc, as well an admirable version of Peter, Paul and Mary’s vocally interesting “A Soalin’,” showcasing the vocal abilities of Erin Haley, her dad Pat Haley, mandolinist Kim Gimbal and guitarist (and Dobro player) Dean Mott. Pat Haley (also on banjo, Dobro and synthesizer) wrote the one original on the CD, a cute little song sung by Erin called “Santa’s R & R”: “Take a pause, Santa Claus/ You’re working your fingers till they’re weak/ Now Mrs. Kringle, she’s feelin’ single/ Says she hasn’t seen you much these last few weeks.” Available at www.mossycreek.org.