BYU grad's CD gets into holiday spirit

It is no secret that Halloween is my favorite day of the year.

I love the chill of the evenings. I love the sound of the leaves as the wind scatters them all over the yard and street. And I love seeing all the macabre decorations.

I also like the music. Last year I really got into three Halloween-themed CDs — Little Steven Van Zant's compilation "Halloween a Go-Go," Walt Disney's "Nightmare Revisited" and Eban Schletter's "Witching Hour."

This year, the pickings are slim, but I recently received a disc from Brigham Young University graduate Kristen Lawrence.

Lawrence is a classically trained organist/singer and composer.

The disc is called "A Broom With a View." It's available at www.CDbaby.com, www.halloweencarols.com and www.kristenlawrence.com. Later this month, it should be available at www.amazon.com.

"A Broom With a View" is a 13-track CD of what Lawrence calls "Halloween Carols."

The CD will grow on the listener. There are some hits and misses, and during the misses, Lawrence sounds like she is trying a bit too hard to sound mysterious. But the arrangements overall are atmospheric and find their way into the listener's subconscious.

I have found myself humming the various melodies — even my least favorite track, "Cats in the Catacombs."

The use of the organ can get a little heavy-handed at times, but Lawrence pulls in some nice keyboard effects that lighten things up.

Songs such as "Mostly Ghostly," "Dark Glass," "Sleeping Dust (Death Lullaby)," "Flabby Bat" and "Vampire Empire" show Lawrence's musical finesse.

Furthermore, it is obvious that Lawrence has been inspired by Disneyland's "Haunted Mansion," which she haunted quite frequently while growing up in Orange County, Calif.

The haunting waltzes and pentatonic-scale arrangements on "A Broom With a View" would feel right at home with those "Grim Grinning Ghosts" in the amusement park's New Orleans Square.

The CD also features two versions of "Souling Song," which are based on a traditional English carol.

Since Halloween is essentially a celebration that combines pagan and Christian elements, Lawrence created an "All Hallows Version" and "Shamhain Version" of "Souling Song."

The "All Hallows Version" features cathedral bells and prayerlike lyrics, and the "Samhain Version" (she even pronounces Shamhain correctly — SOW-in) has a more percussive and primal edge that features lyrics about the dead coming back for a visit and a snack.

And, yes, the "Samhain Version" is my favorite of the two.

In addition, Lawrence added some instrumental versions of select tracks.

"A Broom With a View" isn't a bad release. But some listeners will come away wanting more.

e-mail: scott@desnews.com