The results are finally in!  "A Midnight Clear - Christmas in Mitford" ranked number one on the world radio charts for December, 2011.  Special thanks to all of the talented musicians who contributed to this 16 track album and to Jan Karon for her inspiration and creative touch in designing the cover to the CD.  

This is my fourth number one album and I want to thank Ed Bonk of LAZZ Promotions for all of his tremendous assistance in getting the word out to radio stations all over the world.  I couldn't do it without Ed and all of the supportive radio hosts from the US to Australia.

Other number one albums were Simple Beauty in 2010, Blue Ridge Reunion in 2008 and Peaceful Journey in 2005.  Two albums peaked at number two on the radio charts - I Am a River and Christmas in Carolina.

http://www.zonemusicreporter.com/charts/Top100.asp

I would like to thank Dr. Garry Crites of Duke University for this thoughtful and eloquent review of "A Midnight Clear."   Garry is a music historian and offers a fresh and interesting insight. 

To me, one of the best parts of the Christmas season is the combination of the old and the new, the traditional and the up-to-date. There is great joy in the lights, the ornaments, the scents, and the tastes that have marked the Yule season for decades. But if you have your eyes open, there is always something fresh and exciting just around the corner: new sights, new sounds, new experiences.

It is this melding of the time-honored and the contemporary that makes Bill Leslie's most recent CD so pleasurable. In A Midnight Clear, one finds a comfort in the old hymns and carols of Christmas from several different traditions. Because of his previous explorations in Celtic fusion, one would expect Leslie to shine in his renditions of music from the British Isles and Appalachia, and he does not let us down. From the moving opening cadences of the Coventry Carol, to the distantly mountain feel of "I Wonder as I Wander," with its western North Carolina roots, Bill takes his cultural history and makes it his own, with his distinctive arrangements and instrumentation. But he also presents other regional carols with authenticity and insight. Perhaps the most lovely is his arrangement of "Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence," which weaves together harp, cello, and Celtic whistle into an utterly haunting study of an old French carol.

But in a unique twist, North Carolina's bard has included a collection of new songs based upon the Mitford book series of North Carolina author Jan Karon. Those of us who have loved the books will appreciate how well the songs reflect the charming mythical village. The faithfulness and aching loneliness of the parish priest, the diverse, but somehow similar, voices of his parishioners, the wisp of Christmas snow falling with increasing volume on the mountain village rooftops, the divine mystery of Word becoming flesh which is celebrated at the midnight Eucharist—all are there for us to experience through these songs. They ring out with such sincerity and depth, that one senses that they have been written by someone who knows the story intimately; the musician from Morganton closes his eyes and can see every path and byway in Mitford.

Bill Leslie has given us a wonderful present this Christmas, a gift of much-beloved traditions and much-anticipated surprises. It is a package filled with all that is good and right and magical about this holy season.

Garry J. Crites

Duke University

Special thanks to California's Michael Diamond for the latest review of "A Midnight Clear."  I express mailed a copy of the album to Michael and he listened to and reviewed all 16 songs in one day.  Wow!  That's got to be a record.  Many thanks to Michael for his thoughtful words and eloquent style.  He is also an excellent musician.  Here is the link to his review:

http://michaeldiamondmusic.com/2011/12/14/a-midnight-clear-christmas-in-mitford/

Bill Leslie & Lorica will perform in Holy Springs, NC Saturday, December 17 at 7:30PM instead of 8:00PM as was previously reported.

This will be a special holiday concert featuring tracks from the new album “A Midnight Clear – Christmas in Mitford” and also some songs from previous albums. Dulcimer Dan Gilvary will join the band to play the title track from the new CD. We know you will enjoy Dan and also the group’s rendition of “Winter Rose,” the popular new Christmas vocal piece.

Please join us for A heartwarming and intimate concert at the Holly Springs Cultural Center. For ticket information follow this link:

 http://secure.etix.com/ticket/online/performanceSearch.jsp?performance_id=1549674&searchType=venue

Bill Binkelman is a long time icon in the music industry.  His reviews are read and respected worldwide by thousands and thousands of people every year.  Obviously I am delighted by what Bill had to say about A Midnight Clear - Christmas in Mitford.

As I transition to reviewing 2011 releases, I start off with my pick for the best seasonal, i.e. not just holiday, recording of the year. A Midnight Clear, featuring the stellar (as usual) work of multi-instrumentalist Bill Leslie and a crew of hugely talented accompanists, is not as centered around traditional carols as many of the other releases this year. Seven of the sixteen tracks are Leslie originals, and even the "traditional" selections include some that are less actively associated with just Christmas. The inspiration for the album came from Leslie's admiration for Jan Karon's series of books about the town of Mitford. The artist and Karon came up with the idea of a holiday music collection of music that would musically convey the imaginary town and the result is this extremely pleasing and enjoyable collection. As on many of Leslie's previous releases, some of the tracks have a distinct Irish flavor, owing to the presence of Celtic whistles (played by Leslie), hammered dulcimer, harp and violin, as well as the very melodies themselves. Other instrumentation on the CD includes guitar, piano, keyboards, cello, percussion, mandolin, oboe, and some vocals. Leslie's originals display his characteristic warm, rich melodies and astute blending of instruments, especially the Irish-flavored Mitford Carol. As I've stated in past reviews, the artist and his accompanists have evolved into the second coming of the ground-breaking Celtic fusion instrumental group Nightnoise. Some of the songs on A Midnight Clear kick up their heels a bit, while others take a low key approach, so the variety of the music makes this ideal accompaniment to all manner of both holiday and seasonal activity. A Midnight Clear is this year's class act and provides a versatile collection of seasonal and wintry music performed by musicians at the height of their talent!

Rating: Excellent

Please check out our latest music video. It’s called December Dance. The music is taken from the new A Midnight Clear – Christmas in Mitford album. The video features some gorgeous watercolors from William Mangum of Greensboro. William graciously allowed us to use some of his art work to help capture the mood of mythical Mitford.

http://www.billleslie.com/apps/videos/videos/show/15316775-december-dance

Starting with a 59 cent tray of watercolors Mangum has painted more than 3,000 glorious scenes across North Carolina. Tonight UNC Television is presenting a documentary on Mangum at 8:00PM. The program features scenes from his new book North Carolina Beautiful. I recently interviewed William at WRAL and he is a wonderful man with a heart of gold and genuine love for North Carolina. In many ways his paintings reflect the same kind of pastoral serenity that I try to portray in my songs about North Carolina.

December Dance was inspired by my own memories of a Christmas Eve church dance in Western North Carolina where I grew up. I hope you enjoy the stunning visuals of Bill Mangum and the music featuring a strong cast of guest musicians mandolinist John Santa. John volunteered himself for this CD and I am glad he did. He said “every Christmas album needs a Santa!”

Order “A Midnight Clear – Christmas in Mitford” from this web site and your order will be immediately processed. We are fully stocked and ready to ship the CD to you. All you have to do is visit our Web Store. We use Google Exchange which is easy and safe for you. We appreciate your business very much.

Some of our retailers have reported some problems in keeping up with demand for the new album. We are working to rectify those problems immediately. Thank you for your patience.

Again we will handle your order here promptly and personally. Don’t be surprised if you receive a personal note with your order.

http://www.billleslie.com/webstore.htm

I wanted to share this wonderful review from Raj Manoharan. I think you will enjoy his thoughtful, insightful and beautifully written critique of A Midnight Clear - Christmas in Mitford.

http://www.rajmanreviews.blogspot.com/

I had a great time interviewing American Idol Scotty McCreery during the 2011 WRAL-TV Raleigh Christmas Parade.  Co-anchoring Kelcey Carlson and I had about 15 minutes with the country star. 

Check out the latest photos.  Scotty said he played my first Christmas album on his CD player on his drive to the parade.  That was so nice of him to mention that.  I met Scotty last December at a show in Johnston County before he was a star.  He is a super nice guy!

Scotty starts a major tour the first of the year.

We’ve added ten new videos to our web site. I hope you will check them out. Special thanks to Jeff Reeves for posting these musical essays. The videos feature many of my photographs but also include some stunning shots from Irish photographers George Karbus and John Hall and Graham Dainty of New Zealand.

http://www.billleslie.com/apps/videos/

We’ve also added a clip from last year’s concert with John Tesh in Raleigh at Meymandi Hall. Special thanks to videographer Bill Jensen of Billum Video, Inc. of Chapel Hill for putting together the concert highlights. When I listen to John Tesh introducing our band I can’t help but think back to our old radio days together when we worked as news reporters at WKIX. I taught John how to run the news console and work the microphone. He now has one of the best voices in broadcasting. John remains a dear friend and I can’t thank him enough for his continued support. John was the one who hoisted me out of musical malaise in the mid 1990’s and inspired me to start writing and recording again. I am so glad he did!

Anyway I hope you enjoy the videos. There will be more to come with the new album.