Friday, December 17, 2004 - The Halifax Herald

RyLee Madison wrote 70 per cent of the songs (or with collaborators Jamie Robinson and Ken Tobias) on her new CD, Christmas at Home, while standards like It Came Upon a Midnight Clear and Deck the Halls get a Madison makeover that's most welcome. The recipe for Madison's mother's potato stuffing is included in the liner notes along with one for Banana Oatmeal and Cranberry muffins.

A musical recipe from Madison
Mix of self-penned, old songs summon up Christmas spirit
By ANDREA NEMETZ / Entertainment Reporter

Included in the list of RyLee Madison's 10 favourite things about Christmas is Christmas music.

So it's no surprise the ECMA-nominated singer-songwriter has released a holiday album - Christmas At Home.

It's a project that was begun last year and was interrupted by Hurricane Juan.

"We had five songs finished when Juan hit," says Madison, settling into her office in her newly renovated Bedford home. "We put it on hold and came back to it in late August, finished it at the end of September and spent October in the design and distribution process.

"It's funny, for someone who has been in the Christmas mode since late August I'm nowhere near ready for Christmas. Usually by the first week of December I have the tree up, the decorating done, the presents bought and wrapped.

"But I've been on the road from much of November (she was at the Just Plain Folks Awards show in Santa Ana, Calif., among other stops) and then busy with the Christmas album and shows."

The last in a series of concerts, with Pictou County singer-songwriter Dave Gunning takes place on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at the Osprey Theatre in Shelburne. Tickets are $12. Call 875-2454.

The show will feature tunes from the 10-song album, 70 per cent of which the rising country star wrote herself.

Among the exceptions are traditional tunes Midnight Clear, a long-time favourite and Deck The Halls. Ho Ho Ho was co-written with Ken Tobias last year when Madison was in Ontario doing Christmas shows in Glencoe and Strathspey.

Baby Jesus kind of wrote itself, recalls Madison.

"It's got a very odd melody, very different and I have no idea where it came from. I sat down with my guitar the year before and it just presented itself. Jamie (Robinson, who produced and recorded the album and co-wrote the first track Must Be Christmas) wasn't sure about it, but it's one of my favourites to play live.

Christmas really is all about family for Madison who recalls when she was growing up instead of hanging store-bought stockings she would find the biggest sock in her dad's drawer to put by the chimney.

"And my stepmom would be singing Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree in the kitchen while she was doing dinner up. She made the most awesome homemade potato stuffing."

The recipe for that stuffing is included in the liner notes along with one for Banana Oatmeal and Cranberry muffins.

Among Madison's plans for a busy New Year is working on a new record.

"I was in Charlottesville, Va., where I worked with John Jennings, Mary Chapin Carpenter's producer, and we demoed some songs. I'm going back to Nashville in January to speak with a few other producers to flesh it out.

"Then I've got a European tour in the summer, the launch of the album in Canada and the U.S.