When Donal Lunny is persuaded to dress up as one of the Three Wise Men, something strange must be afoot. The Wexford Carols go back about 350 years, so Irish singer Caitriona O'Leary's 25-year obsession with them makes her a late arrival. The 12 carols are a composite of the work of two Catholic churchmen and, as O'Leary's husband Eric Fraad suggests in sleeve notes, carry the sense of the then Penal times when Catholicism was outlawed. Enter Americana producer Joe Henry followed by Roseanne Cash, Rhiannon Giddens and Sir Tom Jones. Lunny and others join up and set about creating settings for these intense and moving tales of Christmastide. Remarkably it works, though Jones's muscular contribution doesn't ring true. Against that O'Leary, Cash and Giddens solo are captivating and the ensemble singing is special. heresyrecords.com