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Sultans Of String

Walking Through the Fire

self-released
Release Date: September 15, 2023

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Nîmihito (Dance) - Sultans of String feat. Northern Cree
A Beautiful Darkness feat. Marc Meriläinen (Nadjiwan)
Our Mother The Earth feat. Duke Redbird
Take Off The Crown
The Rez - Sultans of String feat. Crystal Shawanda
Walking Through The Fire - EPK
'Black Winged Raven' feat. Shannon Thunderbird
Crystal Shawanda and Sultans of String
Humma
1 A Beautiful Darkness  
2 The Rez  
3 Take Off The Crown  
4 Ko  
5 Nimihito (Dance)  
6 Lost and Found  
7 Black Winged Raven  
8 Our Mother the Earth  
9 Sweet Alberta  
10 Humma  
11 Highway of Tears  
12 Chanson de Riel  
13 Tkaronto Reel  
14 Quviasuliqpunga  
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What do Crystal Shawanda, Leela Gilday, Northern Cree powwow group, a dozen other Indigenous artists, and Roots band Sultans of String have in common? They have all come together in the spirit of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 94 Calls to Action and Final Report that calls for Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists to work together to find a path forward, and have created Walking Through the Fire. This album and live show are a powerful collection of collaborations between the roots group and First Nations, Métis, and Inuit artists from across Turtle Island, with the CD releasing September 15, 2023, and a live concert tour launching on September 28, leading up to and following the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

Fire can be destructive, as we have seen with the unprecedented forest fires still burning in Canada. But what we see right afterward is interesting, as collaborating Indigenous art director Mark Rutledge explains, referencing the title and cover art of Walking Through the Fire. “You’ll see the burnt-out husks of trees and the ash and the charcoal on the landscape. But fireweed is the first plant after a forest fire that emerges, and you’ll see rivers and fields of magenta within the barren landscape, and those nutrients are going back into the soil for the next generation of trees and flowers and regrowth.”

There is fear instilled within the very notion of fire because it can be so destructive, not just to the landscape, but to the lives of people. But what lies beyond fear that holds people back from achieving what they want to achieve? “The other side of fear is growth and potential with collaboration between non-Indigenous and Indigenous people,” Mark continues. “When we drop the word reconciliation on people, there’s a large group of people who don’t understand what that means. And when you don’t understand something, you are fearful of it. But if we go through the same experience together, we walk through that fire together, and we come out together on the other end and have that unified experience together, that’s the power in this album.”

Together these artists are making a safe, creative space where new connections can be dreamed of – not in the Western way of thinking and problematizing – but instead a deeper sharing and understanding, with music being the common ground to help cultures connect and understand each other. “We are opening doors for each other, as Indigenous peoples, as settler peoples. This project is about creating connections and spaces to learn from each other” explains collaborator Alyssa Delbaere-Sawchuk, violist with Métis Fiddler Quartet.

  • Sultans of String 'Walking Through Fire' is a rare gift of creativity, collaboration and hope for our future / theWholeNote
    Posted At: November 28, 2023 12:00 AM
    What do Crystal Shawanda, Leela Gilday, Northern Cree powwow group, a dozen other Indigenous artists, and Roots band Sultans of String have in common? They have all come together in the spirit of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 94 Calls to Action and Final Report that calls for Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists to work together to find a path forward, and have created Walking Through the Fire....
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  • Sultans of String team with Indigenous musicians and the Brantford Symphony for a cultural celebration / Brant Beacon
    Posted At: October 5, 2023 12:00 AM
    Walking Through Fire addresses Canada’s Indigenous historyBrant Beacon's Kimberly de Jong writes…..Sultans of String, a Toronto-based band, teamed up with a variety of Indigenous musicians and the Brantford Symphony Orchestra for an evening of cultural celebration at the Sanderson Centre for Performing Arts on Tuesday, October 3, 2023. The multi-award-winning and three-time JUNO nominated band have thrilled...
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  • Sultans of Strings 'Walking Through the Fire' collaboration is coming to Lindsay's Flato Academy Theatre / kawarthaNOW.com
    Posted At: September 26, 2023 12:00 AM
    Sultans of String’s trailblazing ‘Walking Through the Fire’ collaboration with Indigenous artists coming to Lindsay Award-winning band's tour of new album featuring multiple Indigenous musicians includes a stop at Flato Academy Theatre on October 4.kawarthaNOW.com's Megan Gallant writes…Canadian roots band Sultans of String has just released its ninth album "Walking Through the Fire," which includes collabo...
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  • Anishinaabe singer-songwriter set to tour with Sultans of String / AnishinaabeNews.ca
    Posted At: September 19, 2023 12:00 AM
    Toronto-based artist Marc Nadjiwan set to tour with the Sultans of String.AnishinaabeNews.ca - Brian Wright-McLeod writes….Walking Through the Fire is a musical multimedia experience that celebrates the spirit of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 94 Calls to Action that includes Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists to work together to find a path forward. A seminal participant in the project is Tor...
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  • 26-stop Sultans of String 'Walking Through the Fire' concert tour launches at Flato Markham Theatre / YorkRegion.com
    Posted At: September 12, 2023 12:00 AM
    Sultans of String is set to launch a live concert tour featuring Indigenous collaborations on Sept. 28 at Flato Markham TheatreMarkham Economist & Sun's Yoyo Yan writes…Sultans of String, an instrumental music group based in Toronto, is set to premiere "Walking Through the Fire" in Markham and kick off their live concert tour all across Ontario with 26 performances.The world premiere will take place at ...
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  • Sultans Of String go 'Walking Through The Fire' with all-star collaborators / TINNITIST
    Posted At: August 21, 2023 12:00 AM
    The global roots group's ambitious new collaborative album arrives in September.TINNITIST - Darryl Sterdan writes….What do Crystal Shawanda, Leela Gilday, the Northern Cree powwow group, a dozen other Indigenous artists and roots band Sultans Of String have in common? They have all come together to create the Sultans’ new album Walking Through The Fire.Sparked by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 94...
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  • Sultans of String collaboration helps lift a heavy weight through the medicine of music / WindSpeaker.com
    Posted At: August 15, 2023 12:00 AM
    “I see these relationships as a way to get inside of the Canadian narrative.” — Raven KanataktaWindSpeaker.com's Shari Narine writes….In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, the eyes of Canadians and the world were opened when Tk’emlups te Secwepemc identified 215 unmarked graves at the Kamloops Indian Residential School in May 2020.“The whole announcement of children being found because of residential sc...
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  • Sultans of String and Digging Roots want to 'Take Off The Crown' / TINNITIST
    Posted At: June 5, 2023 12:00 AM
    The global music crew share the latest preview of their Walking Through The Fire LP.TINNITIST - Darryl Sterdan writes…Sultans of String and Digging Roots issue a call to action with their confrontational and defiant new single and lyric video Take Off The Crown. The fourth preview of the upcoming Sultans album Walking Through the Fire — featuring collaborations with First Nations, Métis, and Inuit artists l...
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  • Sultans of String: The Refuge Project screening is set for the Burlington Performing Arts Centre / BURLINGTONTODAY.com
    Posted At: May 30, 2023 12:00 AM
    BURLINGTONTODAY's Chris Arnold writes….If it has strings, Chris McKhool can probably play a tune on it.McKhool is the violin player for the band Sultans of String, a world music group that has been playing together since 2004, winning three Canadian Folk Music Awards, and being nominated for three Junos.Sultans released their seventh album, Refuge, in August 2020. Recording for the album started in March, j...
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  • Sultans of String perform 'FiddleFire!' at Dubuque IL - Bryant Elementary School / Telegraph Herald
    Posted At: April 17, 2023 12:00 AM
    3x JUNO nominees and SiriusXM winners Sultans of String create "Energetic and exciting music from a band with talent to burn!" (Maverick Magazine UK). Thrilling their audiences with their genre-hopping passport of Celtic reels, flamenco, Gypsy-jazz, Arabic, Cuban, and South Asian rhythms, Sultans of String celebrate musical fusion and human creativity with warmth and virtuosity. Fiery violin dances with rum...
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  • Sultans of String set for First Presbyterian Church performance / The Lincoln Journal Star
    Posted At: April 7, 2023 12:00 AM
    3x JUNO nominees and SiriusXM winners Sultans of String create "Energetic and exciting music from a band with talent to burn!" (Maverick Magazine UK). Thrilling their audiences with their genre-hopping passport of Celtic reels, flamenco, Gypsy-jazz, Arabic, Cuban, and South Asian rhythms, Sultans of String celebrate musical fusion and human creativity with warmth and virtuosity. Fiery violin dances with rum...
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  • Sultans of String win 2 Canadian Folk Music Awards: 'Global Roots Album Of The Year 'and 'Producer of the Year'
    Posted At: April 4, 2023 12:00 AM
    Toronto-based Sultans Of String continues to lead the global music world with two wins last night at the Canadian Folk Music Awards:  Global Roots Album Of The Year for their album “Sanctuary” and Producer of the Year (John “Beetle” Bailey and Chris McKhool) for the same album.Keeping within the band’s dedication to the global music scene, this multi-award-winning, 3x Juno-nominated and Billboard chart...
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  • Sultans of String set for the Ponca City Concert Series / The Ponca City News
    Posted At: March 17, 2023 12:00 AM
    The Sultans of String have a new album coming. Entitled ‘Walking Through the Fire,’ bandleader: Chris McKhool calls this recording the most ambitious and important project of Sultans career, a CD and concert of collaborations with First Nations, Metis, and Inuit artists across Turtle Island. Chris writes…..We are creating this recording concert in the spirit of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s...
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  • Sultans Of String and Marc Merilainen embrace 'A Beautiful Darkness' / TINNITIST
    Posted At: March 6, 2023 12:00 AM
    The world-music outfit & the Indigenous artist join forces for a space-age video.TINNITIST - Darryl Sterdan writes…..Sultans Of String and Marc (Nadjiwan) Meriläinen become the light in A Beautiful Darkness — their new collaborative single and futuristic video showcasing today on Tinnitist. A Beautiful Darkness is the second single off the upcoming Sultans Of String album Walking Through The Fire (due S...
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  • Sultans Of String & Northern Cree pair up for 'Nimihito' dance / TINNITIST
    Posted At: January 18, 2023 12:00 AM
    The collaborative tune previews the Sultans' upcoming LP Walking Through The FireTINNITIST - Darryl Sterdan writes…Sultans Of String and Northern Cree are right in step on their new single and video Nîmihito (Dance) — showcasing today on Tinnitist.A collaboration between Juno-nominated, CFMA-winning Sultans and the Grammy-nominated Northern Cree — a pow wow and round dance group from Treaty 6 territory in C...
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  • Sultans of String notch a film-festival victory at their album release party / TINNITIST
    Posted At: October 8, 2022 12:00 AM
    TINNITIST - Darryl Sterdan writes…Sultans of String have two reasons to party right now — and you’re welcome to join the celebration.The Billboard-charting world music supergroup’s new documentary Sultans of String: The Refuge Project Visual Album just won Best Musical Film at the monthly competition of Cannes World Film Festival — so they’re marking the occasion with a milestone Sanctuary CD release concer...
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  • Sultans of String embark on 9th recording: 'Walking through the Fire,' their most ambitious to date / CASHBOX CANADA
    Posted At: September 26, 2022 12:00 AM
    CASHBOX CANADA writes….Canadian 3x JUNO Award-nominees and 4x Canadian Folk Music Award-winners Sultans of String & Friends are now embarking on the most ambitious and essential project of their career: Their ninth album entitled “Walking through the Fire”, which will be a beautiful collection of collaborations with First Nations, Metis, and Inuit artists across Turtle Island/Canada. The band has launch...
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  • 3x JUNO nominees & 4x CFMA winners: Sultans of String join friends for 'Walking Through the Fire' / radioandmusic.com
    Posted At: September 15, 2022 12:00 AM
    radioandmusic.com writes….. Canadian 3x JUNO Award-nominees and 4x Canadian Folk Music Award-winners Sultans of String & Friends are now embarking on the most ambitious and essential project of their career: Their ninth album entitled “Walking through the Fire”, which will be a beautiful collection of collaborations with First Nations, Metis, and Inuit artists across Turtle Island/Canada. The band has l...
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  • Sultans of String Refuge' wins 2020 ZMR Music Awards for Best World Album'
    Posted At: February 2, 2022 12:00 AM
    Over the past dozen years and six albums, Sultans of String founder and band leader; Chris McKhool and his mates - co-founding guitarist Kevin Laliberté, bassist Drew Birston, Cuban percussionist Rosendo ‘Chendy' Leon and second guitarist Eddie Paton - have been thrilling listeners around North America with their genre-hopping fusion of Celtic reels, flamenco, Gypsy jazz, Arabic, Cuban, and South Asian rhyt...
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  • Sultans of String Tell the Night feat. Leen Hamo is the ROOTS MUSIC CANADA: EXCLUSIVE PREVIEW!
    Posted At: January 12, 2022 12:00 AM
    “Tell the Night” by Sultans of String is a song written by Syrian refugee Leen Hamo, who came to Canada about four years ago. Sultans of String co-founder Chris McKhool said they were thrilled to have the opportunity to work with Leen for many reasons. He commented; “We just love her voice, and she is such an interesting person, and her music is very compelling, and we wanted to have her share her experienc...
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  • Sultans of String release; 'Mi Santuario' featuring; Juan Carlos Medrano
    Posted At: September 10, 2021 12:00 AM

    folk radio's FRUK Staff writes....With a new album in the pipeline, NY Times and BILLBOARD charting world music supergroup Sultans of String are releasing their brand-new single Mi Santuario on Sept 10, 2021. The song features the four core Sultans as well as an incredibly talented and inspiring special guest Juan Carlos Medrano, who co-wrote the music with the band, and sings his original lyrics, as...
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  • New video from Sultans of String might be the first truly moving piece of COVID art / Roots Music Canada
    Posted At: July 9, 2020 12:00 AM

    With artists stuck at home these days struggling to make sense of a radically new normal, many are turning to the one thing you can do when everything else is on hold:  create. We've had a wonderful smorgasbord of new songs and videos coming out over the past three months – but so far, few artists have tried to create work about the pandemic, and some of the efforts I've seen to date have felt...
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  • KCRW: Rhythm Planet likes new Sultans of String album and its pair up with Israeli singer Yasmin Levy
    Posted At: April 23, 2020 12:00 AM

    The new Sultans of String release; ‘Refuge,' Produced by Chris McKhool and John ‘Beetle' Bailey features; McKhool: violin, viola, ChinCello, vocals, Kevin Laliberté: nylon, steel & electric guitars, vocals Eddie Paton: high strung acoustic guitar, vocals, Drew Birston: electric & acoustic bass, Moog Synth, vocals Rosendo ‘Chendy' León: drums, percussion...
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  • Sultans of String - Chris McKhool says CERB changes offer some financial relief as uncertainty persists / The Star
    Posted At: April 17, 2020 12:00 AM

    Chris McKhool still has many questions about how the federal government will support Canadian artists in the latest update to the COVID-19 emergency benefits program - but for now he's trying to stay focused on the music. The violinist in Sultans of String, a three-time Juno nominated act, has spent the past several weeks in a holding position as he wondered if accepting live streaming performance sp...
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  • Sultans of String 'The Grand Bazaar' featuring; Bela Fleck & Robi Botos gets IMA nom
    Posted At: April 12, 2020 12:00 AM

    Sultans of String 'The Grand Bazaar' was written by Chris McKhool, Kevin Laliberté, Drew Birston, Rosendo León, and features Béla Fleck – banjo, Robi Botos – piano, keyboard, Gundem Yayli Grubu – Turkish strings  Béla Fleck reflects: "My family's story involves immigration. Of course, we came in through Ellis Island, my grandparents on my...
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  • fyi music news has 5 questions for Chris McKhool
    Posted At: April 1, 2020 12:00 AM

    Since first appearing on the scene in 2007, Toronto's Sultans Of String has never taken the easy road in terms of crafting their internationally acclaimed hybrid of folk, jazz and world music. Their latest album, Refuge, is their most ambitious yet, a collection of 13 songs that speak to the challenges facing the world's displaced peoples-their stories, their songs, their persistence and their humanity. ...
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  • Sultans Of String release 'Asi Soy' video / Cashbox Magazine Canada
    Posted At: March 20, 2020 12:00 AM

    Internationally awarded and honoured Canadian quintet Sultans of String collaborates with over 30 musicians on Refuge, including Yasmin Levy, Béla Fleck, Robi Botos, Ifrah Mansour, Demetrios Petsalakis, Imad Al Taha, Amir Amiri, Sammy Figueroa, Twin Flames, and many others on the wide-ranging treatise on displaced peoples, Refuge. On this visionary seventh album, Sultans of String bring their ...
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  • Sultans of String 'Asi Soy' by Yasmin Levy / folk radio video premeie
    Posted At: March 12, 2020 12:00 AM

    There is no denying that Internationally awarded and honoured Canadian quintet Sultans of String celebrate diversity and creativity with a warmth and virtuosity. On Subcontinental Drift you could hear influences that included Indian classical, Spanish Flamenco, Arabic folk, Cuban rhythms, and French Gypsy-jazz. In our interview with founding band member Chris McKhool, he said "I feel so lucky to live her...
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  • Sultans Of String are ready to hit Dryden and Chris McKhool chats with 92.7CKDR
    Posted At: March 2, 2020 12:00 AM

    The Centre in Dryden will be experiencing the Sultans of String all in support of the Midtown Stage. The band will be performing on Friday at 7:00pm and tickets are only $25. Band Member Chris McKhool was a guest on the CKDR Morning Show Tuesday and he says their band has grown significantly in the last 11 years. "Started off as just impromptu jams, just having fun, playing music with amazing musicians. ...
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  • Chris McKhool is making the world a smaller place with 'Fiddle Fire!' / Regina Leader-Post
    Posted At: February 21, 2020 12:00 AM

    The Toronto-based musician introduces children to world music through his Fiddle Fire! performances. He's always "adding, adding, adding" to what young audiences will hear when he steps on stage. Over the Rainbow Children's Entertainment Series presents Fiddle Fire! Sunday at 2 p.m. at Sault Community Theatre Centre. "For me, it's just this great opportunity to expose young people to sounds t...
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  • Sultans of String releases 'El Bint El Shalabeya' from upcoming REFUGE album / CASHBOX CANADA
    Posted At: January 11, 2020 12:00 AM

    Over the past dozen years and six albums, McKhool and his bandmates - co-founding guitarist Kevin Laliberté, bassist Drew Birston, Cuban percussionist Rosendo ‘Chendy' Leon and second guitarist Eddie Paton - have excelled at both. Thrilling listeners around North America with their genre-hopping fusion of Celtic reels, flamenco, Gypsy jazz, Arabic, Cuban, and South Asian rhythms, Sultans of ...
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  • Sultans of String brings their Christmas Caravan to Cazenovia's Nelson Odeon / syracuse.com
    Posted At: December 20, 2019 12:00 AM

    Sultans of String create a magical music experience with a blend of international, folk, and jazz. Their songscape pulls from rich cultural music traditions ranging from the Middle East to Cuba to Southeast Asia. Each player of the five-person outfit shines throughout each thoughtfully produced piece. For this performance, The Sultans of String will perform a rousing roundup of Christmas and holiday favo...
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  • Watch Sultans Of String: The Power Of The Land / THE GATE
    Posted At: October 27, 2019 12:00 AM

    Juno Award nominees Sultans Of String have collaborated to create one of their most powerful tracks to date, bringing their sound together with the wisdom of Ojibway Elder Duke Redbird, and stunning vocals by Indigenous artists Twin Flames. The video is beautiful, with evocative lyrics, and it's inspirational. "The Power Of The Land" was originally written as a poem by Duke Redbird, and the way the artis...
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  • Sultans of String play LA's McCabe's Guitar Shop and makes KCRW's Rhythm Planet - 'October Concert Picks'
    Posted At: October 4, 2019 12:00 AM

    The instrumental group Sultans of String hails from Toronto, Ontario. They play barn hoe-down style as well as flamenco, Arabic folk, and French gypsy-jazz. While you're at McCabe's, be sure to check out all the guitars on their hallowed walls but observe the "refrain from clutching to bosom" signs on them. Click HERE for tickets and more information. The band performs a timely song in this video (fe...
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  • Sultans of String brought a lively, international mix of music to Peterborough Musicfest / The Peterborough Examiner
    Posted At: July 6, 2019 12:00 AM

    Instrumental band The Sultans of String brought a lively, international mix of music to Del Crary Park. Performing on the Fred Anderson Stage, The Juno-nominated instrumental band played Celtic, Cuban, Middle Eastern and flamenco music for the crowd at the park. 3x JUNO nominees and SiriusXM winners Sultans of String create "Energetic and exciting music from a band with talent to burn!" (Maverick Mag...
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  • If you haven't reached your seasonal saturation point, get Sultans of String - Christmas Caravan / The Guardian.pe.ca
    Posted At: December 24, 2018 12:00 AM

    Christmas is literally just days away. But it's still not too late to add to your holiday music collection if you haven't reached your seasonal saturation point. I add that qualifier because some people - and I'm thinking specifically of those who work in retail - may have already hit their limit. If you do have room for one more seasonal offering I'd like to suggest something a little different from the...
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