Christine Albert and Chris Gage of Austin (who are married) now have a Christmas CD that covers "River." Interestingly, it's Chris who sings the lead. Have other men covered the song? I find that rather fresh and daring.
Joni or her "people" must be nice about permissions, since Christine and Chris were able to include the song. They noted at the last live performance I attended that writers are highly variable in response, from very laid back to savagely legalistic and rude. The album is very country inflected. It ranges from an original, "One More Christmas," about the last Christmas in the old homeplace as the parents decide to move away, to the "Linus and Lucy" theme, to "Go Tell It on the Mountain." And Christine, who has some French ancestry and speaks French, does a very lovely "Un Flambeau Jeanette Isabelle." Their website is www.albertandgage.com. Happy Thanksgiving to everybody! Suzanne
