If art imitates life, then the title Sarah Darling's sophomore record "Angels and Devils" is most telling.  Just as the titular suggests bipolar opposites, Darling's life over the last few months have been a tensional pull between the jubilant and the morose.  On the sanguine side, she recently married her beau James Muriel under wraps before it was made public a few months later.  But around the same window of time, Darling's hero and grandfather Richard Eugene Dicks passed away at the age of 79.  Such a whirlwind of diverse emotions have certainly given emotional gravitas to Darling's singing.  Her more seasoned and less emotionally taciturn nuances that accompany her power house vocals have given this EP a greater flavoring. "Have a Merry Little Christmas Darling" certainly adds another dimension to Darling's already diversified portfolio of songs.  Though she has been marketed as a country artist, Darling has been known to cover songs such as U2's "With or Without You" and Elton John's "Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word."  And not forgetting Darling was recently invited to record the Beatles' "Blackbird" as a tribute to Linda McCartney.

Now to add further width to her wide overage of songs, Darling has given us her first Christmas EP.  For this record, Darling has assigned the production duties to Steve Gibson.  Gibson, as Nashville insiders can tell you, is one of the most sought after guitarist in country music.  His name has appeared on iconic records by Ronnie Milsap, George Strait, Martina McBride, Kenny Rogers and a host of others.  Gibson agreed to produce this EP after he was blown away by Darling's performance on the Grand Ole Opry two years ago.  Easily the pride of the EP is Darling's take of Joni Mitchell's "River."  "River" is one of those enigmatic gems:  though Mitchell has never released this song as a single, it's one of her better known compositions.  And though "River" has often treated as a Christmas record, save for the word "Christmas" being mentioned twice in the song, it is by far not a Christmas song.  Rather, it's a breakup song about a woman who wished she could toss all her emotional bonds into the river.  Maybe it's the icy cold images of the song that makes us think of Christmas.  Nevertheless, Darling passes with flying colors as she captures with Kodak perspicuity the pallid brokenness of the song's tortured soul.

Never one to be reticent of her Christian faith, it's a delight to hear her worshipful take of "Silent Night."  While producer Gibson is to be congratulated in imbuing "The Christmas Song" and "I'll Be Home for Christmas" a jazzy lounge feel that connects Christmas, family and the home with a tight and loving warmth.  Nevertheless, given Darling's prowess with her pen, one would have wished for at least one original or at least one more upbeat Christmas song.  But such a lacuna simply creates in us a greater appetite for Darling to bless us with a full festive record next year.