Friday, December 14, 2007

WRAPPING UP THE SOUNDS OF THE SEASON - 2007

Each year that great body of work known as "Holiday Music" grows, as contemporary artists offer new Yuletide tunes or try their hand at traditional favorites. Here's a round‑up of some of the notable new entries in the Christmas music cornucopia for 2007.

***

ARTIST: Mindy Smith
TITLE: My Holiday
LABEL: Vandguard
STYLE: Intimate, country flavored, alternative folk
TRY IT IF YOU LIKE: Dolly Parton’s Home For Christmas or Aimee Mann’s Another Drifter In The Snow
NOTABLE: Smith’s sweet, feathery voice charms familiar songs like “The Christmas Song,” “Away In A Manger,” and “Silver Bells.” An excellent songwriter, originals like the inspiring title track, the rocking “Come Around,” and especially the warm and cozy “Santa Will Find You” might become perennial favorites.
HIGH POINTS: Smith adds a backbeat and rock guitar to “I’ll Be Home For Christmas” for an unusual but effective version.
LOW POINT: Smith is a fine singer, but she’s not a vocal powerhouse.
GRADE: A-

***

ARTIST: Raul Malo
TITLE: Marshmallow World & Other Holiday Favorites
LABEL: New Door
STYLE: Americana Christmas
TRY IT IF YOU LIKE: Brian Setzer’s Christmas albums, or anything by the Mavericks
NOTABLE: Malo, lead singer of the Mavericks, lends his rich, warm vocals, and unique arrangements to a collection of both well known (“Jingle Bells, Silent Night, White Christmas) and obscure (Bobby Vee’s “Not So Merry Christmas”) holiday songs.
HIGH POINTS: Malo gets your feet tappin’ with fresh but familiar takes on “Jingle Bells” and “Feliz Navidad.”
LOW POINT: Turning “Silver Bells” into a tango/swing number was an ambitious idea, but it just doesn’t work.
GRADE: B+

***

ARTIST: Lonestar
TITLE: My Christmas List
LABEL: Cracker Barrel
STYLE: Harmonious, modern Country Christmas
TRY IT IF YOU LIKE: Lonestar’s This Christmas Time
NOTABLE: Songs feature Lonestar’s new lead singer, Cody Collins, who ably fills the role. The group’s trademark harmonies remain intact.
HIGH POINTS: A fine, prayerful “Silent Night,” a rockin’ “Up On The Housetop,” and the excellent title track – which revisits the theme of “A Grown-Up Christmas List.”
LOW POINT: Collection is only available at Cracker Barrel restaurants, or on the company website: http://www.crackerbarrel.com/
GRADE: B+
***


ARTIST: Rick Springfield
TITLE: Christmas With You
LABEL: Gomer
STYLE: Acoustic pop-rock
TRY IT IF YOU LIKE: James Taylor’s At Christmas
NOTABLE: Springfield’s collection is dominated by religious Christmas songs, presented in traditional, mostly acoustic arrangements. Title track is a well-written original update on the “I’ll Be Home For Christmas” theme.
HIGH POINTS: Excellent vocal arrangements highlight the traditional material. Springfield has fun with a surf-rock version of “Deck The Halls” and wears his Beatles influence on his sleeve with a string arrangement in “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” that recalls the one in “Elenor Rigby.”
LOW POINT: Springfield and his band sound like a quartet version of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra on the electric guitar-driven “Carol of the Bells.” Overall, Springfield’s approach to the material is almost too conservative.
GRADE: B

***

ARTIST: Emmy Rossum
TITLE: “Carol of the Bells” (single)
LABEL: Geffen
STYLE: Classic vocal Christmas
TRY IT IF YOU LIKE: Enya’s version of “Silent Night”
NOTABLE: Rossum is the 21-year-old beauty best known for her role as Christine in the film version of “Phantom of the Opera.” This three-song single also includes “Oh Holy Night” and “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas.”
HIGH POINTS: Blessed with a lovely, powerful voice, Rossum’s performance is restrained and spot on. Her wonderful version of “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” is one of the few that uses the song’s original, more melancholy lyrics. Judy Garland would be proud.
LOW POINT: This one will be hard to find in stores. Download it from Rhapsody or I-Tunes.
GRADE: A
***
ARTIST: Josh Groban
TITLE: Noel
LABEL: 143/Reprise
STYLE: Orchestrated, Classic Christmas
TRY IT IF YOU LIKE: Michael Bublé’s Let It Snow
NOTABLE: Groban’s big, powerful voice is well-suited for dramatic Christmas music. Guests include Brian McKnight, Faith Hill, and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.
HIGH POINTS: A poignant “I’ll Be Home For Christmas” features actual audio messages home from troops stationed in Iraq. “Little Drummer Boy” starts quietly and builds to a dramatic conclusion. Brian McKnight duets nicely with Groban on “Angels We Have Heard On High.”
LOW POINT: Faith Hill has a tough time matching Groban’s vocals on “The First Noel.” New original song “Thankful” is cut from the same cloth as Groban’s Polar Express theme, “Believe.” Unfortunately it’s not as good.
GRADE: A-
***

ARTIST: Various
TITLE: Monster Ballads Xmas
LABEL: Razor & Tie
STYLE: Head-banging Holiday Rock
TRY IT IF YOU LIKE: Hair Metal
NOTABLE: Rockers like Skid Row, Queensryche, Winger, and Twisted Sister take on well-known holiday tunes and serve up a few Christmas originals in ’80s-metal style.
HIGH POINTS: Originals by Enuff Z’Nuff (“Happy Holiday”) and Billy Idol (“Christmas Love”) aren’t bad, and some of the songs (“Run Rudolph Run,” “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town”) are geared for rockin’ arrangements.
LOW POINT: Worst version of “Silent Night” (by Faster Pussycat) I’ve ever heard.
GRADE: C+

***

ARTIST: Various
TITLE: A Looney Tunes Sing-a-Long Christmas LABEL: Immergent
STYLE: Cartoon Christmas
TRY IT IF YOU LIKE: Christmas with the Chipmunks, Kidz Bop Christmas
NOTABLE: Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig and the rest of the Looney Tunes gang are joined by a chorus of kids to sing holiday favorites. Kids will love it, and any adult needing relief from the Chipmunks and Kidz Bop will welcome it.
HIGH POINTS: Some typical Looney Tunes high jinx keeps listeners smiling.
LOW POINT: The upbeat “Jingle Bells”-type material works fine, but it’s a bad idea to have Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd croon “Silent Night.”
GRADE: For kids: A

***


ARTIST: Patti LaBelle
TITLE: Miss Patti’s Christmas
LABEL: Def Soul Classics
STYLE: Soulful, R&B Holiday
TRY IT IF YOU LIKE: Aaron Neville’s A Soulful Christmas
NOTABLE: Lesser-known tracks (the gospel gem “Jesus, Oh What A Wonderful Child” the Richard Marx / Luther Vandross composition, “Every Year, Every Christmas”) and new originals dominate the collection.
HIGH POINTS: LaBelle remembers the reason for the season on a variety of religious and gospel-flavored songs, including the funky “Christmas Jam,” and “Holidays Mean More To Me.”
LOW POINT: The lack of familiar material might be off-putting for some. LaBelle’s tendency to over-sing is in full effect on an overblown, “Do You Hear What I Hear?”
GRADE: B
***

ARTIST: Hall and Oates
TITLE: Home For Christmas
LABEL: DKE / U-Watch
STYLE: Rock ’n’ Soul Holiday
TRY IT IF YOU LIKE: America’s Holiday Harmony
NOTABLE: Originally released last year, this is a fine collection of traditional (“Oh Holy Night,” “It Came Upon a Midnight Clear”) original (Hall’s title track and Oates’ “No Child Should Ever Cry On Christmas”), and a few lesser known covers (Robbie Robertson’s “Christmas Must Be Tonight”), all performed in the duo’s trademark Philly-soul style.
HIGH POINTS: The aforementioned originals are quite good, and Hall’s powerful take on “The First Noel” is one of the best modern arrangements of the song ever.
LOW POINT: A new version of “Jingle Bell Rock” isn’t quite as good as the one Hall and Oates had a hit with in the mid-80’s.
GRADE: A-
***

ARTIST: Michael Bublé
TITLE: Let It Snow
LABEL: 143 / Reprise
STYLE: Traditional vocal Christmas
TRY IT IF YOU LIKE: Christmas albums by Tony Bennett, Frank Sinatra, Perry Como
NOTABLE: Who says they don’t make them like they used to? This five-song EP is proof they do. Newest song on this retro collection is “A Grown-Up Christmas List.”
HIGH POINTS: Swinging version of the title track is Bublé at his best. Restrained production throughout showcases Bublé’s silky vocals nicely. LOW POINT: Should have been a full-length CD. GRADE: A-
***

ARTIST: KT Tunstall
TITLE: The KT Tunstall Holiday Collection
LABEL: EMI
STYLE: British Pop Christmas
TRY IT IF YOU LIKE: Cyndi Lauper’s Merry Christmas… Have A Nice Life
NOTABLE: This is one of four Christmas EP’s being sold exclusively at Target stores. Tunstall’s collection of modern pop features some obscure (for American audiences) hits by British artists.
HIGH POINTS: Tunstall’s duet with Ed Harcourt on “Fairytale of New York” is as good as the original. She also rescues Mud’s “Lonely This Christmas” from obscurity. Toy pianos work well on a lively “Sleigh Ride.”
LOW POINT: “2000 Miles” sounds too much like the Pretenders’ original.
GRADE: B+