JediKermit's Full Review: Christmas: 16 Most Requested Songs [Remaster]
There are some classics you just don't mess around with. It seems a lot of those come around at Christmastime, and even though I wasn't necessarily raised on the singers of the 50's and 60's, it seems that their arrangements and performances of the Christmas standards are the ones that I want to hear each December.
Some of those classic performances are collected on the album "Christmas: 16 Most Requested Songs." The compact disc includes 15 recordings from 1949 - 1967, and then an outlier from 1982. The years might be vintage, but the recordings are clear and crisp, and have a timeless quality lacking in many modern Christmas albums.
The performers read like a who's who of 20th Century American music: Gene Autry, Doris Day, Rosemary Clooney, Johnny Mathis, Robert Goulet, Mel Torme, Tony Bennett, Julie Andrews and Mahalia Jackson all turn in wonderful, heartfelt, and at times humorous songs. My favorites might be Torme's "The Christmas Song," (Chestnuts roasting on an open fire...) and Doris Day's "Here Comes Santa Claus." There's just a...purity there. They aren't performing these to be kitschy, or tongue-in-cheek. They're hearty, sincere, and feel like they just poured out of a time machine and into your living room. I don't want an ironic Christmas--I want the real deal.
On the whole the male singers are pleasant and smooth, but the ladies bring the real fireworks. Patti Page's "Santa Claus is Coming to Town," Jackson's "Joy to the World," and Andrews' "Silent Night" are all rich and full, and even with radically different styles, all pack a wallop. The one that surprised me most was Angela Lansbury, who I still know best from my Mom watching "Murder, She Wrote" every Sunday night. Her "We Need a Little Christmas" from Mame is a powerful pop in this yule log--exciting, fast-paced, and full of fun.
There are also 6 pages of tiny liner notes about both the holiday and the music associated with it--some of it is tangential to the songs actually included here, but it's an interesting read that will fill you with Christmas carol trivia that you'll never, ever need to know.
The complete track listing includes:
1. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer 2. Here Comes Santa Claus 3. I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus 4. Winter Wonderland 5. Frosty the Snowman 6. I'll Be Home For Christmas 7. Silver Bells 8. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas 9. Santa Claus is Coming to Town 10. The Twelve Days of Christmas 11. Sleigh Ride 12. We Need a Little Christmas 13. The Christmas Song 14. White Christmas 15. Silent Night, Holy Night 16. Joy to the World
If you "need a little Christmas" yourself, and you're tired of the 21st Century performances that might be more tiring than soothing, Christmas: 16 Most Requested Songs might be put the event back in your advent. It's good for background at parties, for holiday cooking, or just relaxing by the fireplace with the family.
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