Beautiful Star: A Christmas Collection

Rhonda Vincent | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 17, 2006)
• Original Release Date: 2006
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Rounder / Umgd
• ASIN: B000IFRQLS
• Also Available in: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #93,443 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Rhonda Vincent isn't just one of the best singers in bluegrass--she can hold her own against any singer in popular music today. Her first Christmas album confirms her crossover potential, with as much laid-back swing and soft acoustic garlands as throw-down bluegrass. Her touring band, on the whole, get the holidays off, as Nashville vets Bryan Sutton and Stuart Duncan as well as brother (and coproducer) Darrin Vincent provide slick support for her impeccably pitched, cozy alto. The song selection is pleasant, if somewhat predictable, and the sole surprise (and sole Vincent original), "Christmas at Home," is little more than a string of Norman Rockwell clichés. "Oh Christmas Tree" finally kicks up some tinsel and "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" sashays nimbly, even if it never quite rocks. The hokey, deliberately off-key round of "The Twelve Days of Christmas" and the kiddie singalong on "Jingle Bells" are just cloying--hot picking aside, you've heard this shtick before. Still, Vincent sounds soulful on the ballads, especially "Away in a Manger" and "Silent Night"; one only wishes she'd played the arrangements less conservatively. In the end, these sessions would have benefited from a little less reverence and a few more stiff swigs of home-brewed holiday punch. --Roy Kasten

Product Description

No Description Available.
Genre: Christmas Music
Media Format: Compact Disk
Rating:
Release Date: 17-OCT-2006

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars great bluegrass christmas cd!!!, November 4, 2006

By 

chad bruce (georgetown , ohio) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Beautiful Star: A Christmas Collection (Audio CD)

just bought this cd and i have to say it is a great bluegrass christmas cd! i love it! rhonda sounds so good, i can imagine getting all cozy this christmas by the tree with a warm glass of milk and just having this cd playing softly in the back ground! you have to check this out! if you love bluegrass and christmas music than this will surely be a winner with you!!!!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Terrific Bluegrass Holiday Album, November 30, 2007

By 

Steve Vrana (Aurora, NE) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Beautiful Star: A Christmas Collection (Audio CD)

Rhonda Vincent, unlike her contemporary Alison Krauss, has never strayed far from her bluegrass roots--and this wonderful collection of holiday songs is no exception.

The album starts off with an up-tempo Vincent original "Christmas Time at Home." The mandolin flourishes add a nice touch to "Let It Snow." With the banjo setting the pace, "Oh Christmas Tree" turns into a real toe-tapper. And while "Twelve Days of Christmas" is one of my least favorite holiday songs, the Thirteen Member Twelve Day Choir and the Twelve Day Orchestra breathe new life into this classic--even though not all of the choir members can carry a tune!

It should be noted that there are a few deviations that keep this from being exclusively a bluegrass album. "The Christmas Song" is given a smooth jazz treatment. "Winter Wonderland" adds an accordion into the mix. And "Away in a Manger" (with The Whites on harmony vocals) features the harp as the lead instrument to wonderful effect.

I also note that no fewer than four of these songs also appear on Emmylou Harris's classic LIGHT OF THE STABLE. Obviously that album had a major influence on Vincent. But far from being derivative, Vincent clearly puts her own stamp on each of these songs. Any fan of bluegrass music will find much to enjoy here. [Running Time - 35:49] HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This Year's Christmas Pick!, November 20, 2006

By 

Matteo Ringressi (Forlì, Italy) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Beautiful Star: A Christmas Collection (Audio CD)

Finally! I was waiting for my yearly bluegrass-christmas CD, and my choice this year surely falls on this album. Rohnda sounds great. It's a great album, with a mixture of traditional bluegrass (Oh Christmas Tree, or Monroe's Christmas Time Is Coming) and swingy-classy-soft acoustic bluegrass (Rockin' Around The Christmas Tre...). Also, Rohnda's voice is spotlighted on "Away In A Manger", and Ralph Stanley's "Beautiful Star Of Bethlehem", which almost moved me...
Make yourself a Xmas Gift, buy BLUEGRASS MUSIC! ;)