Customer Reviews

Brand New Year

5 star:		(49)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

You may recognize some of the titles, but you've never heard them played/sung this way. It's edgy, clever, well orchestrated, energetic, delightful in every way. I was concerned when I read some of the other reviews panning this CD. I fully expected to hate it when I listened. My mind soon changed after just a few measures into the first song! If your idea of Christmas music is the same ten songs you see on every album (Christmas Song, Jingle Bells, Deck the Halls, Silent Night, etc) sung the same way by different artists, then you won't like this CD. If you're tired of the same old same old, and want something fresh but still Christmasy (not traditional, but holiday-oriented), this it what you've been looking for. Enjoy

SHeDAISY is an awesome group. This CD, which they released after their successful debut and after the success of "Deck the Halls" as a single, is the best Christmas CD I own. The CD is almost completely original, with a few songs remaining in their original form.

1. Deck the Halls (5/5) - This song is easily my favorite. The powerful opening, the great harmonies, it's awesome. An upbeat remake of a classic song.
2. Santa's Got a Brand New Bag (5/5) - A SHeDAISY original, this song proves the writing finesse and arrangement power these girls have.
3. That's What I Want For Christmas (5/5) - A classic song I had never heard before, made a new classic by these guys.
4. Jingle Bells (5/5) - This song is why I bought the CD in the first place! An excellent re-arrangement of a classic.
5. Intro (1/5) - Completely pointless intro
6. Tinseltown (5/5) - Excellent excellent song.
7. Sleigh Ride (4/5) - Great song
8. What Child is This (5/5) - Re-arranged in a way, but intact. Bible verses read sound great and should be in every version, I think
9. Hark!/Carol of the Bells (4/5) - These songs should have been recorded separately! Each would stand well on its own. I give it four mainly because of the blending problems...a little more polish on Carol would've been great.
10. Secret of Christmas (4/5) - A good song
11. Christmas Children (5/5) - This song is AWESOME!
12. Twist of the Magi (2.5/5) - I'm not a fan of Rascal Flatts, but the song itself isn't as good as it could have been.
13. Brand New Year (6/5) - Absolute best Christmas single ever. So much energy packed into 4 minutes. It'll make you replay it over and over.
14. Bonus song (6/5) - Right before track 14, there's this song, which is featured at the beginning of I will on the remix album. This song is beautiful and should've just been a regular track on the album. Great way to close.

All in all, this CD is one that should not be missed. You won't be disappointed.

The Osborn sisters come through again. This time they deliver a collection of new arrangements of popular standards, a few obscure items which deserve a place on a holiday collection, and four original tracks with lyrics penned by Kristyn.

"Jingle Bells", "Deck the Halls", and "Sleigh Ride" all get truly unique reworkings which have to impress - unique beats, "tweaked" lyrics, and even occassional changes to the melody. Even traditional carols "Hark the Herald Angels Sing/Carol of the Bells" and "What Child is This" receive creative, yet reverent, arrangements.

The rarer tracks are both wonderful. "That's What I Want for Christmas" is a seductive number which will have every male listener wishing they could honor this "wish list". And having "Christmas Children", from the "Scrooge" musical score, find it's way onto this CD is a real treat - not to mention the loving arrangement it is given.

The original numbers are proof positive that Kristyn is one talented composer. The lyrics are all witty and intelligent. "Santa's Got a Brand New Bag" is hillarious as the singer swoons over a Santa who's ready for the new century. "Tinseltown", the CDs stand out track for me, is a delight which contrasts the sometimes annoying hustle and bustle of the holiday season to the spiritual payoff in a truly original number. "Twist of the Magi" (sung with Rascal "Praying for Daylight" Flats) on first listen might sound like a Christmas love song - but listen to the verses and you'll realize it is a wonderful satire. The last original "Brand New Year (My Revolution)" - a New Year's resolution rocker - is generic and catchy enough that it could provide SheDAISY with another big hit that could easily carry beyond the confines of the holiday season. This CD is so appealing though you may want to listen to the whole thing long after the decorations have come down.

And of course the attributes that made "The Whole SheBANG" so successful are all here. Wonderful pop arrangements, inventive almost Beatle-esque harmonies, and Dan Huff's marvelous production.

‘Tis the season to look for Christmas music, and if you’re getting a little tired of the traditional albums, and a little nauseous with some of the new ones, you should try this one.

Country music sisters Kassidy, Kelsi and Kristyn Osborn give some of the oldies a face lift in this surprisingly good album that definitely hasn’t received the attention it deserves.

Apart from a weird “intro” piece in the middle of the album which definitely doesn’t belong there, and the ghost track that pops up if you keep the CD running long enough, the upbeat rearranged tracks are like a breath of fresh air. One track, “What Child Is This”, is done “old style” and it’s a good one.

Try these on your play list this Christmas – "Brand New Year", “Deck the Halls”, “Jingle Bells”, “Tinseltown”, “Sleigh Ride”, “Christmas Children” and the hilarious “Twist of the Magi” with Rascal Flatts.

Amanda Richards, December 19, 2005

I am big fan of SheDaisy as it is so I bought this knowing it was going to be great but even I was amazed at just how great! Now, I will admit, it took me listening to it a few times before I really went crazy for this CD. I bought it last year after the holidays. I listened to it and liked it but put it away for the next year. I usually wait until after Thanksgiving to listen to Christmas music but I couldn't wait this year. I took this CD out to the van the week before Thanksgiving and its been in the CD player ever since. My children (ages 18m to 11yrs) love this CD and we all sing along as head down the road. I am sure we've entertained quite a few with our sing-along car rides. It is so full of energy and it has quickly become a favorite for us all. If you want something different from the 'norm' get this CD, listen to it, really listen to it... get those traditional sounds out of your head and you'll be hooked!

This is certainly one of the most distinctive Christmas albums I've ever heard - or am ever likely to hear. Although there are several familiar titles here, only one - What child is this - is done in the traditional fashion.

Deck the halls, Jingle bells, Sleigh ride, The secret of Christmas (a rarely heard song from the forties - if you want a standard version, try Julie Andrews), Hark the herald angels sing and Carol of the bells (the last two linked in a medley) have all been modernised (or SheDaisy-fied, if you prefer).

That's what I want for Christmas is a very obscure oldie, originally recorded by Shirley Temple. Christmas children is from the 1969 movie Scrooge. The remaining songs are all original co-written by Kristyn Osborn, one of the three sisters that make up SheDaisy.

So if you're tired of hearing the same old songs done in the same old way, this album may be what you're looking for. I wasn't sure about it initially, but as I got used to the different arrangements, it grew on me. The more I play it, the more I like it.

I'm headed home from work after a stressful day at work and i hear this strange, ethereal song start. "Fa La La's" and other otherwordly Christmas chants greet my tired ears. I am, then, introduced to SheDaisy's rendition of "Deck the Halls." I am instantly hooked, but the radio station gives no Artist/Title information. A quick Google® later and I find the song I am searching for ... and so much more. This album goes beyond the typical, predictable Christmas album and blazes a bold, new trail through the frosty, uncharted area of yuletide carols. This being said, they accomplish this without grating improvisations or over-the-top showboating.

Now, let it be known that I am NO country music fan, in fact, as a general rule I avoid it like the plague. However, these sisters have warmed a heart and won me over. If you tire of cookie cutter Christmas music, try this brilliant musical detour on for size.

One question, though. A blonde, a redhead, a brunette? COME ON!

First I would like to say "Way To Go" SHeDAISY on the debut album, however, I sure hope it wasn't a one time wonder. This is THE most unusual Christmas album I have ever heard. Some of the songs are just plain strange and I found myself disappointed in my purchase. However, after listening to it 3 times in a row, a few of the songs kinda grew on me, well, maybe 3 songs grew on me, but the rest are "aquired taste" if you will. You should have a REALLY open mind to listen to this cd and incorporate it into you Christmas season. At the opposite end of the spectrum, you have my husband who LOVED it!

This is one of the BEST holiday albums I own! A wonderfully eclectic array of beautiful, interesting, even FUN music! Awards should go not only to these incredibly talented young ladies, who perform all these arrangements with such finesse, but to the arrangers, the producers, and the songwriters who contributed to this project! Along with the bright new treatments of old Christmas favorites such as Deck the Halls, Jingle Bells, and Sleigh Ride, the girls deliver some smooth new sounds in songs like That's What I Want for Christmas,and Tinsletown. Then, they join Rascal Flatts in Twist of the Magi, my very favorite offbeat but beautifully-set piece from the mix. A great holiday experience, this CD will hopefully go down in history as one of the standards for years to come. If you don't already have it.....GET IT!! You won't be disappointed!

Bottom-Line: When all is said and sung, Brand New World is a worthy effort, but for a traditionalist like me the CD just doesn't work.

I have been a fan of Kristyn, Kelsi and Kassidy Osborn, better known as the Pop-Country group, SheDaisy, since 1999 when I saw the video for the single Little Good-byes from their debut album The Whole SHeBANG (1999). To this day Little Good-byes typifies what SheDaisy's music is all about; the song is fun, whimsical, full of energy and highlights the trio's harmonizing acumen.

The sisters arrived on the Contemporary Country music scene in the later `90's riding the wave created by Shania Twain, Faith Hill, and the Dixie Chicks. Their debut album, the aforementioned The Whole SHeBANG was a commercial success for the trio from Utah, but then came their sophomore offering, the somewhat forgettable Knock on The Sky (2002), which met with lukewarm sales and reviews, and the group seemed to disappear.

The girls came back in 2004 with Sweet Right Here, which climbed to #2 on the Billboard C&W chart, but the group never regained the buzz they generated with The Whole SHeBANG.

In between The Whole SHeBANG and Knock on The Sky the trio released the obligatory Christmas CD, entitled Brand New World in the fall of 2000. However, the CD was less than I expected. Now I like my Yuletide music traditional, thank you very much and with one, okay two, exceptions, Brand New World fails to deliver.

Yes, the trio put their own new-age country-contemporary spin on wintery seasonal favorites like Deck The Halls (track No.1), Jingle Bells (track No.4), and Hark! The Herald Angels Sing/Carol of the Bells (track No.9), but it's not a spin I particularly enjoyed.

It didn't help that the traditional was mixed with the new in the form of original songs, some of which were written by the group (track No. 2 Santa's Got a Brand New Bag, and track No. 6 Tinseltown). And while I appreciated the effort, I still like my Christmas music tradition; some reinterpretation of the traditional is okay and on occasion respected and enjoyed, but, I'm afraid the trio from Utah took it a touch too far.

The central problem for me is that Brand New World is a CD that at times almost tries too hard to be cutting edge, innovative, and well, overly-inventive. But all is not lost, the girls did a good job track No. 8 What Child is This; ah tradition, sweet tradition. Yes, there is a contemporary vibe to the song, but it clings close enough to the novel creation that I could newly enjoy the track.

And I have to admit that I did enjoy track No. 9 Hark! The Herald Angels Sing/Carol of the Bells; the song sounds fresh and (traditionally new) under the trio's vocal ministrations, skilled production engineering.

On one track, No. 12, Twist of the Magi fellow Lyric Street label-mates, Rascal Flatts join the girls with a strange, quirky, duet of sorts, that is nonetheless fun to listen to a few times in. My advice: make sure to pay close attention to the words, they are not ones you'd expect to be associated it a holiday song!

When all is said and sung, Brand New World is a worthy effort, but for a traditionalist like me the CD just doesn't work. There is just too much new mixed with too little old for my tastes. I'm still a fan of SheDaisy, just not of this CD.

SheDaisy, whose Native American origin means, "my sisters," consists of three sisters Kristyn (primary song writer, and backup vocals), Kassidy (lead singer) and Kelsi Osborn (backup vocals).