Customer Reviews

Broadway Cares - Home for the Holidays

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have over a hundred Christmas CDs and I look forward every year to listening to this one.

Special recognition for the Liza and Alan Cummings selection and one of the most beautiful White Christmas arrangements I've ever heard by Audra McDonald.

It's one full hour of the best voices on (and off) Broadway.

This is by far my favorite Christmas CD. The singing and arrangements are lovely, and the mix of songs is wonderful. Standouts (on an album of standouts) include Alan Cumming and Liza Minnelli having fun with "Baby It's Cold Outside," a version of "Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy" that is a haunting prayer for our times, and a beautiful and sad version of "I'll be Home for Christmas."

If you're looking for a Christmas album to entertain children, this probably isn't it. No Frosty or Rudolph here, and the arrangements have an adult contemporary feel. But if you are looking for something to help you unwind after the kids have gone to bed, this CD is like a warm fire on a winter's night.

This CD features Broadway stars singing Christmas songs. They all sing great, not surprisingly. Most songs aren't done in a very swinging style, but they are enjoyable in an easy listening kind of way.

I love this CD. Christine Ebersole's "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" is rich and gorgeous. It's my favorite and I sometimes put it on repeat for a dozen listens in a row--can her voice really be that crystal-clear perfection? Liza Minnelli and Alan Cummings' "Baby It's Cold Outside" is playful and endearing and makes me feel like I'm listening in on a duet they're singing for their friends. There are a couple of songs that I will skip over when I'm not in the mood for them, but if you love the voices of Broadway, you need Home For the Holidays.

The CD was everything I wanted. It was delivered on time and in the condition I expected

this cd is unlike any others that i have. it has all of my favorite broadway artists (daphne rubin-vega, patrick wilson, billy porter, lillias white) and so many tony award winning stars as well like liza, alan cumming and gary beach. they are all singing their favorite holiday songs. it was also great to learn that all of the artists donated their time to record this cd as benefits for bc/efa.

The biggest disappointment I've ever experienced in a holiday music CD. However, the good news first, such as nice to hear Christmas Time Is Here (from Charlie Brown) in a format other than cartoon, though this version does get a little bluesy rather than contemplative. As well, the Minnelli & Cumming version of Baby It's Cold Outside is wonderful fun (even though it's probably not a great song for Liza's Ss). Patrick Wilson is wonderful on the traditional (and fast-paced) We Need A Little Christmas. Other than maybe going WHOO! there's no surprise there. Victor Garber, normally wonderful and someone I look forward to, puts such a downer on his variation of I'll Be Home For Christmas I had to stop listening to it altogether. The mix of traditional holiday with "seasonal" fare, like New York State of Mind is well-conceived, it's just the individual interpretations may not be to everyone's taste, certainly not mine, as I found the majority of songs to be overwrought, like a bunch of over-eager kids in audition mode. Sam Harris on Merry Christmas Darling had me gritting my teeth.

I looked for this CD at all the stores and could not find it. This year the date is November 10th, and I ordered two, one for myself and one as a gift. I can't wait to hear the whole thing. I've enjoyed the sample songs on Amazon's website.