Customer Reviews

A Christmas Album

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Barbra was pregnant when this album was recorded, and it gave her voice a slightly reedy feel; just a little different, but oh so wonderful. She stirs you to new heights with her soaring voice on The Lord's Prayer, and her rendition of Silent Night is incomparable. What an original rendition of "My Favorite things"; simply sublime, simply Barbra. What a gift God us with Barbra!! Enjoy!!

For the most part, this album features classic songs, sung in the traditional manner by Barbra. Barbra really didn't need to do any more, given her wonderful voice, but she does have a few surprises in store. The opening Jingle bells is not done in the traditional way as Barbra gallops through most of it at breakneck speed. I appreciate Barbra's attempt to do something different but I prefer the standard arrangement. After that brisk opening, the album slows down and never again rises above mid-tempo as the remainder of the album is dominated by ballads.

Barbra may have been the first singer to include My favorite things (the Julie Andrews classic from the Sound of music) in a Christmas album. Nobody is surprised any more that this song sometimes gets included in Christmas albums. The only original song is The best gift (about a baby). Barbra sings it beautifully.

Of Barbra's two Christmas albums, I prefer the other one to this, mainly because the songs are more interesting to me, but I know that a lot of Barbra's fans prefer this one, which was recorded when her voice was at its finest - however, Barbra was still in good voice on the other album.

If you love Barbra's music and you enjoy Christmas music, you will want both of her Christmas albums, but if you only want to buy one of them, you have a hard choice to make.

Barbra Streisand's A Christmas Album and Andy Williams' Christmas Album are the two most beautiful and most treasured traditional Christmas cds that I own. Barbra Streisand has such an extraordinarily beautiful voice! I don't think there is anybody else other than Andy Williams who has ever sang traditional Christmas songs as beautifully as is the traditional Christmas music sung on A Christmmas Album. It is my opinion that Barbra Streisand has one of the four most outstanding voices to ever sing popular music. I also believe that Barbra Streisand has a more beautiful singing voice than any other female popular singer. Just listen to the most outstanding crispness, pitch, clarity, and diction of her voice! One listen to Barbra Streisand's A Christmas Album will testify to the truth of my statements. However, I predict that you can't play A Christmas Album only once, without playing it for a second or perhaps a third time. I also predict that once you first hear A Christmas Album, there will never be a another Christmas season in your life that you don't play and most highly enjoy this most beautiful Christmas cd. Barbra Streisand's A Christmas Album has my highest possible positive recommendation. Merry Christmas from one music lover to another!

John

I had this album on cassette for years. I finally got around to getting it on CD. This is one holiday collection that has stood the test of time. Barbara's takes on each of these songs is flawless. It starts out with an unusual take on Jingle Bells and ends up with a powerful version of The Lord's Prayer that will leave you speechless.

I also like Silent Night, I Wonder as I Wander, Ave Maria, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas and The Best Gift, which she recorded when she was with child. Though these songs were recorded in the 60s, they sound fresh with the remastering that Sony did with this CD. An excellent CD to wrap or open up presents with, or listen to while sitting by the fireplace.

Barbra Steisand released "A Christmas Album" in 1967 and it has become one of the biggest selling albums in her catalogue being certified 5X Platinum. The album is also one of the biggest selling Holiday CD's out there. I always feel Christmas starts once I put "A Christmas Album" on my CD player. Barbra released another package of Holiday music in the 2000's called "Christmas Memories", but "A Christmas Album" is far superior. Barbra is in fine form and her voice is at its peak. The song list is wonderful ranging from Miss Streisand's own rendition of "Jingle Bells" to the finale "The Lord's Prayer". Highlights are "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas", "I Wonder As I Wonder", "The Christmas Song", and my personal favorite "My Favorite Things" from "The Sound of Music". The original cover shot is taken from Barbra's concert "A Happening In Central Park" in 1967.

You just know when you hear Barabara Streissand's beautiful and powerful voice, that you are in the company of star quality. Her Christmas album is one of the best I have heard. Her renditions of the religious favorites have great depth and feeling.

Some people might think it is weird that a Jewish performer would make such an outstanding Christmas recording, but I think that it is a testiment to what a wonderfully pluralistic and ecumenical society we have here in the USA. This CD also features two popular Christmas songs composed by Jewish Americans ("The Christmas Song" by Mel Torme and "White Christmas" by Irving Berlin); as well as, the most "Jewish" version of "Jingle Bells" I've ever heard.

It is very interesting how our American celebration of Christmas has evolved from a blending of various world cultures and traditions. That aside, Ms. Streissand remains fantastic in almost any genre of music.

If you are a fan of Streisand, or just a fan of Christmas music, you need to get this CD. My all time favorite!

I have always loved this album. I have it on vinyl, but was happy to purchase a CD version of this recording.

With so many Christmas albums on the market, it can be something of a comfort to be able to just pour yourself a little egg nog, slip an old classic into the CD player, and prop up your feet. For many listeners, Barbra Streisand's first holiday album is just that, a true classic. Hard to believe the record is more than 40 years old, and also hard to imagine that La Streisand's interpretations of any number of classic Christmas songs were considered kind of daring for their day, but they were. Her torchy version of "My Favorite Things" was miles away from any bucolic Alpine setting, for instance. And while there have been any number of jazzed up "Jingle Bells" in the intervening years, but Babs' remains among the most charming and inventive. It's a fun opening track, which announces in its own subtle (yes, subtle) way, that Christmas may or may not be the artist's own holiday ("Upsot??), but she's more than ready to partake of the merriment.

Of course, as so many have noted, most of the album is slow tempo and reflective--and with one or exceptions--the holiday classics that just about every pop singer of the era was including on their Christmas album. No matter. Streisand brings something unique to each song, even when the arrangement is pretty standard. Her version of "Silent Night" is straightforward enough, but you hear characteristic Streisand flourishes that make her take on it a unique one. I suppose that the people who would later lambaste CLASSICAL BARBRA would likely have the same criticisms of her interpretation of "Ave Maria" on this record. Since it was just one song, however, most listeners probably listened to it, admired her willingness to tackle something a little more in the classical vein and therefore more challenging. At least, I don't recall anyone complaining about her brassy, Broadway approach to such material at the time. But then, there wasn't all that much anti-Babs backlash back in '67. You could experiment a bit back then, and not have to worry so much about the purists. And that was a good thing.

It's also a good thing to have this record available as a budget-line CD, without anything cut deleted. I do miss the original "starburst" cover though, which was classic in and of itself. sure why they had to change it, but the 70s-era photo on the budget release, while nice, seems something of an anachronism. She looks as though she's going to burst into a chorus of "Christmas At the Stoney End" here. It's quibbling I suppose, but the album dates back to the days of "big hair Barbra," not the would-be hipster of the mid-70s. But that is just packaging, after all. Content is king, and the content is pure gold--if not frankincense and myrrh.

Of course Streisand and Amazon do not let us down with this one. Streisand has the most perfect, clear voice with such great strength. This just made my Christmas. Wonderful variety of songs with only her style. Would recommend this for sure!