Customer Reviews

Christmas Songs

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

This is probably one of the most stunning Christmas compilations ever! Nettwerk has one of highest quality talent rosters of any label and they manage a huge number of other big names as well. The best thing about this CD is that not only is it a "Nettwerk's Finest" CD but it is also a good Christmas CD and avoids looking like a promotional tool like far to many other Christmas CD's do. Highlights are Tara MacLean's great rendition of Winter Wonderland, Kendall Payne's interesting twist on O Come O Come Emmanuel and Sarah Mclachlan's Song For A Winter Night. But the highlight of the CD is Dido's all-new original song "Christmas Day." Haunting and beautiful, it's pure Dido and could easily be enjoyed any time of the year. Though the lyrics (And the last words I heard him say/The last words I ever heard him say were/I shall come to you on Christmas Day) are pretty depressing there is a spark of hope in her voice. As if her lost lover may still yet return one day.

A must have CD

This alternative/folk compilation won't appeal to folks who like their Christmas albums to be full of mistletoe and ho-ho-ho, but for those who'd like some thoughtfully beautiful songs to balance the frantic holiday mood, this CD offers a nice variety of new and old-but-unusual ("Gaudete"). A few selections are downright cheerful (Barenaked Ladies' bouncy "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" and Lily Frost's delicate "Skating on the River"), but the spirit of most of the pieces is more in keeping with the ancient concept that the winter solstice is a time for a kind of peaceful melancholy. If your collection is heavy on the Jingle Bells, get this to round it out (but be warned: one track, "The Cat Carol," goes beyond melancholy -- it's just sad). Even aside from the long story (amusing on the first listen, but hardly a classic) by Stuart McLean (who sounds like Jimmy Stewart would if he were Canadian), this CD offers almost 50 minutes of lovely, unique holiday music.

I actually bought this CD last year, but I'll be playing it again this year so I can play it for the Christmas holidays when friends are over. A lot of my friends have heard 'Christmas Songs', and really enjoy it because it's quite different from the usual stuff that comes out around the holidays.

The Barenaked Ladies and Sarah McLachlan do a great version of 'God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen' and the female British singer Dido does a cool original (as far as I know) called 'Christmas Day'. Lily Frost's version of 'Skating On The River' is nice, too.

Something different too for a Christmas album is the story at the end called 'Polly Anderson's Christmas Party'. It's an actual Christmas story, and a funny one! It'll put a smile on anyone's face!

A great Christmas CD!

I discovered this CD on accident, and figured that it was worth a try - and I really wasn't disappointed. I love the version of God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, Gaudete is absolutely gorgeous, Christmas Day has a beautifully melancholy air, and The Cat Carol is sweetly sad, just to name a few of the tracks. There are also older favorites, like Winter Wonderland and Little Drummer Boy and O Come O Come Emmanuel. It's a wonderful listen and a nice change from the "typical" Christmas CD.

My biggest problem with this CD, however, is the 23-minute "Polly Anderson's Christmas Party" as the last track. It's funny and all, but I would really have preferred more music in the vein of the rest of the stuff on the CD to that. It doesn't really fit in with the rest, and I have to wonder why it's even there in the first place.

The opening song, God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, is a wonderfully upbeat rendition and is the highlight of this CD. The rest of the compilation, however, is disappointing. It's dreary and depressing and includes a folk song about a dead frozen cat. Sorry, but this is not exactly the mood I want to evoke around the holidays.

This album is truely unique among Christmas albums and a nice break from what we think of as traditional Christmas music. One of the reasons I like the album so much is that it contains many songs that I'd never heard before. Also, the last track is a Christmas story, and it's a real hoot! Finally, the version of "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" by Barenaked Ladies and Sarah McLachlan is the best I've heard.

I love to try out new Christmas CD's, so I was psyched when I saw this one in the store. The CD starts out strong with the Barenaked Ladies and Sarah MacLachlan, and continues on a good pace through Sarah's cover of the Gordon Lightfoot song, "Song for a Winter's Night". I especially enjoyed Dido's song, "Christmas Day", which I had never heard before. The rest of the album was a disappointment to me, as each song following Sarah MacLachlan's got more depressing in tone. The ultimate insult was reaching the last "song" only to realize that I was paying for talk, not music. Definitely a waste of 20-odd minutes.

Three reasons I originally purchased this CD - BNL with Sarah McLachlan "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" - an impromptu recording backstage at a '96 concert, it's fun and cheery and festive...Meryn Cadell "The Cat Carol" - a CBC Christmas staple for years, this track was previously unavailable to the public until now. A beautifully touching (and yes, depressing) song about love, sacrifice and remembrance...Stuart McLean "Polly Anderson's Christmas Party" - Stuart McLean is the host of the Vinal Cafe on the CBC and also travels all over Canada with his tales of 'Dave' and his family (yes, it's all made up). Also, check out his books and cd's if you can get them.

The rest of the cd is wonderful, from the Medieval Babes, Tara McLean and Dayna Manning to Sarah MacLachlan's second contribution "Song For A Winter's Night". It's not a traditional CD by any means, but pick it up for an 'eclectic' addition to your Christmas collection.

This is a depressingly slow, slow, slow christmas song collection.Not what I expected for a christmas album from a string of artists like Sarah McLachlan, Barenaked Ladies, Dido, Delerium, Tara MacLean and more. What happened to joyous, warm and festive songs? This CD makes you feel like a hangover from drinking to much egg-nog at the office christmas party. If you're looking for music to set the mood for your annual holiday depression--buy it. Otherwise give it a pass. P.S. This CD is titled Christmas Songs but one third of the album is a comedic story by Stuart McLean, not a song at all.

but I was impressed. With the exception of Terra Firma (a bit too strange) I found the songs to be fresh, adding new breath to old traditions. The addition of the humerous Stuart McLean piece at the end was icing on the cake, making it one of our new holiday favorites.