Customer Reviews

A Creole Christmas

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

 

 

A wonderful collection of Christmas and holiday favorites sung by some fabulous musicians - all from New Orleans. I have many, many Christmas albums, tapes and CD's, but over the years this one remains my favorite. The Dixie Cups rendition of "Let it Snow" will lift your spirits, Irma Thomas sends chills up and down your spine with "O Holy Night" and Aaron Nevelle's crooning "Christmas Song" is every bit as good as Nat's. But you really will be taken home to the Big Easy with Pete Fountain's clarinet and that banjo when mommy kisses Santa. There is dixieland, blues, gospel, zaidigo all accompanied by the musicians who have made New Orleans the great music city it is. I can't wait for the holiday season just to hear it again.

Put this CD in a Christmas shuffle, and you are guaranteed to be asked for the title and artist. Nobody has ever heard of it, yet everyone loves it. I literally begin my Christmas season ritual to the version of "White Christmas" on this CD.

You know how every CD has at least one song you skip because you just don't like it? This CD is the exception to that rule. Every track on this disc is a gem. Far and away the best holiday CD I've ever heard.

Being from New Orleans I was really excited to see this CD on Amazon.
Bought a copy for my sister and one for myself and when it arrived NO WHERE on the CD does
it give the Artist who is singing the song. They have the song titles on the outside
as well as the inside of the cover but not who is singing the song.
So if someone ask who is singing that song. I guess I will have to say, hold on
and let me look it up on the internet!!!
What a dissapointing and absolutely stupid oversite on the makers of this CD.
Do not recommend for this reason.

I picked this up at a thrift store for a buck. Most "Christmas Albums" are only bearable to atrocious. But, seeing the likes of Allen Toussaint, Dr. John, and the inimitable Irma Thomas in the line-up, I didn't hesitate buying it. Several days later (this was in July) I gave it a listen - and played it three times that night! Wow! Each cut amazes. The fact that this was a project and not just a throwing together of some random Christmas song recordings of a vague N.O. sound obviously contributes to the great, whole New Orleans sound, flavor and texture of the album. Like so many other "Christmas Albums" the artists try to make each song "their own". This usually fails miserably. Here it succeeds beyond belief! Each song deserves praise here, but I'll mention two. Pete Fountain's "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" starts out sweet, smooth, slow, dignified, almost Lawrence Welkish, then boom, the drums hit and a Second Line parade appears and marches down the street! Irma Thomas. I knew before hearing it, her "O Holy Night" would be good. An understatement. Let me put it this way, when she sings the line, "Fall on your knees", even a scoundrel heathen seriously considers doing so.

As my review title suggests, this album holds up to listening any time of the year. If you can get it, GET IT!

I had this Christmas album on cassette tape for years. When I made the switch to CDs in my car, I had to have it. I'm not a big Christmas fan, but I must listen to this each year.