Family Force 5: Christmas Pageant

Family Force 5 | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 6, 2009)
• Original Release Date: 2009
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Tooth & Nail Records
• ASIN: B002N1AF9U
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #120,046 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Carol Of The Bells

2. Do You Hear What I Hear?

3. Christmastime Is Here

4. Little Drummer Boy

5. My Favorite Things

6. It's Christmas Day

7. Angels We Have Heard On High

8. Wonderful Christmas Time

Editorial Reviews

CD Family Force Five Christmas Pageant by Family Force 5

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best. Christmas. Ever., November 22, 2009

By 

Lucas Rewald "Dr. Pop Tart" (Hemlock, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Family Force 5 Christmas Pageant (MP3 Download)

If you love Family Force 5, well then, YOU NEED THIS. If you don't, or have never heard of them, you're missin' out.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not what I expected, December 5, 2011

By 

Mathachew (Texas) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Family Force 5 Christmas Pageant (MP3 Download)

I discovered Family Force 5 on Pandora and liked everything I heard from the few songs that were played, so I bought, at the time, all three albums, which included Christmas Pageant. This was back in March, so I had no desire to listen to Christmas music that early, or late, depending on how you look at it. Enter the 2011 holiday season and I fire it up... only to find myself disappointed.

A little background info. I grew up celebrating Christmas, but without the singing, decorating or Christmas cheer. Only the occasional school play or a special event would have me singing Christmas period. Fast forward a dozen or so years and I am a father of three, married to a woman who was the polar opposite of me at Christmas time. Long story short, through my wife, practically being Mrs. Claus herself in Christmas cheer, has helped me love the Christmas season and go out of my way to sing traditional, classical and modern Christmas tunes, fully embracing the season.

Now, FF5 has some great music, but I feel like they failed to deliver here. As I listened to each song, it felt like the album became progressively worse. In fact, I became convinced that the music just comes across as too silly to enjoy. Some of the bass lines and tunes sound great and with some small changes, would have worked well for a standard FF5 song. Compared to other great Christmas albums by other Christian artists, like Third Day's Christmas Offerings, Mercy Me's The Christmas Sessions, Chris Tomlin's Glory In The Highest, or Michael W. Smith's Christmas, Christmastime, and It's A Wonderful Christmas, FF5's Christmas Pageant seems to lack the Christmas spirit; not a single one of the songs gave me a Christmas vibe or helped me feel the holiday cheer.

The icing on the cake was my wife, also a FF5 fan, being put off by this album, and she is far more open with her musical tastes than I am. Even Relient K, a great Christian rock band well known for their zany material, put out a Christmas album that we both enjoyed. I am no less of a FF5 fan because of this album, I just wish they went a different direction than applying their style directly to Christmas music.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars You're Getting Silver Hulk Hands For Christmas!, December 7, 2009

By 

Flap Jackson "Sky Is Burning, But At Least We... (State Road, NC) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Family Force 5: Christmas Pageant (Audio CD)

It seems that every year I hear yet another person expressing their hate for Christmas music. After all, it's the same classics spelled the same different ways, by the same voices. For these people, there's a sub-genre called 'Dysfunctional Christmas,' which is home to classics such as 'Yingle Bells' & 'Christmas In Hollis.' Family Force 5 is clearly aiming for this, and for these people, because you can bet that Christmas Pageant is nothing like anything you've ever heard. You'll either love it or hate it, but there is no middle ground here. You may just stare blankly in confusion the first few times you listen to it.

Highlights Include:
Christmas Time Is Here
Angels We Have Heard On High
Do You Hear What I Hear?
Twas The Night Before Christmas
It's Christmas Day

Musically, this falls somewhere between a toned down 'Dance or Die' and a more electronic 'Party In the Back.' You'll find an assortment of electronic instruments on this album, the crunk quasi-rapping of 'Twas the Night Before Christmas,' and even a chipmunk finds its way onto here. Some songs like 'Do You Hear What I Hear' like to find itself in a canyon of weirdness only to find itself get out for the chorus, while others like 'Wonderful Christmastime,' play it pretty straight.

As for the original songs, 'It's Christmas Day' wins the award for highlight of the album with a totally laid-back pop direction that's completely new to the band. And surprisingly, they pull it off very well, appropriating the perfect mood of the chorus. It's not a new classic, but it is a very solid song. 'Baby' on the other hand is the lowlight of the album. Evoking the wrong mood, and wallowing in a sense of inappropriateness, this goes beyond the call of weirdness... the less listened to, the better.

Overall, it's not what I was expecting from the band, but if it's one thing you can expect with FF5, it's that you'll get the unexpected. So, if you're one to burn Andrea Bocelli's Christmas album when you get it in Secret Santa, or you're just a fan of the band, then by all means, at least give it a try. If however you're rocking out to David Archuleta's Christmas album, then by all means, stay far away. FF5 will scare the Frankincense and Myrrh right out of you.