Customer Reviews

Happy Holidays from Roger Whittaker

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
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Contains a good assortment of Roger Whittaker's Christmas carols, including the surprisingly difficult to find Ding Dong Merrily on High. Although one of my favorites, Roger's version of this carol is not available on iTunes and isn't included on his other Christmas albums.

This is one of the best Roger Whittaker Christmas compilations. Especially for the song 'Ding Dong Merrily on High' which is not on most of the other compilations. I've liked all his compilations so far, the British singers really have the best Christmas CDs I've ever heard, with lots of string arrangements and choirs in the background, this one is like that. Nothing on here is boring or cliche. Julie Andrews' Christmas CD's are the same way. This one is shorter than some of the other compilations but for the low price on it it's one of the best for the money.

I am very pleased with the music on this CD. It has two songs that I love. The first is "The Holly And The Ivy" and the second is "Home For Christmas". I first heard "Home For Christmas" several years ago on the radio and I have been looking for a CD that it was on so that I could add it to my Christmas music collection and I am thrilled to finally find it.

Well, it's spring (officially, at least) and I'm putting away my Christmas music for another year. Yeah, I know I'm SUPPOSED to do that on December 26th--or January 2nd at that latest--but I find keeping Christmas throughout the long winter keeps the winter blahs at bay, to some extent.

One Christmas album I reviewed a bit earlier (and a bit closer to the actual season) was a disc called CHRISTMAS CROONERS, which featured holiday tracks by a number of popular male singers of the last 40 or 50 years, including a version of "The Twelve Days of Christmas" by that celebrated "crooner," Roger Whitaker. Now I know "crooning" is actually a pretty imprecise term, musicology-wise, and Whitaker's pop-folk is certainly more akin to CROONING than it would be to, say, blues shouting or Broadway belting, but given what I THINK the most common understanding of the term is in this country, I'd hesitate to classify Whitaker as such. I mean, there was always very little chance that Mr. Whitaker would risk being inducted into the Rat Pack.

Let's not quibble though. Maybe he COULD be viewed as something of an heir to Bing Crosby as I gather some critics have described him, but given his folksy, avuncular image, I might tend to link him more to the Burl Ives tradition (albeit a really skinny and "veddy British" Burl Ives).

Oh well, forget the semantics and the pigeon-holing. Like Ives AND Crosby, Roger Whitaker is capable of making classic holiday music. He's got it all, the warmth, the intimacy, the SWEATER! Admit it; deep down, you love this stuff. And you've got to admit, his British reserve actually serves this material well. Many American singers--when faced with the prospect of recording the obligatory holiday record--feel the need to totally re-invent the genre, with results that are often strained and pained. Whitaker's understated approach to the classic carols and seasonal standards is actually refreshing. He isn't out to startle you with a whole new take on these chestnuts: he just sings songs you know in his own voice. And that's enough, as it turns out.

My only complaint about this particular compilation (and it's important to remember that this IS a compilation) is that it focuses mainly on the traditional and well known. The only unfamiliar track to me, "Home For Christmas" (NOT "I'll be home for Christmas/You can count on me...) is actually one of the record's stand outs and kind of leaves you wanting more in that vein. Still what you do get is solid holiday fare.

I know others will disagree, but I don't find the arrangements here (the downfall of many a holiday disc) to be too much or too little. There are some elaborate back-up vocal arrangements on a couple of tracks, but they are well thought out,and serve as a nice contrast to the singer's low key style. The other voices do not drown him out--nor does the orchestration, for that matter. All the potentially countervailing forces to Whitaker's folksy intimacy seem to be pretty much kept in check. The focus is clearly on the singer and his songs, which could be the best gift of all.

I you like this roger you'll like him even more at Christmas. Nice not to slow not to jingly- (if that's a word :)