Holly & Ivy

Natalie Cole | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 25, 1994)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Elektra / Wea
• ASIN: B000002HGK
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #109,973 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Holly & Ivy by Natalie Cole

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars JOY TO THE WORLD!!!, December 12, 2002

By 

Neal C. Reynolds (Indianapolis, Indiana) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Holly & Ivy (Audio CD)

All of the songs are great on this, but Natalie's gospel like "Joy To The World" is the most rousing and uninhibitedly joyful rendition I've heard. I won't say it's the best, because there are several outstanding recordings of the carol, each of which bring out different perspectives. But this one is guaranteed to lift anybody's spirits.

The CD starts on a joyful note, and on the very first cut, you might find yourself singing "Jingle Bells" right along with her. However, she will touch your heart with her soft rendering of "Silent Night" and "The First Noel" among others. Two of the songs are closely identified, of course, with her father: The sentimental "The Little Boy That Santa Claus Forgot" and "The Christmas Song". Both are very beautifully presented here.

This is an essential Christmas CD.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Classic Christmas, November 4, 2001

By 

Bruce Aguilar (Hollywood, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Holly & Ivy (Audio CD)

I'm so impressed with this CD! From the jazzy, 'Jingle Bells' and gospel 'Joy To The World' to the quiet and silmple 'Silent Night', Natalie Cole does an incredible job of interpreting these songs in a way that makes them feel classic and contempory at the same time. It finds that impossible balance of not sounding new or old, but just like it has always been. If you want a classic sounding Christmas CD that's isn't refferential, then you can do no better than THE HOLY & THE IVY! You'll also get to hear lesser heard songs like 'The Little Boy That Santa Claus Forgot' and 'The Holy and the Ivy' get the star tratment.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ESSENTIAL HOLIDAY COLLECTION FEATURING STUNNING PERFORMANCES AND ARRANGEMENTS., October 13, 2005

By 

VINCENT P TARSITANO (PORT ORANGE, FL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Holly & Ivy (Audio CD)

With so many Christmas music collections available, some on the cheap, it is still sometimes difficult to find a collection that effectively mixes both sacred and secular music, features great singing and musical accompaniment, and sounds fresh and not hackneyed. Outside of church or the symphony hall, I like my Christmas music on the jazzy side. Well, this collection, which rides on the heels of Ms. Cole's wonderful UNFORGETTABLE album, and which features the same production team, meets all of the above criteria. Ms. Cole possesses a beautiful, round, expressive voice, as well as a stimulating, jazzy feel that's a family legacy, as well as the result of rubbing elbows with some jazz greats in her youth, such as the incomparable Ella Fitzgerald. She is also quite capable of rocking out. All of those assets are put to best use here to create, by far one of the best holiday music collections of recent years, and one that should retain a timeless appeal!

MY HIGHLIGHTS:

"Caroling, Caroling"
Not an overly perfomed song; beautifully executed here, and featuring a very good youth chorus. Swinging, joyful feel.

Christmas Medley featuring "Jingle Bell Rock" (a terrific, jazzy/soulful version), "Winter Wonderland" (on which the singer really grooves!), "Little Drummer Boy" and "I'll Be Home for Christmas" (both lovingly and tenderly performed, with a really original, big band arrangement for "Drummer Boy"). Flows beautifully and dramatically from song to song.

"A Song for Christmas"
Really exudes the warmth and expressiveness that are an innate part of Ms. Cole's singing. "No More Blue Christmases" is in the same vein, and appears to be an original co-written for this set by the contemporary ballad writer, Michael Masser, who's written other tunes recorded by Ms. Cole.

NONE OF MY HOLIDAY SEASONS GO WITHOUT SEVERAL SPINS OF THIS GREAT COLLECTION. MOST HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!