Customer Reviews

A New Thought For Christmas

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4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
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When you unwrap "A New Thought for Christmas" you will be sure to unwrap a gift of peace, unity and complete magic. Not only will this album bring you into full swing of the upcoming Winter Solstice and beyond, but it's also a shining example of the growth of one human spirit - one who has the right thoughts to teach us in a ripple like way that we are ALL ONE and to "CHOOSE ONLY LOVE."

BLUE CHRISTMAS - Janis was smiling on the tapestry of earth the night Melissa Etheridge shattered out with her grace and respect in honor of Janis Joplin's life in music. Well, Elvis is probably feeling just about the same, but with a different flavor. Not only is it an incredible cover of Blue Christmas with that Etheridge edge, but it also has and that soulful power of Philip Sayce and the amazing Lily Wilson and Bernie Barlow blending in the background. Great cover!

GLORIOUS - LOVE LOVE LOVE ... this song is absolutely amazing. "BELIEVE in HEAVENLY PEACE" - that is the first time I have ever heard it like that before and I can see that is a place where CHANGE comes in and, of course, Melissa will teach us that in a GLORIOUS fashion. Beautiful song.

CHRISTMAS (Baby Please Come Home) - WOW! The combination of AMAZING musicians that are ONE with Melissa - they all make it look simple to pick up a classic and carry it right into today. This rules.

HAVE YOURSELF A MERRY LITTLE CHRISTMAS - Another unbelievable classic. Growing up not really understanding what a "Yuletide Gay" was or even knowing how we were going to make it that way, I just sang along. With a better understanding today, this song (and the whole album) really is such a classic and Melissa of course sings it beautifully.

RING THE BELLS - An amazing grace, a UNITY of such significance. You can see how the universe sets people together to just karmatically communicate that we're all ONE. Through the music and the bells, the words of this song signify so much universal value, and instills in each of us on this earth that we can be all as ONE. We can all create a difference in change ... a new way to look at life. The richness of the lyrics and Melissa Etheridge and Salman Ahmad sound amazing together. The music is simply cleansing and powerful in an ageless beauty. Please click this link here [...]

"But I have seen us rise and fall - Stand on the moon - Tear down the wall - And I know we can do it all - And do it well - So Ring the Bells"

MERRY CHRISTMAS BABY - I LOVE this sassy sexy song. Melissa's insides shine, shine, shine in this song. You can hear her love in this song, and Philip Sayce can deck the halls with vibrations of light in his playing. Truly amazing and again, when you can hear a Melissa Etheridge SMILE when she's singing you know it's all good. For me it's more than a classic song - it's a blessing to see my faves being exactly were they need to be. Tammy Etheridge is an amazing being and this song reflects that tenfold ... just sayin'.

CHRISTMAS IN AMERICA - When Melissa wrote this song a time ago it reminded me of the soldiers serving for us in this great US of A. Them being away from their families. I knew that soon it would change, and I still believe. Bless you all and thank you. Oh and this song totally rules to sing along too!

LIGHT A LIGHT - I truly love this song - layers and Layers in of all that I believe and the simplicity of choosing love. The longer I listen to Melissa Etheridge I find more and more power within her music. Finding that not only is it the lyrics that are ageless, but lately in the patience she delivers them, and truly making the message as simple as it should be. A true gift and I listen to this song and feel just blessed to be a fan of Melissa Etheridge and having the ability to walk this earth and hear this music and share in the layers of reflections in and of the words "Choose Only Love," as for me it flickers all around with grace and truth. Amazing.

"Write down your excuses - And turn them into dust - Plant the seeds of change - Water it with trust"

IT'S CHRISTMAS TIME - For the love of Christmas Cookies. This song snaps me right into the spirit of Winter Solstice. Not sure the neighbor will dig the layers of veggie peanuts back there for my snow effect in Arizona, but hey, from the rap tap tap at the beginning of this tune to the layers of vocals, to the amazing Sayce, I love the message and this song rocks totally! It makes to sing, but most importantly it brings me into the spirit of the season. It's one of those that needs to be loud, and plus this song will make an excellent ringtone.

O' NIGHT DIVINE - Wow what a way to close such an amazing album. The talent of Philip Sayce is so special along with each musician involved in this album. It shows the timeless side of Melissa Etheridge in her incredible ability to make old songs new again, and to introduce her patience in lyrics, vocal, music and most of all ... her gift of teaching by just being human.

"A New Thought For Christmas" should definitely be a gift you grab yourself and whomever else you may be getting a gift for. You can get it at Amazon, Itunes and many other stores. Leave your review. I would love to see how it reflects you too. Visit [...] to keep up to date on the hip happenings of Melissa and her amazing band Mark Browne, Philip Sayce, Fritz Lewak, Paul Trudeau, Lily Wilson and Bernie Barlow, as well the amazing Salman Ahmad and Samir Chatterjee.

...& who better to do it? I'm a huge, dedicated Melissa fan, but even if I wasn't I would love this album. It's the holidays from a whole new point of view, spiritual instead of religious. It's an amazing mix of sounds; rock, blues, jazz, & classic all find their nests in the 10 songs. Her band will blow you away, & they are the perfect backing to her powerful, moving, hopeful, & joyous lyrics. This album should be the new soundtrack to everyone's holiday, regardless of what they celebrate during the month of December. So, as Melissa says, it's time to give peace a chance & choose love...& this album is the perfect way to begin.

LuckyLauren

Absolutely Wonderful Christmas CD & DVD. Original Melissa Etheridge Christmas Songs, Rockin' Songs, Ballads, & original twists of classics. Melissa at her best celebrating the spirit of peace & joy of the season. EXECELLENT! You will love it!

Listed in order of my most favorite from the CD on down.

"Merry Christmas Baby"!!! OMG! What an awesome song!! You're going to love this song!!! Melissa's voice and Philip's guitar singing the blues....perfect!!!
I am totally in love with this song!

"O Night Divine" Philip Sayce fans get ready for this one!!!!!! I don't think any words I use can do justice to his solo. You just have to hear it. The song itself, the lyrics, like a personal message from Melissa to the world. My second favorite song on this CD.

"Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" I LOVE it! One of the best Christmas songs out there for her voice and the awesome abilities of the band. You can almost feel they had a lot of fun recording this one.

"Ring the Bells" Beautiful, uplifting, powerful message of peace on earth and the fact that we can achieve it if we try hard enough. I love it.

"It's Christmas Time" This song starts out sounding similar to a country rock song. That is until Philip's amazing guitar lick in the middle. The song gets a bit more rocky after that. I really like this song.

"Blue Christmas" How do you make a popular classic even better? Let Melissa sing it. Melissa has made this song her own!

"Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" A true classic made better by Melissa's powerful voice.

"Christmas in America" I have loved this song since I first heard it. The message seems to have even more meaning considering the state this country is in right now. As scary as the times are, all the families should have their loved ones here on their own soil. Every one's arms should be filled with those that they love during this unsettled time. Hey Mister! Bring them home!

"Glorious" Definitely a Melissa song, written from her spiritual self. Certain parts of it make me want to reach out to feel the touch of God. Definitely a feel good song.

"Light a Light" Pretty song with a great message reminding the listener to look within and not just up.

This album is great for the fact that it is diverse in it's messages. Hope, change, spirituality, welcoming the winter solstice that brings change and light. She has used the magic of the season to remind us to reach out in friendship and caring rather than disdain. Even though this CD is geared more towards the celebration of the Winter Solstice, traditional Christmas can still be felt through it all. I love the magic of Christmas time, how people seem to come together in peace and joy for a short time. Christmas carols have always amplified that feeling for me. The touches of the traditional Christmas that she has sprinkled through out the CD are just the right amount to keep that feeling in me as I listen to the songs with my ears tuned to the "holiday setting". This CD is a definite holiday season "must have" and an excellent gift for any music lover looking for uplifting messages that are geared towards more than the tradition religious aspect of the season.

In my eyes and ears,Melissa Etheridge always grows artistically and musically. She rocks out,even with her spin on traditional holiday songs.They sound fresh and full of life.This cd is a great addition to her music and to many Christmases to come. Each song I love alot. You can play it over and over again.Peace is the answer.Sometimes it happens more so at Christmas.Let it happen through out the year. Thank you Melissa for putting out a great CD.

Every year, I look for a new Christmas CD to add to the collection. I play it along with the classics as soon as I start playing the seasonal music. "A New Thought for Christmas" is so listenable, I may be playing it more than the old favorites.

To be honest, you do have a mix of the old and new here. The CD opens up with solidly rocking "Blue Christmas" and also includes "Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home"and "Merry Christmas, Baby." Melissa's covers of these songs are solid, rocking, and will definitely set your originals on their ears.

What else have we got?

"Glorious" talks about the traditions of Christmas, "windshields kissed with snow," etc. It's a lovely ballad extolling the virtues of love.

"Ring the Bells" a poem to peace and coexistence.

"Christmas in America" which is my top pick of the new ones, talking about sending the troops home. What a gorgeous dedication to the hardworking men and women serving our country. This is the one I hope we're rocking to for the whole season.

Rebecca Kyle, November 2008

I have a LOT of Christmas CDs. Every year I vow I will pare down and buy maybe one or two but absolutely no more. Unfortunately, this year appears to have a bumper crop of terribly intriguing new holiday CDs. I have already bought 5 new ones, and this one is unquestionably the best of the bunch.

I am not a Melissa fan. In fact, I was only vaguely aware of her music. I bought this CD because part of the profits are being donated to breast cancer research. Well, it is an amazing work of art. The new songs are wonderful, the old songs are absolutely fresh, and some of this music is going to be in continuous rotation on my iPod all year long. Absolutely magnificent.

There is a lot to like about this album. The sound is true Melissa, with her rock take on a few classics but the best part is her own songs. I like the way she writes, she really tells a story and you can feel the passion. I reckon there are a couple of contenders for a christmas number 1 here. So decorate the tree, whip up some eggnog, turn it up loud and enjoy a very happy winter solstice to you and your family.

I thought this would be a cheesy album of Christmas standards but, being a longtime MLE fan had to have it. Well how wrong can a man be. This is one of the best Melissa albums ever. Superb bluesy numbers with some old standards given the Melissa treatment. Her voice is right on the money and her performance is full of passion and expression. Philip Sayce on guitar has brought so much to MLE's band and he excels on this album with some beautiful guitar work adding light and shade to the sound just where it is needed. This is almost as good as "The Awakening" where once again Philip and the band take Melissa's work to new and ever better places. Buy both of these albums and give your ears a treat.

Having close to 200 Christmas CDs of every genre, after listening to these incredible songs and arrangements by Melissa and her band, this is without a doubt one of my favorites, and will remain so - the rare one where every single track is superb - no easy feat for ANY artist.

Melissa has that rare gift of her vocals at times rocking out like an incredibly raw force of nature ("O Night Divine," "Merry Christmas, Baby," which sure doesn't start out the way it ends!), or sounding fragile and plaintive ("Christmas In America", okay, plaintive!) :-) strong and uplifting ("Ring The Bells"), or sultry and flirtatious, but they are ALWAYS memorable, just as each of the songs and arrangements are here.

I knew I was in for something special when I heard the first track, "Blue Christmas," but was absolutely floored upon hearing the last track, "O Night Divine." All throughout the disc, Melissa and her band are incredible, but here, at the end of a remarkable track (that could easily make the Trans-Siberian Orchestra seem like amateurs), I found myself wanting more - LOTS more!

Thanks, Melissa and band for making an outstanding, heartfelt, varied, meaningful and amazing Christmas gift of music that deserves to be in everyone's collection. So, if you're reading this, please take my advice and buy this CD. It'll be one of the BEST presents you can give yourself, your friends or that special someone this year. (Not to mention one of your favorites, too!) :-)