Customer Reviews

Oh Blue Christmas

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

 

 

It's Christmas music and it's Alison Sudol....how could this be bad? Well it can't; that's your answer. I only gave it 4 stars not because it isn't good music but because it's only got 6 songs. Then again it's only $6.99 at Target, so I guess 5 stars might be a reasonable grade. 3 of the songs are Christmas classics (1, 2, 6) and 3 of the songs are new originals (3, 4, 5). I would definitely recommend picking this up and additing it to your holiday season compilation.

Tracklist:

01 - Blue Christmas
02 - Winter Wonderland
03 - Redribbon Foxes
04 - Winter White
05 - Wish You Well
06 - Christmas Time Is Here

- This is a Target only release so go to Target now and pick it up. Don't pay one of the fools on here that are trying to charge $10+. It's only $6.99 at Target.

This is a real treat for A Fine Frenzy Fans. Following the acclaimed album 'One Cell in the Sea', and the hugely successful follow-up 'Bomb in a Birdcage', Alison Sudol and her band have now released this special EP of Christmas songs old and new. How does it compare with what went before? Well, the first thing to note is that this was co-produced by Alison Sudol herself, and in fact the result is particularly pleasing. The production is more under-stated than in the first two albums, giving more space to Sudol's quite extraordinarily beautiful voice; but at the same time the subtle instrumentation creates a particularly lyrical backdrop, and you can hear piano (of course), guitar, mandolin, trumpet, wurlitzer, cornet and French horn, as well as drums and percussion. Her band has been augmented, and the tracks suggest that the new team are working well together.

And the songs? The three 'old' songs will be known to most, but still you will find them different from the classic versions. Listen to 'Winter Wonderland', for example. Of course we all know the song, but have we ever listened to the lyrics, really? Now listen to the way Sudol interprets them, bringing out some perhaps unexpected nuances and under-currents. In fact, under-currents perhaps are the theme of the CD: the ups and downs of Christmas, and the capacity of the season to reinforce sadness and disappointment as well as joy and contentment. Her own two songs 'Winter White' and 'Wish you well' are examples of that.

But even if there were no other reasons for buying this EP (and there are plenty), a clincher is the song 'Redribbon Foxes', which in my opinion is her best song ever, even slightly eclipsing the amazing 'Almost Lover'. This song is not only extraordinarily lyrical and hauntingly beautiful, it expresses all the thoughts and emotions that can make this time of year both special and heart-wrenching. Sudol's soaring voice creates an unforgettable effect.

If you can only afford one Christmas collection of songs this year, this one is it. Trust me.

I figured I'd download this for the holidays, but.....you can't! Hello, Amazon? Are you there? It's me, Margaret! A Very confusing night on Amazon.....

I was so thrilled that A Fine Frenzy released a Christmas album, I really enjoyed when KT Tunstall did her Christmas album and was expecting a similar experience. Unfortunately none of these tracks are too memorable or upbeat for that matter. These songs diffently continue to reflect the new sound of A Fine Frenzy heard on Bomb in a Birdcage. Fortunately Alison's voice soars and that more than makes up for it. Aside from hearing the word Christmas these songs can be played year round. Red Ribbon Boxes especially doesnt sound Christmasy at all as its rather a simple almost dreary holiday song. Luckily this is followed by the more upbeat Winter White which sounds like it could have fit fine on their sophomore disc. Wish ou Well is a quiet song but Alison's strong vocals and a joyful melody make it an enjoyable track. Christmas Time is Here ends the disc. Overall a great buy but definitely dont expect the One Cell in the Sea, as I think A Fine Frenzy has definitely left that sound behind! Enjoy and happy Holidays 2010!

Oh Blue Christmas by A Fine Frenzy is a six song EP that leaves you wanting more but feeling grateful for what you got. The group's interpretations of three old Christmas standards (Blue Christmas, Winter Wonderland and Christmas Time is Here), and stellar performance of three new Alison Sudol songs (Redribbon Foxes, Winter White and Wish You Well) prove to be ethereal, haunting, unique and unforgettable. This is a Christmas CD that is beautiful enough to play year round and different enough to almost defy classification. I am buying it for everyone I know.

I listened to the sample of this cd on Amazon after I saw it on sale in the Target flier this morning, and I liked what I heard. I went to Target to purchase it on sale for $6.99. The spot on the shelf was already empty. I asked a clerk for help and he found the last one in the back. I'm so glad I found one, it is a very beautiful cd. These versions of a couple of traditional songs are performed in a slightly different refreshing way. I especially like Blue Christmas. Too bad there are only 6 songs on the album, but it really was worth it - I totally agree with the 2 other reviews. Buy it! The whole cd is great!

A Fine Frenzy's "Oh Blue Christmas" is truly something fresh and different for your holiday mix, or indeed any time of year; while there are hundreds, perhaps thousands of the songs covered on this EP - Blue Christmas, Winter Wonderland, and Christmas Time Is Here - the treatment they receive here goes above and beyond simply switching instruments around and having a different vocalist. They're still very recognizable, but you'll find them in a whole new flavor here.

The album's two high peaks, in my opinion, are the original "Redribbon Foxes" and the cover of "Christmas Time Is Here"; these two even stand out as some of A Fine Frenzy's best achievements.

"Redribbon Foxes" is nearly indescribable in its beauty and depth; it's full of a folk feel, and while uptempo, is a strange mix of melancholic and hopeful, touching on themes of fulfillment and emptiness atop haunting guitar and effects you may find familiar to One Cell In The Sea, their 2007 first release. It's a Christmas song, yes, but at the same time, it's universal to all seasons.

"Christmas Time Is Here" of Charlie Brown fame receives a similar update to A Fine Frenzy's sound, again reminiscent of their first album in its sparse arrangement for piano, the occasionally guitar slide, and strings and brass in its latter half. The song is at once true to the original and something completely new.

The other four tracks of the EP vary greatly, and are also quite remarkable; Blue Christmas retains melancholy but is also somewhat upbeat, and Winter Wonderland comes across lightheartedly. Winter White and Wish You Well are more of the Bomb in a Birdcage variety, being more instrument-heavy and uptempo, though no less thoughtful and emotive. There are various brass and string parts in each of these, sometimes jazzy, and even with a brief mariachi flavor in "Wish You Well"'s ending moments.

This six song extended play is very impressive so soon after A Bomb in a Birdcage, and while the track list may seem short to some not familiar with EPs, it's enough to satisfy without being overbearing. Five stars as a Christmas effort and as an excellent addition to A Fine Frenzy's discography.