Customer Reviews

Songs for Christmas

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

 

 

Jesse Colin Young captures the sweetness of Christmas in his new "Songs of Christmas" CD. He starts with "White Christmas" given a light acoustic jazz treatment. "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" is set against a sparse acoustic guitar with Betsy Curtis & Vito Truglio's background vocals giving the track a full body sound. "Away in a Manger" makes you feel Jesse is sitting next to a child's bed helping to rock them to sleep on Christmas Eve. Young's loping strums on guitar give "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" a soft happy carefree feel. Young's voice on "Silent Night" is in as a good form as when he sang with the Youngbloods. My favorite track is one I was not familiar with, "Some Children See Him," "Some children see him bronzed & brown, the light of heaven to earth come down." Jesse gives nice energy & punch to "Bring a Torch Jeanette Isabella." "O Come All Ye Faithful" has a sincere reverence in its delivery. Young gets a little loopy on "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," particularly when he starts talking, sounding a bit like Dean Martin. A string section gives the most orchestral sound on "What Child Is This?" "O Little Town of Bethlehem" shines with simple guitar backing the beautiful melody. The CD concludes with "O Holy Night," a vocally demanding song that Young fills with angelic airiness. This is an excellent set of holiday standards done in the folk style and done well. Merry Christmas!

I stumbled onto this album, and am I glad I did! First off, I've ALWAYS been a fan of JCY, but I never knew that this album even existed! This is music the way Christmas music SHOULD be, simple, mellow & beautiful. Young here is all by himself, giving us a homey-comforting feel that's as welcoming as a blazing fireplace on a cold winter's eve, and a soothing cup of eggnog! The accoustic is just a relaxing, put your feet up and relax kind of aural treat! It's easily become one of my favorite Christmas albums...and I've listened to a lot of them!
Give yourself this charming gift, listen to it in the mall parking lot while it's hectic all around you, or when you're up late decorating your tree with your sweetheart! I know you'll love it as much as I do!!...and to the previous reviewer who asks, "Can your voice really change much as you age?"...may I suggest listening to Bob Dylan??..especially his horrible "Christmas" album...if you dare??

I HAVE ALWAYS LOVED JESSE COLIN YOUNG'S BEAUTIFUL VOICE...BEING ABOUT HIS AGE, SONGS LIKE LOVE ON THE WING,AGAIN,RIDGETOP, SONGBIRD, ETC. WERE SUNG IN HIS HIGHER RANGE, MAKING HIS UNIQUE VOICE IMMEDIATELY IDENTIFIABLE. THE SONGS ON THIS RECORDING ARE SUNG IN HIS LOWER RANGE, EITHER BY CHOICE OR BECAUSE DEPRESSINGLY ENOUGH HIS VOICE HAS LOST THE HIGHER RANGES, WHICH MEANS WE ARE BOTH GETTING REALLY OLD...AT ANY RATE, TO TELL YOU THE TRUTH, I WOULDN'T HAVE RECOGNIZED ANY OF THE RECORDING AS BEING PERFORMED BY HIM BECAUSE IT JUST DOESN'T SOUND LIKE THE VOICE I HAVE BEEN USED TO HEARING OVER THE YEARS.

I saw Jesse Colin Young last spring at the Hollywood Theater in Portland
Oregon and saw that he has a Christmas CD.

I just want you to know that I'm really enjoying this CD. Thanks for
putting it out.
Molly