Customer Reviews

You Sleigh Me!

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

 

 

This is my favorite Christmas album of all time and that includes "Alligator Stomp, Vol. 4 - Cajun Christmas". The whole CD crackles with wit, warmth and holiday tradition; at the same time it ruffles the hair of convention.

Most of the tunes are tasty, a generous mix of old chestnuts and new tunes. Everything but the Girl's "25TH December" is a slow and poignant beauty; Donna Lewis' "Christmas Lights" is a synchopated wonder, reminiscent of her now outdated "Always and Forever". The talented Tori Amos breathes new life into the bloated corpse of "The Little Drummer Boy".

If you're feeling a little wacky this Christmas, give it a try. If nothing else, you'll at least have a bright, shiny new coaster.

As an avid Tori Amos fan, I buy eveything I can find with her name on it. This being no exception. When I first listened to this album I found it to be absolutly intolerable. It is filled with bouncy, rocky music the likes of which you would expect to find on a Dr. Demento album, without the twised lyrics. I felt Tori's addition was it's only redeemable quality. But, as I took the time to listen to it again, this time with an open mind and a head's up to what I would hear, it slowly began to grow on me,and grow on me, and grow on me. Now, it is part of my treasured Christmas collection that I love each year. I would recommend this to all but the most conservative out there, and even to those I say give it a chance! You will find yourself tapping your toes to it as well.

"Merry Christmas from the Family" is hilarious! I think everyone has someone or something in their family that can identify with some part of this song. I happened to hear it on the radio and I had to have it. Everything on the CD is great, but this one really stands out.

I really like the idea of this album, however it could have had a few bigger names and better songs. Overall though it's a good listen. After the Rudolph opener, Collective Soul does a nice job, the Tori Amos cover is wonderful as expected, and the Juliana Hatfield song is a big plus too. Also worth a mention are the tracks from Victoria Williams and Everything But The Girl, both quite pleasing. The rest is good at the least, and the Jill Sobule song is a great addition. A nice disc for those wanting a cooler Christmas. I also suggest "The Edge Of Christmas" and "A Very Special Christmas 3".

If you like the typical Christmas chipper CD, this is a nice addition without getting to far off the track. I had only heard of about half the artists before I purchased it, and I was in for some pleasant suprises, most notably Jill Sobule's Merry Christmas from the Family, a absolutely great ode to the family. The lyrics are hilarious, and will warm your heart if your family shows any signs of pleasant, loveable dysfunction. Daniel Johnston's Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer makes Rudolph sound like what he probably was -- a big nerd who once proved himself, kicked reindeer butt.

Some songs are somber, but all show just the right hint of festivity. This is a nice addition to any holiday music collection, if only to hear some interpretations of major chistmas songs that are a little off-center. I recommend it.

The music is great to listen to when you're not in the "traditional" Christmas music mood. Definitely not your parent's Christmas cd!

Favorite tune: Merry Christmas from the family. Absolute best song on the album. Worth the purchase and still one of my favorite Xmas cds.

It took a few rotatations of this CD before I could genuinely appreciate it. Original Christmas tunes generally irritate me and so - for the first month of "You Sleigh Me!" ownership - I passed over the original tracks for the more conventional "Little Drummer Boy" and "The First Noel".

However, the original songs are quite excellent in their own right; though I tend to veer away from gal rockers such as Sobule and Hatfield, both make great contributions to the album. Hatfield's little ditty is very sweet and mellow - perfectly suited to her voice - and takes a personal spin on the classic "First Noël" in the midst of the song. The final track on the album - by Everything But The Girl - is also noteworthy, with it's percussion-lacking, quietly optimistic perspective on the season. And, although the whispery voice of Donna Lewis generally grates on my nerves to no end, I have to cite a particular preference for her "Christmas Lights". Pilgrim's "The First Noël" is guitar-based and somewhat reminescent of Hanson in vocals, but splendid, none-the-less.

Though none of the above songs are anything less than endearing, the renditions of classic carols included on this CD are what inspired me to keep "You Sleigh Me" on heavy rotation in my car this holiday season. Amos' version of "Little Drummer Boy" - in traditional Tori-and-her-piano format - is the most sincere version of this song that I have ever heard, thanks to her husky, yet passionate, vocals. "White Christmas" is purely instrumental - a jazz rendition of the classic - and William's "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" is so darn cute that it almost - but not quite - falls into the "Nauseatingly Adorable" category.

All in all, it is a great CD that does not lay easily in one single musical genre; a bit of folk, a bit of pop, a bit of jazz...a veritable cornucopia of sound, this CD. The more traditional folk may be inclined to dislike the alternative spin on some of the classics, but the more open-minded - in terms of Christmassy stuff - should definitely shell out the money for this CD.

This is a rather uneven Christmas album. The standout track is the great, funny "Merry Christmas From the Family" by Jill Sobule. There are some other good performances here, but nothing great. The lowlight is the seemingly endless 8 minute long jazz saxophone version of "White Christmas" by James Carter. This CD is almost worth getting just for the Jill Sobule song.

Admittedly, this is not a proper review, but I just wanted to convey a quick "thank you" to the person who felt her voice was important enough to meddle with the one recorded version the world has of Tori's Little Drummer Boy.

More from http://thedent.com/sleigh.html#littledrummerboy ...

The Little Drummer Boy was recorded live on November 12, 1992 at a club in Dundalk, Maryland called Steel Town. Tori asked the crowd for silence, saying that the song would be recorded for a children's charity benefit. Of course, there was a woman who had to shout "play it, Tori" in response to the "shall I play for you" line. The bouncers quickly took care of her but, in a way, she had ruined the mood -- at least for some of those in her immediate surroundings...