Christmas Music Music

I have yet to find a better CD of traditional Christmas music. It is absolutely beautiful all the way through.

It doesn't get any better than this! This is a CD of the original 1954 LP: Music of Christmas, always a bestseller. Mr. Faith's arrangements still sound incredibly imaginative, and if your looking for some great instrumental music to sit and enjoy, THIS IS IT. Just put on this CD, Light up your Christmas tree and let the music soothe your spirit!

I've been looking for this album for years, we used to listen to it when I was gorwing during the Christmas season, so finding it has been quite a wonderful surprise. I purchased it first so I could check the sound quality and it was awesome. Then i purchased it for mom and grandma and they love it too!

I had this music on an LP and have been hoping to find it on CD for a long time. I was so pleased when I did. The CD is excellent - all I hoped for!

It's a masterpiece Christmas album, a reference!
If you listen to other orchestrated Christmas albuns you will find many of their arrangements are based on this Percy Faith's one.

My Kind Of Holiday has outstanding music by American Idol contestant and finalist Elliott Yamin. Elliott has lots of talent; I only recently "discovered" him myself when browsing the Internet. This is one CD of Christmas tunes you can't afford to skip if you like modern versions of traditional songs mixed with some relatively new holiday songs. Christmastime music is certainly some of the best music we ever hear; you can tell it's true when you listen to people like Elliott performing. One reviewer astutely notes that a number of songs here were on Elliott's previous Christmas CD; but the two extra songs we get here are still a nice update to the previous Christmas album which is sadly out of print.

"This Christmas" starts the album off with Elliott singing his very best; I can't believe how good this guy sounds! Elliott is clearly very talented. The music that plays complements his vocals very well; and Elliott never skips a beat either! "Warm Me Up" has a great R&B flavor to it that works wonders for this ballad; Elliott performs this with panache and I'm very impressed. Elliott throws himself into whatever he sings to give blood and make his songs truly special. I love it!

"Jingle Bells" is very nicely done; and listen for "A Very Merry Christmas." "A Very Merry Christmas" has Elliott in his natural element; this electrified tune has Elliott squarely front and center--right where he belongs! "A Very Merry Christmas" also sports that funky R&B arrangement which works wonders for this ballad. "A Very Merry Christmas" is a highlight of this fine album.

"Little Drummer Boy" is Elliott's modern take on a more traditional ballad; Elliott puts his own stamp on this ballad with his music and his impeccable sense of timing. Elliott's excellent diction also enhances his performance and that's grand. "Little Drummer Boy" is bound to have you humming along to the music. In addition, Elliott really does a great job with "Back Door Santa;" this song appeals to a mature audience although it never becomes patently crude--it's all meant in good fun. The music is very well done on "Back Door Santa," too.

"The Christmas Song" gets quite a fine treatment from Elliott Yamin; he delivers this with a great deal of feeling and it charms me with its beauty. Great! "The Christmas Song" uses percussion and keyboard work to make it shine; and there's another gem when Elliott Yamin does "Merry Christmas, Baby." "Merry Christmas, Baby" certainly does have a wonderful R&B feel to it and it works well for this song. "Let's Be Naughty (And Save Santa the Trip)" is another romantic song that never becomes crude; again this is all in good fun and it's really quite good. The CD ends strong with Elliott Yamin performing "Christmas Without Carol." "Christmas Without Carol" is quite a memorable tune. The lyrics aren't exactly the happiest but the music and the tempo belie the seriousness of the lyrics and this all holds its own very well.

Overall, My Kind Of Holiday showcases Elliott Yamin's talent very nicely. He delivers these ten songs very well; there's not a dud in the bunch. I heartily recommend this CD for Elliott's fans; and people who like modern takes on Christmastime music would do well to purchase this album. You won't be disappointed!

I am happy to report that Elliott Yamin's Holiday CD is the best. Some of the songs are familiar ones but a lot of them are new songs. He sounds incredible and it was my favorite holiday cd. I even bought one for my mom.
Glenda Timmerman

Elliott brings joy to the world this christmas season. His R&B influences are very evident. I would highly recommend this cd. Good to hear a good mixture of music styles on this cd.

This is the second Christmas album from the American Idol Season 5 graduate, the track listing being as follows:

1. This Christmas
2. Warm Me Up
3. Jingle Bells
4. A Very Merry Christmas
5. Little Drummer Boy
6. Back Door Santa
7. The Christmas Song
8. Merry Christmas, Baby
9. Let's Be Naughty (And Save Santa the Trip)
10. Christmas Without Carol

Mathematically speaking,
My Kind of Holiday = Sounds of the Season: The Elliott Yamin Holiday Collection + Back Door Santa + Christmas Without Carol

In other words, if you already have the Christmas album he released last October (2007), you already have eight of the tracks on this album. The new tracks are "Christmas Without Carol", which he co-wrote, and the suggestive "Back Door Santa", written by Clarence Carter back in the 60's.

I'm not too sure that the latter belongs on the same album as "Jingle Bells" and "Little Drummer Boy", and I just don't get the warm and fuzzy Christmas feeling when I hear:
"I make all the little girls happy, while the boys are out to play
I ain't like the old Saint Nick, he don't come but once a year"

Anyway, if you don't have the previous album, and you're a fan of funky, R&B Christmas music, this may be a good album for your collection. Yamin is obviously comfortable with bluesy rhythms, and he has the voice to carry it off. Of the non-traditional tracks, "Warm Me Up" is the pick of the album.


Nine good tracks for the season, and recommended for AI fans who don't yet have the previous album.



Amanda Richards, October 13, 2008

I'll admit it, I'm an unabashed Elliott Yamin fan. I have an all Elliott Yamin playlist. Not all of his music makes my list, just my favorites. Most of these tunes have managed to stay on my playlist year round since they were first released on Elliott's Sounds of the Season cd sold last year at Target. Whether your mood is naughty (Let's Be Naughty, Back Door Santa), nice (This Christmas, Warm Me Up), traditional (Little Drummer Boy, The Christmas Song), or fun (Jingle Bells, Merry Christmas Baby), there's a Christmas song for you on this album. It's a great purchase if you're looking for some holiday party music, since most of the tunes are lively and funky. This music just makes me smile!

I am facing back surgery and am concerned about how the bills will be paid while I am off. Josh Grobin's song Just Believe was playing on the radio one day and I took the words in the song of"you have what you need if you'll just believe" to heart as a special gift from God. I am now very calm about the process and we will make the transition of no paycheck successfully! Thank you Lord Jesus!

Whether you've seen the movie or not, this is wonderful Christmas music for kids AND adults. The movie originals are on here as well as the classics that get played during the movie... I can't think of a song from the movie that they left out. This is by far my 4 year-old son's favorite Christmas movie, and now he can listen to the music in the car, while playing, or (his favorite) while laying in bed.

My children and I enjoyed this over the entire month of December since we had just been on a Polar Express train ride. They love the music and so do I!

The Polar Express soundtrack is played every day at our house. My 2 1/2 year old daughter loves the movie and now when we are in the car, she can listen to her favorite songs.

Cool CD. I bought this because Josh Groban sings "Believe" in the CD. I enjoyed all the other songs on it too.

Amazing! The Irish tenor's voice lends itself well to this collection of Christmas favorites. Most notably - Joni Mitchell's The River and Cliff Richards' Saviour's Day are interpreted with great effect and are the highlights of this seasonal delight. His duet on Silent Night with his young self as a boy soprano is charming. If you are fighting the winter blues, do yourself a favor and get this CD and feel the cheer of the season. If you are a Celtic Thunder fan, you probably already own this but if not, buy it now!

I really didn't know what kind of quality to expect from this CD. I bought it based strictly on the quality of other American Gramaphone music (Mannheim Steamroller to be specific). I was not disappointed in any way! If you're not sure what Bach to get, hesitate no more, this is a wonderful project.

There are so many popular works written by Bach, that they could make a multi-disc set (Toccata and Fugue in D minor, "Air On The G String", "Jesu, Joy Of Man's Desiring", Brandenburg Concertos, Orchestral Suites, etc., etc., etc.). There are many individual CDs that have their own collection of Bach's works. Some CDs are budget, some mid-priced, and some full-priced. If you are getting started on Bach (and, quite possibly, other kinds of classical music), you might wonder where to start.

Well, as for a full-priced Bach album, this American Gramaphone CD would be a great place to start. It's one fine collection of only some of his finest works on one CD. John Rutter and the City of London Sinfonia did a fine job of performing these works. The performances are brisk, which is pretty much how these works must've been performed during the Baroque period. By the sound of the orchestra, it must've contained modern instruments (which I mostly perfer over authentic). Although I was kind of dissappointed that the "Air from Suite #3 (a.k.a. 'Air On G String')" was a little too rushed. That's the only complaint I have about this CD. But that would NOT be enough to take a star away from the rating.

I would recomend this album to whoever's into classical music, as well as those who are just getting started (AND wouldn't mind investing in a full-priced CD).

Great holiday album! Great jams, cool beats...something different to add to your holiday music collection! :) Jack and Company bring a new meaning to seasonal music!

Gave this CD as a gift and also got one for myself, a great mix of traditional and new by some great artists. If you like singer/songwriters this is fab.

I like the cd overall I would rate it about a 7, there are some good songs and some very odd ones as well.

I was so excited to hear this holiday compilation from Jack Johnson and the other Brushfire artists but after only one time through I am wondering what they were truly thinking putting this together. Money Mark's "Stuck at the Airport" is the worst. That is all it says..."I'm stuck at the airport..blah blah blah, I am stuck at the airport and more blah blah blah". I love these artists but it seems that several of them just "called it in" with this album. Matt Costa's "All I want for Christams (is you)" seems to lack his normal enthusiasm. All-in-all it is an okay Christmas album but since several of the songs were quite depressing and somewhat tragic it really didn't help me get into the Christmas spirit.

I absolutely love this album! I love everything that Jack Johnson does or is involved with though so I am a bit biased. I really appreciated how everyone on this album either took an old song and made it their own, or they were totally original. It's always refreshing to here something new when it comes to Holiday music too. Every year it's usually just the same old stuff you've always heard. Not anymore! It's just a shame that this is only a holiday album because I would like to listen to it year round. Maybe I will anyway just to drive my husband up the wall. :-)

I bought this for the Hard Candy Christmas song. I enjoy some of the others too.

Great item - bought it for my mom as she used to listen to this at Christmastime many years ago. I was pleased to find that it was here, brand new, on Amazon.

I love this CD!!! I grew up listing to this on tape as a kid. I bought it on CD this year and played everyday during the Holidays. It really took me back to my childhood.

I love this CD! Kenny and Dolly together make the best Christmas CD. Quite a few of these songs were played on our local radio station through Christmas and I knew I needed to have the songs for myself. You won't be disappointed.

This CD is excellent with fabulous songs sung brilliantly by the 2 stars!
I remember seeing this Christmas Special on TV (BBC I think?) and was greatly impressed by the quality of the material, particularly moving was the visit to a hospital for children....Dolly is such an intelligent songwriter.
I just wonder why this Special has never been released (or has it?) on DVD as I would certainly buy it!

I bought these for my wife because she is a big fan, she liked most of the two episodes, but I don't think she fell in love with them. The guy can sing and he had Ella on one of the shows with him so that was great.

My wife has been a fan of Tom Jones since she was 15 years old. While I don't consider myself a "true fan" of Tom Jones, there is not a song I've heard done by him that I didn't like. Both me and my wife watched these shows when they aired on TV and enjoyed them thoroughly. Now we have the EXTREME pleasure of watching them again and my wife's comment is "No real Tom Jones Fan will be disappointed in this DVD." I have to admit, I agree with her. One review I read when I was originally buying it said something to the effect "Don't waste your money by buying this DVD" - Well, I bought it for my wife, and I definitely did not waste my money! She wants MORE - MORE - MORE!

This DVD set is fantastic! If you are a Tom Jones fan you will love his show. I highly recommend this product.

How can you go wrong with the winning combination of Tom Jones's vocals covering your favorite Christmas songs? Not to mention getting to see him doing it live on his very own television show with some popular vocalists of that time period. Wonderful gift for the Tom Jones fan any day of the year, but especially nice to find underneath your Christmas tree. It will certainly put you into the spirit of the season!

Tom does his best, as always, with some lovely Christmas songs. His voice is truly amazing and so heartfelt. A lovely treat for us all!!

Wales, the land of song, has produced many outstanding singers in a variety of musical styles. Bryn Terfel is doing much to continue that tradition by using his wonderful baritone voice to record a series of brilliant albums. Judging by his repertoire, Bryn enjoys several different, mainly traditional, musical styles.#

On this album, Bryn mixes classical pieces with folk songs, show songs, hymns and the occasional popular song that doesn't fit any of those categories. There are even a couple of Christmas songs (Ave Maria - the Bach / Gounod version - and Still still still). All the songs here are performed in Bryn's customary style with excellent musical support, so despite the contrasting origins of the various songs, the whole album hangs together well. The set opens with Mozart's setting of Ave verum corpus (a recording of the Karl Jenkins setting comes midway through the album) and ends with a song frequently used in Mormon services, God be with you. The title track is a song of American origin, written in the mid-nineteenth century.

Bryn is in great form throughout the album, so your favorite tracks are likely to depend on your particular tastes. Among my favorites would be The rose, most famously recorded by Bette Midler but also recorded by country singer Conway Twitty and several other great singers in various musical genres. Other favorites of mine include Send in the clowns, Morning has broken, How great thou art and Amazing grace. I've heard plenty of other versions of these songs but I never get tired of them; they are timeless, which is why Bryn recorded them. Yet there are so many great tracks here that your favorite might be one of those that I haven't mentioned.

If you love top quality crossover classical music, you'll enjoy Bryn's music in general and this album in particular.

I was compelled to buy this CD when I heard a few tracks from it on Sirius satellite radio. I had never heard of Bryn Terfel before and the discovery of his magnificent baritone voice was a surprising joy. Whether you're into classical music or not, this is a must-hear CD.

I heard Still, Still, Still on Sirius Pops Christmas and was completely moved by it. It still brings tears to my eyes every time I hear it. Masterful!

Beautiful, moving rendition of some of my favorite music. Fantastically clear. Enjoyable as background or "just sit and listen music."

Another wonderful recording by Bryn Terfel. I have given this cd as a gift to several members of my family and they have all loved it. I particularly enjoy Mr. Terfel's rendition of Send in the Clowns and Cavatina. What an amazing voice!

Couldn't be happier. This DVD, filmed in Branson, was excellent. All the familiar faces were there, and their voices, dancing, and music were just as strong as ever. I would highly recommend this DVD.

Sadly, Lawrence is now part of Christmas past but his family lives on! If you are a fan of the Lawrence Welk family and curious to see how they've aged -- this Dvd is for you. Old entertainers are like old athletes. Their best years are behind them. I'd label this product -- For Fans Only

THIS DVD WILL CURE THOSE HOLIDAY BLUES AND MAKE YOU SMILE. AN OLD FASHIONED MUSICAL CHRISTMAS WITH GREAT MUSIC, FABULOUS SINGERS, AND DANCERS. THIS ISN'T JUST ANOTHER MUSICAL PERFORMANCE. THIS SHOW WAS DESIGNED WITH WARMTH AND TALENTED INDIVIDUALS WHO LOVE WHAT THEY DO. IT IS A MUSICAL CELEBRATION OF LIFE AND THAT INDESCRIBABLE FEELING KNOWN AS "THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT." WE NEED MORE SHOWS LIKE THIS TODAY. MY FAMILY WATCHES THIS DVD THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.

My wife bought this expecting to see a vintage Lawrence Welk Christmas Show and was disappointed to find upon viewing it that it was a 1995 show done in Branson, Missouri. It had almost no actual views of the old Welk show but rather a modern somewhat Welk-like reproduction. It did have some of the performers from that show but seeing more of those old shows would have been much better.

If you wish to view Lawrence Welk himself or his original shows, do not buy this DVD. That said, many of the songs and presentations were entertaining but most not up to the best of the old Welk shows.

I can't say it was anyone's fault in particular but let me keep others from making my mistake. At the time I bought this dvd from Amazon I do not believe it said anything about being a "reunion concert."

This is a 1995 reunion dvd rather than the actual Christmas show from yester-year. If you like that sort of thing that's cool, but for myself I purchased the dvd for more of a time period nostalgic purpose and was pretty disappointed.

For those who would like a better description, the back of the dvd says:

"In the 40 year holiday tradition of the Lawrence Welk Television Show, the musical family of stars gather at the Champagne Theatre in Branson, Missouri, for an all new Christmas Reunion Concert."

Appearances by:
Norma Zimmer (Host)
Fern Welk (Lawrence's wife)
The Lennon Sisters- Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
Jo Ann Castle- The Skater's Watz
Jack Imel- Winter Wonderland
Mary Lou Metzger & Ken Delo- White Christmas
Tom Netherton- The Most Wonderful Time of the Year
Bobby Burgess & Elaine Balden- Christmas Waltz & Jingle Bell Rock
Guy Hovis- Some Children See Him
Anacani- It Came Upon A Midnight Clear
Joe Feeney- O Holy Night & How Great Thou Art

The show was really boring to me but I couldn't drive myself to give it 1 star because I believe that fans of the show that grew up with the show would probably really enjoy it. I did give it a 3 because I felt it could have been described better than what it was at the time I bought it.