I know a few posts earlier I said I wasn't a big fan of choir Christmas songs. I should clarify. I'm not a fan of more recent popular music that was meant for a solo voice being re-arranged for choir. Carols and old songs meant for choir are a different story. I'm far more forgiving. I like this record, because the arrangements are quite good and can get you into a real Christmas Spirit. Also I love that these are all High School kids. They really sound great.
This record also give me a good opportunity to spout off about one of my pet peeves this year. Listen to track 2 "The First Noel" and you will notice that they sing the lyric "they looked up" and pronounce "looked" with two syllables. This is how it should be. This is how it should be in my book because the song is a religious song. It is a carol. It is a hymn. It is sung like a hymn and anyone who has sung hymns before knows that often single syllable words are sung as two syllables for the sake of the song. What has driven me crazy this year is the number of times I've heard more recent interpretations of the song sung with one syllable. To me it is a sign that the artist has never sung a hymn and therefore (maybe even unfairly) I think they are not being genuine in singing the song. Funny how something so small can ruin a song for me. I'm such a music snob. Let me know if you have an opinion on the matter.
Enjoy!
01 Alleluia Now Is The Christmas Morn.m4a02 The First Noel.m4a03 The Coventry Carol.m4a04 The Birth.m4a05 The Little Drummer Boy.m4a06 Bell Song.m4a07 Deck The Halls.m4a08 Silent Night.m4a09 O Come All Ye Faithful.m4a10 Joy To The World.m4a11 Lo, How A Rose E'er Blooming.m4a12 What Kind of Cradle Was That_.m4a13 Crusader's Hymn.m4a14 Angels We Have Heard On High.m4a15 Christmas Is Just For Children.m4a16 The Lord Bless You And Keep You.m4aRedlands High School Choirs - Alleluia, Noel.zip
Since we are in the middle of the holidays I thought maybe a record with holiday in the title might be nice and it might be nice to have something that isn't Christmas music. I'm sure many are tired of the Christmas music blitz. No Christmas songs here, but plenty of relaxing Hawaiian tunes. If you are in one of those snowed in states or regions, this might be just the thing to transport you to a tropical paradise. Join Johnny Pineapple as he croons some island classics for you.
This is a fun record because of all the interlude dialogue between the songs. If you listened to this year's Christmas mix you'll notice a few samples from this record.
Thought for the night before Christmas I'd share this record, which can get you into a sort of spiritual or sacred mood if you swing that way. Myself I try not to forget the whole reason behind all this gift giving and decorating.
This is a sweet record. Children singing Christmas songs. You can't go wrong there. It is after all a holiday that really is about kids. The record has all your favorites, but with the nice twist of being sung by children and done in a non-cheesy way. There is some real talent on this record.
This record looks and sounds better than perhaps the actual record it. By that I mean, I love the album cover. I love the idea of a Walton's Christmas album, but when you get down to it, it's not really what you might hope it would be. It's not like John Boy is singing up a storm. There is a bunch of narration (like the show) with sentimental memories of Christmas and some carols. The songs are nothing special. But with all of that said and while the record isn't what I really had hoped it would be, it is worth at least one listen because the stories are engaging. If you watched "The Waltons", then this might bring back some sweet memories. But just think how great it would have been if the record did have John Boy or Grandpa singing. Oh well.
Great Christmas record. I love Patti Page and I love this as a Christmas record. There really isn't a bad track on the whole record. I can't really say much more about the record. I have no story or history with the record. I got it a year or two ago and fell in love with it the moment I heard it. Case closed.
