Favorite Christmas Albums

During our recent family Thanksgiving gathering, my son John asked everyone to name their favorite Christmas album. When it came my turn I didn't have to think about it at all. I immediately popped out with "The Carpenter's Christmas album", meaning of course, their first one,  Christmas Portrait. Interestingly enough, it was also the favorite of both my sons. It's one of those albums that became a tradition in our home when our children were young. Back then it was a cassette tape copy. I finally bought a cd copy last year and opted for the double album that also includes their second Christmas album, An Old Fashioned Christmas. The latter was first released a year after Karen's death. The reason these albums are important is Karen's magnificent vocals. I've heard it said that she is the best female pop vocalist of all time. Pretty heavy duty claim, but one I agree with! The flaw in both albums is there is too much superfluous stuff. That's a minor flaw in the first one, and a major flaw in the second where Karen doesn't come in until the 5th track! All is forgiven however when Karen soars on songs both old and new. Their well known Merry Christmas Darling needs no introduction. Other favorites include Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, The Christmas Waltz, Sleigh Ride, The Christmas Song, Christ Is Born and from the 2nd album Santa Claus Is Coming to Town and Little Altar Boy, which although not really a Christmas song, carries a similar spirit to Ave Maria which closes the first album.

Other family favorites Bing Crosby's White Christmas album, Harry Connick Jr.'s When My Heart Finds Christmas and various and sundry compilation albums that feature such people as Perry Como, Dean Martin, Doris Day and Johnny Mathis. One of my favorite tracks from a compilation we often play is Roger Whittacker's take on Ding Dong Merrily On High.

Some of my personal favorite Christmas albums are: Messiah with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, A Christmas Celebration by Celtic Woman, Good News and Joy For Christmas Day both by Kathy Mattea, December in Vermont by Diane Zeigler, Greatest Christmas Songs by Julie Andrews and last but not least, Nancy Hanson's All Wrapped Up. Based on a recent Facebook post, you might just be able to get a swingin' deal on Nancy's album. Contact info available at:

http://www.nancyhanson.com/

Christmas albums are a mixed bag, so I'm pretty careful about the ones I pick up. My personal collection is pretty small. I guess I'd rather spend my money on music I can listen to all year long, but this gives an idea of what I like. My brother and sister will probably take issue with my not including The Beach Boy's Christmas Album, but that became my parent's family favorite long after I'd left home, so it just never took with me. That being said, who can fault Little Saint Nick?

Donald Davis

Ok, maybe this isn't exactly musical, but it was billed as a concert! last night I took the opportunity to hear (and see!) Donald Davis perform. He is probably the premier professional storyteller in the USA, at least according to people who follow such things. Having recently heard him interviewed on The Mormon Channel and becoming intrigued, I knew I had to check him out upon seeing notice of his upcoming performance while I was visiting the local library. He lived up to the hype. I found myself totally mesmerized as he spun his tales. It was very much like becoming thoroughly engrossed in a well written story. The mind takes over and I could picture myself following his uncle Frank's fox hound on a cross country adventure or becoming a fellow member of Miss Daisy's 4th grade class on tour around the world. It was fantastic. Loved every minute. This guy is an amazing talent. I haven't gone much in for story telling even though Orem has become one of the country's top story telling venues and has been for 22 years. Story tellers I've seen perform before seemed to be overblown and too dramatic for my tastes. Not so with Donald Davis. He knows how to get out of the way of the story. I couldn't have been more impressed. I will definitely be looking for him in the future. The event was a benefit for a new addition to the library to be called the Center for Story. It's a controversial project that has the community divided for and against. Let me just say that I personally like the idea and support it. After the story telling one of Donald's signature bow ties was auctioned off. The bidding started at $50 and rapidly went up from there until there were only 2 gentlemen left in the running - neighbors. When it got to $750 Donald ran back on stage to contribute the tie he was wearing last night. Both men ended up winners and the Center for Story project became $1500 richer! It blew my mind to see a tie go for that kind of money. A fitting cap to a wonderful evening!

Rating Previous Albums

I promised to go back and rate the albums I've reviewed/mentioned or alluded to in the past using a five star system. Since I don't review stuff I don't like, don't expect anything below 3 stars. I tried to arrange this by columns, but this format doesn't work well that way so I'll simply do each row as Album, Artist, Rating. Here goes:

Lorraine, Lori McKenna, 4.5
Crows, Allison Moorer, 4.0
Live At the Troubadour, James Taylor/Carole King, 4.5
Barton Hollow, The Civil Wars, 5.0
Simply Eva, Eva Cassidy, 4.5
Grace, Cheri Call, 4.0
Mountain Soul II, Patty Loveless, 4.0
Ready to Go, Bryan Sutton, 3.5
Paper Airplane, Alison Krauss & Union Station, 3.5
Suzy Bogguss, Suzy Bogguss, 3.5
Simpatico, Suzy Bogguss & Chet Atkins, 4.5
Follow Me Down, Sarah Jarosz, 4.0
Cricket's Orchestra, Meaghan Smith, 4.0
Coal, Kathy Mattea, 4.0
The Dreaming Fields, Matraca Berg, 4.0
Debra Fotheringham, Debra Fotheringham, 3.5
Father to Son, Sam Payne, 4.0
When Forever Rolls Around, The Lovell Sisters, 4.0
Time to Grow, The Lovell Sisters, 4.5
Daybreak, Sierra Hull, 4.0
Live at the Philadelphia Folk Festival, The Lovell Sisters, 3.0
Spring, Larkin Poe, 4.0
Fall, Larkin Poe, 3.5
The Harrow and the Harvest, Gillian Welch, 4.0
Trains I Missed, Balsam Range, 3.5
American Folk Songbook, Suzy Bogguss, 5.0

That about covers it. I've left some out that I may have hinted at in earlier posts, but these are the ones that I want to rate now. I will rate as I go in the future, so probably won't do a listing again. Also as a note of interest, I'm warming up to Larkin Poe more as I listen to their Fall and Spring EPs on a regular basis. The ratings reflect my change of attitude.

The weather's gloomy today, so I'm looking forward to some good Christmas concerts/music in the near future. Bring it on!