Linda Ronstadt - Merry Little Christmas
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Free Music Notes for Merry Little Christmas
Free Music Review: Some Of The Tracks You'll Love - Others, Well....,
Hit: 3 Stars
I find my assessment of this CD ranges somewhere between the reviewer who gave it one star to the one who assigned four. The opening four tracks are, quite simply, some of the nicest renditions of those four classics you will find anywhere.
After that, well, as one reviewer accurately states, her marvelous voice becomes swallowed up in chorale arrangements. Also, I don't know about you but I never did particularly like Christmas compilations that offer up obscure selections [tracks 5, 7, 8, 10, 12, 13 in this instance].
In lieu of liner notes what you get are the lyrics to each selection, along with names of the composers and details of the backing artists/chorale groups.
For the most part we only haul these out once a year for about a month, and in doing so I think most of us like the familiar tunes done by our favourite artists. I was a bit disappointed.
Free Music Review: Nice album....but is Linda even singing on the second half?
Hit: 3 Stars
It's always great to hear Linda, whether on Christmas songs, folk, pop or singing the phone book. Too bad she only appears on about half the tracks...Free Music Review: "Heavenly Hosts Sing Alleluia! . . . Christ The Savior Is Born"
Hit: 5 Stars
"Silent night, holy night
Son of God, love's pure light
Radiant beams from thy holy face
With the dawn of redeeming grace
Jesus, Lord at thy birth
Jesus, Lord at thy birth." ~ Silent Night ~ Franz Xaver Gruber
Linda Ronstadt's "A Merry Little Christmas" is an absolutely beautiful collection of some of the best-loved Christmas songs of all-time. How can you not include this with your collection of Christmas music? There are so many reasons why this CD should be in your Christmas collection.
Firstly, Linda Ronstadt's vocal artistry is impeccable.
Secondly, the choice of material is great - it's a combination of some of the most popular traditional Christmas carols and some of the least recorded songs yet remarkably meaningful.
Thirdly, Rosemary Clooney, a great singer herself graced this album on a duet with Linda Ronstadt as they sing Irving Berlin's "White Christmas."
Another good reason to love this CD is Ms. Ronstadt's interpretations. She sings so effortlessly and with such gracefulness and dedication to each song.
One more justifiable reason is the musical arrangements - they're sublimely done. She's surrounded by a long list of talented musicians headed by Peter Matz and Jeffrey Haskell who have their respective line-up of musicians, and not to mention the backing of the Choirs from Tucson and Los Angeles.
In addition, some of my favorite Christmas carols are included here - "Silent Night," "The Christmas Song," "White Christmas," "I'll Be Home For Christmas" and "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas," not to mention the great versions of "River," a Joni Mitchell composition, and "I Wonder As I Wander" featuring The Choir from Los Angeles. I love the beautiful performances on traditional songs such as "Away In A Manger," "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" and "Lo, How A Rose E're Blooming."
Lastly, this is one beautiful Christmas CD that I will strongly recommend for your Holiday's listening pleasure.
Free Music Review: From the Secular to the Sacred
Hit: 4 Stars
I got this right around the same time as I purchased another 70's diva's Christmas record--namely, Donna Summer's CHRISTMAS SPIRIT. Perhaps not too surprisingly, both albums contain versions of what have become holiday standards. But did they have to be the same ONES? "The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire); "White Christmas; "I'll Be Home For Christmas." Where's the originality?
Well, actually, there is a fair amount of originality on both releases. Just maybe not with their selection of Christmas standards. But nearly every holiday album by popular artists is a mix of the secular and the sacred, and the trick is in the balancing. Interesting that in both Ronstadt and Summer's cases, they start off with the popular standards and then somewhat more gradually (Summer) or quite abruptly (Ronstadt) shift to the more religiously themed material.
In either case, the mood would be totally altered if the listener were to switch to random select. In Ronstadt's case, especially so. The first four tracks are the standards, and they are basically a holiday version of American Songbook recordings with Nelson Riddle. Some reviewers (see below) have found these tracks rather perfunctory, or worse. Fans of the Riddle period recordings though should welcome these takes.
Ronstadt's duet with Rosemary Clooney on "White Christmas" is an implicit tip of the hat to the greats of an earlier era. (Who better to do it with, after all?) As with many such duets, what makes the track interesting is the singers' different approaches. By this point in her career, Rosie was all about phrasing. Linda seems to be trying to smooth out any rough edges by singing extra pretty. Oddly enough, it works. Or maybe it's not so odd. Opposites attract, and opposite singing styles complement each other. At least, here they do.
One reviewer below perceptively noted that the inclusion of Joni Mitchell's "River," with its musical quote of "Jingle Bells" and the passing reference to Christmas time, adds a note of holiday melancholy to the proceedings. One might argue that that same emotion is evoked in the holiday standards included here as well. After all, "I'll Be Home For Christmas" was, as I understand it, a WWII song, with the emotional capper being the closing line ('...if only in my dreams"). And is there a better example of Christmas melancholy than "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" ("Someday soon we all will be together if the fates allow"). Even "White Christmas" is about yuletide nostalgia. By the time we get to Ronstadt's take on the Joni Mitchell classic, we should be pretty much overcome with the holiday blues.
So where to go from there? Back to the true meaning of the Christmas holiday, I guess. So bring on the choirs. Yes, much of the rest of the album consists of Linda singing (and blending in--with precious little soloing) with choirs from Tucson and Los Angeles. It's an abrupt change of pace, and it pretty much works. But fans will probably be nonplussed by the lack of soloing--or even momentary bits of Ronstadt coloration.
I love choral singing myself. And I won't argue with Ronstadt's (or her producer's) artistic decision here. I guess there could be truth to one commentator's contention that the album was a quickie done more for contractual reasons than artistic ones. On the other hand, sometimes even rush jobs can come together in unexpected ways and make a significant statement. Ronstadt's musical journey on this record from the secular to the sacred, from the personal to the communal, is a fascinating one. I won't say it's 100% successful. But like Summer's record (which gradually moved from holiday standards to a full gospel testimony), this is a record which actually brings the listener along for a very interesting--and perhaps inspiring--ride.
Free Music Review: Buy it for "River"
Hit: 5 Stars
Linda Ronstadt's "Merry Little Christmas" is worth buying for "River," penned by Joni Mitchell, alone, although there are other gems, such as the songs Ms. Ronstadt sings with Rosemary Clooney and with the Tucson choir. But it's "River" that I play over and over.