Mannheim Steamroller - Christmas in the Aire
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Free Music Notes for Christmas in the Aire
Free Music Review: Nice selection of songs to listen to
Hit: 4 Stars
I bought this CD for a relatively low price at a music store. I have the Live and Christmas Angel albums, so this was the first actual studio CD of theirs that I bought. I had heard Joy to the World and Angels We Have Heard on High before. Other tracks I like on this CD are Pat a Pan, Rudolph the Reindeer and Jingle Bells. I came into the Mannheim Steamroller fan appreciation late in the game. But I must say, they do a great job of interpreting Christmas songs and putting their own spin on them.Free Music Review: Pretty darn good except for the last track
Hit: 4 Stars
What in the world was MS thinking when they did that sloooow version of Jingle Bells? It's "Jingle Bells on Valium". However the rest of the tracks are good listening, so I do recommend thisFree Music Review: Peace. . . The Charm's Wound Up
Hit: 3 Stars
Well. . . it's been five years now since Manheim Steamroller released their last proper Christmas album. And I can't help but feel that the album was certainly decent for what it was, and it was somewhat of a joy to hear fresh Manheim on the stereo that year, but the impression I get from the record was that it was purely made for commercial reasons, not artistic ones. The first Christmas album practically revolutionized the genre, the second one took it to new heights (and very quickly became my all-time favorite Christmas album). But after seven years, these guys have changed. It seems they've grown a little too successful, their ambitions have changed somewhat. "Gagliarda" and "Pat A Pan" are the best tunes on the album (the latter the only thing close to the classics on the first two), but much of it is lukewarm, reheated material from the first two albums, and really not worth listening to, in my humble opinion. Worst of them all is a tie between "Rudolph" and "Jingle Bells"-- really, really missed the mark on that one. I await their next truly new compilation with some skepticism.Free Music Review: Not as memorable as the others
Hit: 3 Stars
This CD isn't as good as the other two I have. It's not necessarily bad, as it's still better than almost any of the other Christmas music CDs I've heard, but there's just not a whole lot that is memorable on this one. Perhaps it's because I'm not as familiar with the carols as I was with the others. However, of the ones I am familiar with, none of them have the spark that the other two CDs had. For years and years, I've been able to hum my favourite tracks off of the other two, even in the middle of July when it's been 6 months since I've listened to them. This one, however, doesn't have anything like that.That being said, there are a couple of tunes on this one to pay attention to. The rendition of O Little Town of Bethlehem is outstanding, while the Christmas Lullaby is very nice as well. Both of them are quite beautiful.
Unfortunately, the rest of the CD is passable, but not good. If you are a Mannheim Steamroller fan, I think I would stop after the first two (though perhaps they have returned to form, as I haven't heard any of the other ones after this one).
Free Music Review: Chip Davis Loses His Touch
Hit: 3 Stars
After the revolutionary "Christmas" and the glorious "Fresh Aire Christmas," it may have been almost impossible for the third Mannheim Steamroller Christmas album to live up to listeners' expectations. At any rate, "Christmas in the Aire" doesn't.The problem with "Christmas in the Aire" is not performance (although "Angels We Have Heard on High" is disappointing), but an appallingly weak song selection. Perhaps Chip ran out of truly beautiful Christmas classics to interpret, but he certainly could have found better material than relative unknowns like "Pat-a-Pan" and "Gagliarda," not to mention tired holiday drivel like "Rudolph" and "Jingle Bells."
Chip's original composition, "Christmas Lullaby," is quite beautiful, but unfortunately it's buried near the end of a rather tedious CD.