Norman Luboff - Calypso Holiday/Songs of Christmas
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Music CD Cover
Artist: Norman LuboffEdition: Music CD
CD Release Date: 1999-09-28
Music Label: Collectables
Free Music Notes for Calypso Holiday/Songs of Christmas
Free Music Review: Songs of Christmas: touches the heart
Hit: 5 Stars
The "Calypso" part of this combination CD is as corny as any record album made by white people in the 1950s. I always skip it - unless I want a chuckle!
But the Christmas songs are something else! The arrangements are mostly 'a capella' - or human voices alone (there is organ in the background of a few tracks). The arrangements are traditional and very tasteful. With the Luboff Choir's unique vocal texture, each performance conveys the full power and depth of the song. The performance of "O Holy Night" is the most convincing I have ever heard, of that song.
And yet the performances avoid the bombast that often mars Christmas choral albums. The Choir is small enough to hear individual voices. The recording engineer used some reverb, but never too much, so the performance stays intimate. It's often like hearing that great local choir sing in the entrance of your friend's house.
The only criticisms I can come up with are minor. It's a mono recording from 1956, so the tone is a bit dull and "boxed in" by modern standards. The German pronunciation in "O Tannenbaum" is sloppy. The soprano tends to sharp a little; by the end of "The Twelve Days of Christmas", the Choir's pitch drifts up a semitone. But so what? The singing is spirited; the arrangement is varied and delightful.
The selections include some beautiful songs that are rarely heard elsewhere. I have never heard "Baloo Lammy", "A La Nanita Nana", "Joseph Dearest, Joseph Mine", or "Whence Comes This Rush Of Wings" except for this record, and they are wonderful songs.
The other selections are Christmas favorites, done in (again) traditional and artful vocal arrangements. What is great about this recording is that it presents the songs of Christmas in a straightforward and sincere way; formal and yet it touches the heart. The Choir are humble servants to the songs; their artistry is present, yet it is "all about the songs", not them.
I believe the original LP, which this CD preserves, may have helped make "The Holly and the Ivy" better known in the USA. Amazon has failed to list the CD's final 2 selections: "Deck the Halls", and a breathtaking "Silent Night".
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