Published on Dec 7, 2000
It’s been an interesting few months. Normally, I start getting
Christmas music CDs to review around the first of September – and
if I’m not in the holiday spirit in early December, I sure am not
ready to listen to “Deck The Halls” before Labor Day.
No, this year has been much more balanced, with holiday discs
coming at a time when I am more prepared to handle the mood. And
one such release which just hit my inbox recently,
Christmas Songs from the Canadian label Nettwerk, could well
be the best collection I’ve heard of the bunch.
Some of these artists you most definitely know; some of them
you’ve probably never heard of. One thing is for certain, though:
by the time you’re done with this disc, you’ll probably want to
know a lot more about most of these artists.
It would be easy to start things out by talking about Sarah
McLachlan’s contribution to this disc (“Song For A Winter’s Night”)
or her jazzy collaboration with Barenaked Ladies (“God Rest Ye
Merry Gentlemen”)… but I’m not gonna do that. No, instead let’s
focus on the track which I was prepared to absolutely hate – and
quickly became my favorite.
The artist? Meryn Cadell, who had a one-off hit in the States a
few years back. I have her CD
Angel Food For Thought, and absolutely hated it, so I saw no
reason why I’d like “The Cat Carol”. Boy, was I wrong. This is
tenderly sung, and the tale of unbelievable sacrifice during the
holidays actually had me in tears. If this song isn’t a classic in
time, I’d be surprised. Well done!
Likewise, some excellent performances are turned in by Matthew
Ryan (“Little Drummer Boy”), Kendall Payne (“O Come O Come
Emmanuel”), Tara McLean (“Winter Wonderland”), Dido (“Christmas
Day”) and, with a nod to older times, Mediæval Bæbes
(“Gaudete”). It’s almost as if these artists took the stance that
they were going to craft these versions to capture the spirit of
the flavor, and to hell with being commercial. It works, and it
works well.
Disappointments? I found but two. This one is just a personal
preference, but I would have preferred to have heard Jenifer
McLaren sing “Ave Maria” in Latin – despite the fact I don’t
remember anything despite two years of Latin in high school. (I’m
still going to get even with my guidance counselor for
talking me out of taking Spanish.) And while I like the overall
sound, Delerium really doesn’t seem like they fit the Christmas
mood with “Terra Firma”.
Ah, and then we come to the album’s closer – Stuart McLean and
“Polly Anderson’s Christmas Party”. At first, I thought I’d be
blasting the producers for hiding a track with about 15 minutes of
dead air. But, no, this is a 23-minute spoken-word performance of
an unforgettable Christmas party. And while I somewhat question its
inclusion on a music-oriented album, McLean does manage to suck you
into the story, and you almost feel disappointed when it ends.
So many Christmas albums come out each year, and every year a
few get overlooked. Here’s hoping that
Christmas Songs is not one of those discs that gets passed
up for the latest pre-processed teen-scene crapfests. It’s not
often I hear an album that seems to capture the spirit of the
season; this most definitely is one of those.