Published on Dec 26, 2003
Yes, indeed, this is what I call Christmas; commercial,
overblown, excessive, but at its heart pretty decent.
The two-CD set
Now That’s What I Call Christmas (hereinafter shortened to
NTWICC) is the first seasonal megasuper-compilationthing by
the commercially minded folks at Sony Music, who are bound and
determined to shove commercial mass-market stuff down our throat
whether we like it or not. However, in a relatively sensitive and
intelligent move, on this double CD set they’ve included a full CD
of classic Christmas music as well as some more modern works.
To look at each one separately seems the best tactic,
so…disc one, the ‘classic’ disc, is a great, great Christmas
CD. With classics from Nat King Cole, Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra,
Ella Fitzgerald, Johnny Mathis, and The Beach Boys, this is the
Christmas music that you probably grew up with, playing on your
parents’ stereo — and it’s aged pretty well. Warm, friendly, and
easily accessible, this disc is sure to be a favorite for your
Yuletide listening.
Then there’s the second disc.
It starts out OK, with John Lennon’s “Happy Xmas (War Is Over),”
segues into Bruce Springsteen’s straining-but-OK “Santa Claus Is
Coming To Town,” and continues with Band Aid and Paul McCartney.
OK, this is cool, right? Then…horror of horrors…we
hit the Michael Bolton. I don’t know what in the hell “Our Love Is
Like A Holiday” has to do with Christmas, good music, talent, or
anything sensible, but it should be taken out back and buried like
spoiled eggnog. This song would sterilize elves at fifty feet and
make Santa crash his sleigh.
The rest of the second CD is the good (Mannheim Steamroller,
Boyz II Men, Diana Krall, Harry Connick Jr), the bad (N*Sync,
Celine Dion), and the downright ugly (Britney Spears, The Big Yard
Family {featuring Shaggy, as if that was something to be proud
of}). Much like the average commercial Christmas,
NTWICC could have done better with about 2/3 of what’s
here.
If you find it cheap, buy it. Otherwise, avoid it until they
publish that first disc by itself.