Corranga
|
It's release day! The Christmas Album - a probably overly long and criticising review 02-Dec-2022 17:00:28
| CorrsClub Time: 21-Mar-2025 22:42:27 |
So, here we are the 2nd of December.
This is one of the most notable days in Corrs history, because, let it be known to all, the 2nd of December is the anniversary of the day I first met The Corrs following a TV appearance, and then later they played a lovely and fairly intimate gig at Bush Halls in London, but that's perhaps a story for a different day, and this is 2022, not 2004, so of course today is also notable as it's today that Andrea's new album, The Christmas Album has been released.
My copy has just arrived, and I'm in the process of giving it it's first spin.
Of course, we know some (well, all!) of these songs already, with the Christmas Songs EP being released back in November 2020 with:
Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
O Holy Night
In The Bleak Mid-Winter
and of course the original Begin Again featuring, so not much to add about those.
Then last year we were given Andrea and Ronnie's (and Anto's...) cover of Blue Christmas.
And I'm probably missing some other songs we had already heard, or are simply so familiar to me at this point having been covered by so many artists that I'm just forgetting!
So, first impressions...
There used to be a fair bit of chat in the Corrs community about the band doing an Xmas album, something I was always pretty negative about.
On the plus side, they are potentially money spinners, as artists can pull them out each year, or if they are lucky enough to get them into regular play, earn a ton of royalties.
The perhaps obvious negative being that (for me at least) Christmas belongs in December, and I have no inclination to listen to Christmas songs any other time, from 01/12 (at a push) through to the 25th.
My view has always been that I'd prefer the band to record actual all year round music, but either way, we have this little gem, and it's more than just a little bit pleasant.
This of course is a complete Xmas album, so I can pull it out each December and give it a few spins in my 25 day window, end to end. This is probably preferable to say, Sharon's approach of a single song ruining (for me...) a whole album (Christmas Night) which irritates me to the point that it rarely, or perhaps never goes into the CD player.
Anyway, I've ranted on for enough time to have had a decent listen to the album, and get some first impressions.
Off to a great start with the effervescent, and lovely fun of It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas, then continuing the classics with a wonderful version of The Christmas Song, with just the right amount of musical accompaniment.
'Have' for me is a little too slow, I personally look for more upbeat and fun in my seasonal treats (but not Buble style upbeat and fun, behave people!!), and the same can be said about 'Blue' which isn't helped by Ronnie (bless his sole) having such a heavy bass voice that my floor vibrates when he sings. I'm sure they had a blast recording it, and once it gets into the swing of things, it's a fun song, but the vocals interrupting the flow of the song. Personally, I think I'll stick with the Jonnie Mathis version from my childhood (or gasp, maybe even the Elvis one...)
With Let It Snow we're back on track, this is a beautiful version that leaves me with a smile, joyous is the perfect word.
Then onto Begin Again. Perhaps the best compliment I can add is that it's not out of place, despite being surrounded by all of these classics we all know and love. The inclusion of the 'God Rest Ye...' lyrics perhaps adding to this. Her vocals are wonderful as we'd expect and for me, this is a definite stand out. I don't know if the original nature of the song means she's putting more effort in, or simply that it suits her better as she writes songs to be sung by her.
The haunting and mesmerising vocals continue with what I think might be the stand out track, Ring Christmas Bells (Carol of the Bells). Already I can predict it will become a favourite, though I can't help but wish for a full Corrs version with the harmonising we're all so used to. Beautiful.
Curoo Curoo is quite interesting as the 1 song on the album I don't actually know (but it sounds like I know parts of it, so it creates an odd combination of familiar and the unknown!). It has it's moments, and Ronnie's additions are more welcome here than Blue Christmas in my opinion, and then we embark into 3 songs that need an injection of life in my opinion. All 3 beautiful, but all 3 would be replaced by other, more up-beat versions in my personal listening's.
Overall, it has it's moments, and it's oozing with beauty, but it's not a classic.
Now, where's that recording of Merry Xmas (War Is Over)...
Chris
| (This message has been read 255 times.) |