Adult Contemporary

December 24, 2022

# 82

Marie Osmond
Marie Osmond's Magic Of Christmas
2007

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HiFi Recordings (P)©2007

# 4 – 2007 – Billboard Christian Albums

Genre : Adult Contemporary

This is Marie Osmond’s first Christmas CD as a solo artist.  All her previous Christmas output was as part of The Osmond Family, the family group that has been around since the early 1960s, starting with The Osmonds.  She was never an official member of The Osmonds, but Marie did some Christmas songs with her brother Donny and appeared on the Osmond Family Christmas CD from 1991.

Marie Osmond was born in 1959 in Ogden, Utah.  Her family are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  In fact, the entire Osmond clan are probably the most famous Mormons in the entertainment world.  She was the 8th child out of an end total of 9, and was the only girl.  Having been very young while her older brothers were already established singers through appearing on Andy Williams’ variety show, Marie was encouraged by her mother to join in the family fun.  Marie Osmond was attracted to Country music more than the Pop music her brothers had been releasing.

Marie Osmond released her first single, Paper Roses, in 1973, two months before her 15th birthday and it is still one of her most popular recordings.  The song shot to number one on Billboard’s Country Singles chart and Marie Osmond became the youngest Country music performer to have a # 1 single on their first try.  Paper Roses, the single and the album, both went on to earn a Grammy nomination that year but did not win any awards.

Having released a few very successful singles with her brother Donny, Donny & Marie Osmond became classic 1970s variety TV stars through their show Donny & Marie.  It was the mid-70s and their show aired on Friday nights, and as a 16 – 17-year-old, I didn’t miss one. 😊

After the show ended, Marie Osmond continued to record popular Country albums that did well on the Pop charts too.  All throughout her career, Marie Osmond had a strong presence on TV, starring in made-for-TV movies, variety shows, and she and Donny had their own daytime talk show for two years starting in 1998.  Marie Osmond also excelled in Broadway productions.  And finally, starting in 2008, she and her brother Donny set up an 11-year residence in Las Vegas.

All throughout her career, Marie has dabbled in other ventures outside of the entertainment world.  Crafting, designing dolls and charitable works have kept Marie Osmond very busy.

Marie Osmond has been married three times, twice to the same man.  She has a son Stephen from her first marriage and two natural children and five adopted children with her second husband.

Marie Osmond keeps a strong presence on TV even today.  You will see her promoting everything from her own line of dolls and skin care products to diet programs.

This Christmas CD from Marie Osmond was released in 2007 on the small independent label, HiFi Records and the CD I own is the Limited Edition, so it also comes with a 5 song bonus CD.  Yea!

The CD artwork is very festive, being mostly red backgrounds with gold lettering throughout.  The CD cover shows a head-and-shoulders shot of Marie wearing a red sweater.  Her name appears near the top in light green letters, and the title Magic of Christmas appears below her name in white script.

The back of the CD has a small picture of Marie in a lime green cardigan holding an ornately wrapped Christmas gift.  The picture is framed in an elaborate gold frame.  The back of the CD features a numerical track listing that includes performing artist duets and time signatures.  Below the track listing, there are production credits and typical label copywrite notices.

The CD cover comes out and opens along a single fold-out.  The inside features numerous pictures of Marie throughout her life.  Some are of her alone and others include her brothers.  There is a personal message from Marie describing the inspiration behind the making of this CD.

The back of the CD cover has all the technical information one could want.  Arranging and conducting credits are listed.  Musicians that play on the CD, engineers and producers and production credits are all listed.  Towards the bottom is a numerical track listing that includes writer credits for all the songs.

Some of this CD was recorded in Provo, Utah and some songs were recorded in Prague, Czech Republic.  Jerry Williams did all the arranging and led the orchestra for the Utah sessions.  The recording sessions in Prague were conducted by Leos Svarovsky with the City of Prague Philharmonic.  So far, I have been unable to determine which songs were recorded in Utah, and which songs were recorded in Prague.  I was hoping Wikipedia or Discogs could help me, but that is not the case.  Nowhere in the CD liner notes does it say specifically which songs were recorded where.

The songs included on the main CD are a mix of traditional Christmas hymns, familiar secular Christmas songs and original Christmas songs.  Over half the songs are original Christmas songs and are unique to this Christmas CD.  Most of the arrangements are Pop oriented with a little Country flavor added in.  The original Christmas songs have Christian music attributes, in the arrangements and in the lyrics.

The opening song on the CD is The Christmas Song and it is traditional in all respects from the lush orchestrations to Marie’s vocals.  Marie Osmond’s voice has matured since her days as a teen Pop idol.  I could never have guessed it was her if I didn’t have the liner notes to inform me.  Marie Osmond presents a pleasant and endearing version of this Christmas standard.

The 2nd song, When Christmas Comes This Year, features Marie in a duet with her brother Donny.  Although an unfamiliar Christmas song, the song is not unique to this Christmas CD.  I believe B.J. Thomas recorded it first for his Christmas CD in 1997.  The song is a soft, soulful Christmas song that evokes all the sentiments of combining Christmas traditions with the real meaning of Christmas, the birth of Jesus at midnight.  The arrangement is lush and features a full orchestra.  This is not the Donny & Marie from 1977, but they still produce terrific duets.

A full orchestra ushers in the medley Angels We Have Heard On High / Away In The Manger.  Again, Marie provides a maturity in her voice that is soulful and endearing.  Jerry Williams continues the lush arrangements with a full orchestra.  This song reminds me of Contemporary Christian music.  The way the arrangement is constructed, and Marie Osmond’s vocal delivery show strong Contemporary Christian influences.  After all, this Christmas CD went only as high as # 93 on Billboards 200 Album chart but went as high as # 4 on their Christian Albums chart.

The 4th song, Season Of Seasons, features Marie Osmond with her son Stephen, a child from her first marriage.  The song is unlike any other on this CD.  It features a syncopated R&B arrangement and is very Contemporary for a 2007 Christmas release.  This does not sound bad at all, but it definitely does not sound like The Osmonds.  I am impressed with how well Marie Osmond handles the vocals in this.  If there is any confusion as to what you are listening to, the lyrics clear that up instantly.  The lyrics speak only of the life and love of Jesus Christ.  It is a Christian R&B Christmas song, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it was included in the popular Christian Christmas compilation series WOW! Christmas.

The 5th song is an original Christmas song, unique to this release, (I think.)  Amy Grant wrote a song called Christmas Lullaby, but this is not that song.  This Christmas Lullaby features a lush arrangement of strings and piano that gives a solid platform for Marie to deliver the vocals.  The song evokes a longing to be with the one she loves although that is not possible this year.  The lyrics deliver her sentiments that they have a Christmas filled with love.  It could be directed at her husband or one of her children.

The 6th song, The Gift Of Love, features a duet between Marie Osmond and Paul Engelmann.  It is a soft endearing Christmas song of love.  The arrangement is Contemporary and incorporates a full orchestra to achieve the modern melody.

Marie Osmond handles the vocals all by herself with the other medley, Hark The Herald Angels Sing / O Come All Ye Faithful.  The arrangement is grandiose, incorporating strings and brass instruments.  In the liner notes, Marie gives a thanks to individuals of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, and I believe some of that group provides the large choral voices that accompany this song.  It definitely sounds like the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

The Osmond Brothers join their sister Marie for the Country influenced The Locket.  It tells the story of a locket that holds a picture of a woman’s husband who has passed away and as she misses him more every year, she opens it every Christmas Eve to see the picture of her late husband.  It is one of three original Country flavored Christmas songs on the CD written by Gerald Crabb.

The following song, Christmas In The Country, is another Country influenced original song by Gerald Crabb.  The song combines a full orchestra alongside traditional Country instruments to describe a somber Christmas in the Country.

Marie’s younger brother Jimmy joins her on the 10th song, It’s Christmas Once Again.  It’s another Country influenced Christmas song.  This time, the orchestra is put to rest and the arrangement uses contemporary Country instruments to provide the melody.  The song describes all the sights and sounds of the season that come together every year to remind everyone that it’s Christmas Once Again.  The lyrics combine the secular Christmas trimmings along with the reason for the season, the birth of Jesus.

We return to lush, traditional arrangements for the 11th song, O Holy Night.  After a big opening, the piano takes center stage while Marie Osmond delivers the lyrics in a soulful, somber manner.  The full orchestra returns to provide reverence to this familiar Christmas hymn.

The 12th song, The Secret Of Christmas, is not a Christmas song unique to this CD, although it is probably unfamiliar to most listeners.  The song was written by Sammy Cahn and Jimmy Van Heusen in 1959 and was first recorded by Bing Crosby.  Numerous artists have recorded it over the years, and I have at least five other versions.  This version combines light orchestrations with piano so as not to overshadow Marie’s somber vocals.

The 13th song, The Lord’s Prayer, features a traditional arrangement.  The song usually features a very slow tempo along with an endearing vocal delivery.  That is the case here, yet the arrangement is quite large for this song.  As Marie declares the lyrics, the orchestra grows as the song progresses.

The 14th song, True Love, is another original Christmas song unique to this CD.  It is not the Pop Standard from 1956.  This song features a lush arrangement that is soft enough to allow the piano to take most of the melody.  Marie Osmond’s vocals are soft, almost to a whisper, as she sings of her sentiments of her true love at Christmas.

The last song on the CD, Santa Claus Is Coming To Town, features a duet between Marie Osmond and her older brother Merrill.  The arrangement is Contemporary, utilizing Rock instruments that provide a little Country flavor.  Marie and Merrill’s vocals are also Contemporary in nature, combing Country, Rock and Gospel influences.

The next part of the review centers on the 5-song bonus CD that comes with the Limited Edition of this CD release.  All 5 songs are 20th century, familiar, secular Christmas songs.  The official title of the bonus CD is Marie Osmond’s Magic Of Christmas Stocking Stuffer.  I guess you could keep the 15 track CD for yourself and give the bonus CD to someone else.  Uh, no.  I think I’ll keep it for myself.  There is a disclaimer on the bonus CD that states “For promotional purposes only.  Not for sale”.  I guess this is so stores can’t break them apart and sell the bonus CD separately.  All my information says that the Limited Edition version of Marie Osmond’s Magic Of Christmas was sold through QVC, but I got mine off Amazon some years ago.

The first of these is White Christmas.  The song opens with a lush arrangement of strings and piano.  As Marie starts her vocals, she sings the lyrics in a slow, soft, soulful, albeit traditional, manner.

The 2nd song on the bonus CD takes a turn from the first and features a very Contemporary arrangement of Sleigh Ride.  I don’t think I’ve ever heard an arrangement such as this applied to this song.  The arrangement employs Country Rock influences, mixed with Jazz and the tempo is quick.  For the finish, Marie channels her inner Jazz self as she slows the vocals down and delivers the end in a soulful manner reminiscent of Ella Fitzgerald and combining Gospel influences.

The 3rd song, Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas, is a slow paced, piano driven arrangement of this familiar Christmas standard.  Marie delivers the vocals in an endearing, soulful manner.

A medley of It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas / Pine Cones & Holly Berries follows.  The arrangement is very traditional, invoking memories of the 1960s.  Although the melody uses brass and flutes, along with piano, it has a Contemporary sound to it as well.  As the medley changes over to Pine Cones & Holly Berries, a children’s chorus takes over the vocals.  Afterwards, Marie returns again with It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas.  As Marie finishes the song, the tape is left running to record in-studio laughter between Marie and the children.  They seem to be having a good time with this one.

The last of the 5 songs on the bonus CD is My Favorite Things.  The arrangement uses brass out front, and the song sounds very much like the Tony Bennett version, except with Marie singing.  The melody combines Jazz and Contemporary arrangements and Marie Osmond does a great job with the vocals.

Before I forget, I want to say that Marie Osmond seems to be very much at home with Pop, Jazz, Soul and Contemporary arrangements.  She does a terrific job on all the songs.  I was surprised with her vocals.  She has matured into a seasoned entertainer whose years of experience pays off very well with this CD.

There is nothing bad about this CD, but the arrangements are varied.  Some are more traditional than others, and a few display very Contemporary takes on original Christmas songs.  As much as I like Marie Osmond, and the packaging is very festive, I would not put this on for folks that want to hear their Christmas favorites.

This is a perfect Christmas CD for the new generation of listeners that find the older Classic Christmas recordings boring.  In that respect, this is a great CD.  If you like Contemporary Christmas music, and I know my brother Pat does, you will absolutely love this.

There are many reasons to own this CD.  It represents new Christmas music very well.  It possesses a very Contemporary sound.  The cover is very festive, and Marie Osmond is a very attractive, well-loved entertainer.  If you are under 40, you should get this for your collection.  Your friends will thank you for it.

I give this CD :

*****

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October 19, 2022

# 31

John Denver
Christmas Like A Lullaby
2006

(Originally released 1989 on Windstar Records)

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©2006 Delta Entertainment Corporation.
LaserLight is a registered trademark of Delta Entertainment Corporation
Mastering: Tim Branom www.DELTAENTERTAINMENT.com © & (P) 1990 Windstar Records

# 28 – 1990 – Billboard Christmas

Genre : Adult Contemporary

John Denver should be well known by anyone who has listened to the radio over the last 30 years.  His music is still played on Oldies and Adult Contemporary stations.

Henry John Deutschendorf, Jr. was born on New Year’s Eve in 1943 in Roswell, New Mexico.  His father was a Captain in the United States Air Force which caused John to move around a lot.  He struggled with making friends and became introverted.  He got his first acoustic guitar when he was 11 years old.  One time, while a junior in high school, John stole his father’s car and drove to Los Angeles with the intention of starting a career in music.  His father quickly returned him to Fort Worth.

While in college, John Denver was able to finally start his career.  He left school and moved to Los Angeles and played in local coffee houses.  In 1965, he joined the Chad Mitchell Trio after Chad Mitchell had left.

After a few years in the Chad Mitchell Trio, John Denver left to pursue a solo career.  He signed with RCA and released his first album.  RCA did not promote him or his album very much, so John Denver chose to promote it himself by going around the country playing for free or for little money.

In 1972, his career was starting to take off.  By 1974, he was a huge star in the acoustic guitar style having numerous hits on Billboard’s Pop and Country charts.  His fame also got him on many variety shows of the era, and he even had his own TV specials.  He is probably best known for his work with the Muppets.

John Denver was politically active in many causes.  He founded the Windstar Foundation in 1976 to promote sustainable living.

He was an avid skier, golfer and most of all, he enjoyed flying.  He owned many airplanes and had lastly purchased an ultra-lite airplane. He was practicing some flight patterns over Monterey Bay when he had trouble with the fuel tank switch and ended up crashing in the ocean.  John Denver died from his injuries in 1997 at age 53.

John Denver released three Christmas albums while he was alive, and this is the last one.  There is a CD release from 2001, 4 years after he died, called Christmas In Concert.  The track listing looks good and I’m going to have to put that on my wish list.  Also, from 1984 is a Christmas album titled Merry Christmas Aspen! featuring The Aspen Community Chorus And Orchestra, and The Snowmass Dickens Carolers.  John Denver is one of the musicians, so this is not really a John Denver Christmas record.  It looks interesting….must go on the wish list.

This CD comes to us from Delta Entertainment Corporation, a division of LaserLight Digital.  It was originally released in 1989 on Windstar Records; a label John Denver created in 1976.  It was originally recorded and mixed digitally.

The cover presents John Denver looking off in the distance superimposed over a mountainous area blanketed in snow.  His name and the CD title appear at the top in white lettering.  The back of the CD has a numerical track listing and writer credits superimposed over the same wooded mountaintop as on the cover.

The cover comes out and opens along a single fold-out.  On the left-hand side are credits for the producers and a list of the musicians who play on this.  Below are more artist credits and recording and production notes.  The right side is an exact duplication of the front cover but presented in black and white.  The back cover is plain blue with no image and the only writing is a note about LaserLight Digital in very small print at the bottom.

Overall, the CD artwork is good.  Musician and choir credits are always a plus for those that participated in the recording, but it would have been nice to have a small biography of John Denver, or other information such as recording dates or lyrics.  So, the only track listing or song writer credits that appear anywhere on the CD are on the back of the CD.

The first song is a John Denver original composition and the title of this CD, Christmas Like A Lullaby.  It tells the story of the longing to be in Colorado on Christmas Day from someone stuck in Australia.  John Denver first moved to Aspen in 1971 with his first wife and stayed in Aspen for the rest of his life.  He sings this in the first person, but I can’t find any information on whether he was in Australia on Christmas when he wrote this.  (As a side note, most people don’t immediately realize that on Christmas Day in Australia, the temperature could be in the 90’s).  It is different from any of the other songs presented here because it is the only song that features a string orchestra, provided by the Nashville String Machine.  It is a soulful, acoustic guitar driven lullaby extolling the longing of wanting to be home for Christmas.

The CD contains traditional carols as well as modern secular Christmas songs.  Along with John Denver’s acoustic guitar, a flute is heard throughout the CD and showcases very well on The First Noel and Away In A Manger.

There are two other original Christmas songs on here, both written by Tom Paxton.  Tom Paxton is a very successful folk singer that played the coffee houses  the same time as John Denver.  The first of these two that we hear is titled The Children Of Bethlehem.  It is a delicate, solemn song that describes the children of Bethlehem being woken up by singing voices and a bright light in the night sky on the night of Jesus’ birth.  They follow the voices and the light to the manger while all the adults are asleep.  It is quite obvious this was largely inspired by The Little Drummer Boy, but as viewed by children.  The song is pleasantly accented with Latin percussion conga.

John Denver handles the vocals all by himself except on two songs.  The first of these is Jingle Bells and features The Kid Connection, directed by Janet McMahan.  It has a traditional arrangement that is brightly accentuated by the children’s choir.  Throughout, the song is punctuated by a baritone sax.  It is so different that it really stands out.  I can’t think of any other Christmas songs outside of the Rock & Roll genre that feature such an instrument.  It is not bad.  It accents the song very nicely.

White Christmas is followed by the other original Tom Paxton song, Marvelous Toy, a song he wrote in 1960 about an unusual toy that does everything but is impossible to name.  It’s not really a Christmas song, but I think it fits in well with Christmas music.

It’s not fair to describe this album as Country, but some songs on here definitely have a Country feel, and Blue Christmas is one.

The Kid Connection is back to help John sing Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer.  John sings the original lyrics in a serious manner while the Kids counter with wonderful harmonies, but they sing the version that all children learn in school, i.e., “like a lightbulb”, “like a glowworm”, and called him names “like Pinocchio”, etc.  It’s a fun song and The Kid Connection really brings it together.  It’s one of the stand-out songs on here.

The CD finishes nicely with a couple of carols and a couple of modern Christmas songs.

This is a good Christmas CD.  Well produced and if you know anything about John Denver, you know he stands by his convictions and that always comes through in his music.  Here he sings familiar carols and not so familiar originals, and you get the impression he really cares about the songs he’s chosen.  Even with common songs such as The Christmas Song, he does as good a job as anyone ever has.  Another stand-out song on here.

John Denver was a very giving person, and it shows in this, Christmas Like A Lullaby, his final Christmas album.  I wasn’t sure of what to expect when I put it on to listen to for the purpose of this review.  And I certainly did not expect to like it as much as I do.  And I’m glad that I do.  I don’t like it when I hear Christmas songs by artists that I like outside of Christmas music and then I hear their Christmas offerings and I’m disappointed.  That is not the case here.  I can highly recommend this Christmas collection to folks that like modern Christmas music with updated arrangements.  This CD should please most people.

I give this CD :

****

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July 27, 2022

# 14

B. J. Thomas
Christmas Is Coming Home
1997

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Warner Resound, a division of Warner Bros. Records Inc., a Time Warner Company. © (P) 1997 Warner Bros. Records Inc. for the U.S. and WEA International Inc. for the world outside the U.S.

Genre : Adult Contemporary

B. J. Thomas was born in Oklahoma in 1942.  It was around 1960, at 18, that he started to pursue a career in music more seriously. B. J. Thomas started having hits in the mid-sixties and in 1969, he recorded the Burt Bacharach / Hal David song Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head featured in the movie “Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid”, which produced his 3rd gold record.

He managed to have a few more hits in the 70’s.  In the latter half of the seventies, he had more success on the Country charts than he did on the Pop charts.  Along with success came some of the hardships of success and B. J. Thomas fell into hard times with drugs.  His wife became a Christian in 1976, and soon after, B. J. did too.  From that point on, most of his albums were Christian and Gospel releases.

He was able to get back on his feet and resumed a successful career.  B. J. Thomas died in 2021 from lung cancer.  He was 78.  Throughout his career he recorded over 60 albums.

Christmas Is Coming Home is B. J. Thomas’ second Christmas record and he has released at least 5 Christmas albums throughout his career.  This is a direct release from 1997.  Cover artwork shows a smiling B. J. Thomas sitting in an armchair in front of a fireplace.  The CD insert artwork is very good.  It is a 4-page fold out.  On one side is a numerical list of songs, time signatures, writer / arranger credits and lyrics.  Below the lyrics of the song is a list of the musicians that play on that song.  On the flip side of the insert is the cover image, and special thank you’s from B. J. Thomas and the producers Robert White Johnson and Chris Rodriguez.  A list of production credits is also included.  In a small section is an endorsement for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) of which B. J. and his wife Gloria were huge advocates.

The back of the CD has a picture of a lit-up gingerbread house with a numerical track listing, with time signatures, listed in sentence format.  Also, production credits and record label release notes.

There are 11 songs included on this Christmas CD.

The first song, When Christmas Comes This Year, is one of 4 original songs written for this release.  It’s a beautiful piano driven ballad with strings and a nice chorus providing background voices.

The second song, Be It Unto Me, is a wonderful song outside of traditional Christmas songs.  It tells of the Virgin Mary being visited in the night and being told of being chosen as the one to carry the Son of God.  Very nice.

Track 3, also an original Christmas song written for this album, features B. J. Thomas and Kathy Troccoli in a duet on the title track, Christmas Is Coming Home.  It is a beautiful song that yearns for the wonderful home Christmases of years past and the joy of reliving those memories in the present.  Excellent.

The 4th track, Tennessee Christmas, is a popular Country Christmas song written by Amy Grant and released as a single from her in 1983.  B. J. Thomas does a great job with his take on this new Country Christmas standard.

On This Holy, Holy Night, is a duet with Jonathan Pierce.  Also original to this CD, the song speaks of what the night Jesus was born means to the singer.  A very fine duet.

Wake Up, It’s Christmas Morning, is the sixth song.  It tells the story of a man who is awoken by God from a dream, who then calls him to duty.  B. J. continues the song through verses that describe the angels, shepherds and world leaders that are also called to the duty of the Lord.

The seventh song is Take A Walk Through Bethlehem.  It tells the story of a modern commercial Christmas and encourages the listener to get the true spirit of Christmas by taking a walk through Bethlehem, even if only in their mind.

Song number 8, Let There Be Peace On Earth, is a duet that features Tabitha Fair.  I am familiar with this song as it shows up on other Christmas CDs, mostly by artists that record Sacred music more than artists that don’t.  This is not a true Christmas song; it is more of a traditional Sacred song.  It does not mention the word Christmas, or speak of the birth of Jesus, but nonetheless, it is a wonderful Sacred song that fits in at Christmas.

Precious Promise, the ninth song, tells of Joseph’s unquestioned devotion to Mary, even though he does not understand what the future holds for him.  In the beginning of the song, I felt like the song stumbles over lyrics that seem to be forced, but the song comes together by the second verse and finishes out very nicely.

Song number 10, Grown-Up Christmas List is a song written by David Foster and Linda Thompson Jenner in 1990, featuring Natalie Cole on vocals.  But it was Amy Grant that made the song a new Christmas standard.  This is a fitting Christmas song for B. J. Thomas.  His voice is perfectly matched for the lyrics.

The last song on the CD, and the only traditional Christmas hymn represented, is Silent Night.  The song opens with a lead guitar and synthesizer, but until the vocals begin, you can’t recognize it as the most recorded Christmas song.  Once B. J. starts singing, the arrangement becomes more traditional and it’s a beautiful finish to this CD.

This is a very good Christmas CD.  There are many songs on here I am not familiar with, but I love all Christmas songs.  I love Christmas.

I am familiar with B. J. Thomas, but mainly through the hits he had in the 60’s and 70’s on AM radio.  This is the first time I’ve heard him sing Sacred music.  His voice is just as strong as it was in the 60’s.  B. J. Thomas does a terrific job of conveying his convictions through song.

If you are a Christian with a strong faith, you will want to add this to your Christmas collection.  If you like B. J. Thomas, you will want to add this to your collection.  This will not make the people seeking out Rudolph, Frosty or Santa Claus happy.  But it is a wonderful Christmas CD to behold.

I give this CD :

****

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July 24, 2022

# 10

Chicago
What's It Gonna Be, Santa?
2003

(Originally released 1998 as Chicago XXV: The Christmas Album on Chicago Records)

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This album was originally issued as Chicago #CRD-3035 (8/25/98).
This Reissue (P) & © 1998 & 2003 Warner Strategic Marketing. Warner Music Group, an AOL Time Warner Company.

# 4 – 1998 – Billboard Christmas

# 14 – 2003 – Billboard Christmas

Genre : Adult Contemporary

Finally!  The band Chicago releases a Christmas album!  I’ve been waiting a long time for this one.  But, alas, it’s from 1998.  Since I started collecting Christmas music in 1998, I always thought I must be missing something.  Where’s the Chicago Christmas CD?

Many rock groups were releasing Christmas music in the 70’s, but not the band Chicago?  As far as collecting goes, the older, the better, right?  With digital remastering, older recordings can sound brand new.  Plus, there’s the argument between analog and digital.  Analog instruments just sound better than synthesizers.  I always look for the Classic original Christmas releases from the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s.  Yes, I prefer digital remastering, which is very common these days.  I don’t find that it takes anything away from the original sound.  So, I had always hoped there was a vintage, early to mid 70’s Chicago Christmas album out there.  But there was not.

With that being said, I’ll take it!  (And I did!  I grabbed it right off the shelf as soon as I saw it).  Who can pass up a Christmas record by the band Chicago?

This is actually a 2003 Rhino Records re-release of the CD issued in 1998.  The original title was Chicago XXV : The Christmas Album.  (Chicago has a long ongoing practice of labeling their albums with Roman Numerals).  The cover artwork has been changed from a Christmas wreath on a dark gray door with the address of 25, to a white background with the Chicago logo in red.

Also, starting with the 2003 Rhino re-issue, the title has been changed to What’s It Gonna Be, Santa?  Actually, while reading the liner notes on the CD, this release on Rhino Records should be looked at as a new release.  With the inclusion of 6 newly recorded songs, this is really not a re-issue of the 1998 release.  At least not as the band sees it.

The inside booklet is a 6 page, double sided fold out that lists songs, writer credits and publishers in addition to a list of all musicians and their instruments for each song.  This is very similar to the original CD insert.  On the back side of the fold out there is a history of the recording of this, their first Christmas offering.  There is very good artwork and details included.

The original 1998 release had 14 songs.  This 2003 Rhino re-issue has 6 bonus tracks.  That’s also pretty good for a re-release that’s only 5 years older than the original.  Also, starting with the 2003 release, the track order has been changed.

If you’re familiar with the group Chicago, then you know they are a horn based rock band out of Chicago, formed in 1967.  There has consistently been about 8 members in the group throughout their existence.  Some have died, others have moved on and others came in to replace them.  They quickly moved to Los Angeles in 1968 and started the routine of playing live everywhere they could.  Their success came quickly.  Their sound was new, and their early albums sold well.

This CD opens with Winter Wonderland, a rocking song that I actually forgot was a Christmas song while I was listening to it.  Winter Wonderland is one of the 6 bonus tracks recorded in 2003 just for this re-release.

Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! is a Christmas standard with the ‘Chicago’ sound applied.

The band revs it up for Jolly Old St. Nicholas.  Also recorded in 2003, it definitely has a Hard Rock, 4/4 sound.  A fantastic lead guitar comes in to play towards the end of the song and then the song fades out.

The Little Drummer Boy is one of the better tunes here.  With a repetitive snare drum intro, (as is done on many arrangements of this Classic), the song progresses, slowly building, all done well with the ‘Chicago’ sound; lots of horns with intricately layered voices, all while a choir directed by Carmen Twillie, provides a gospel feel throughout.

This Christmas is one of the newer Christmas songs that appears on this CD.  Being written within the last 35 years of this recording, it is well suited to a more Rock arrangement.

Next follows Feliz Navidad.  An acoustic guitar intro with Latin percussion instruments providing accompaniment throughout makes this song almost unrecognizable.  I have never heard such a unique arrangement put to this song.  I think most people would enjoy this one.

The seventh track, Bethlehem, is one of 3 originally written songs that appear on this album.  It too was recorded in 2003 specifically for this re-release.

O Come All Ye Faithful, the ninth track, is one of 5 Christian hymns included.  All other songs are Christmas standards.  It is delivered in a soulful and softer arrangement than most of the songs featured here. But still with the Chicago horns making it a signature Chicago song.

Anticipating Chicago perform Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer, was a little underwhelming.  I couldn’t imagine what they might do with this children’s favorite.  It begins with a fully layered horn section, then rocks into an arrangement that seems overworked.

The CD continues through upbeat, as well as slower renditions of Christmas standards.  Sleigh Ride is given the full Chicago treatment.

What Child Is This? opens with a soulful a cappella chorus then remains a soulful ballad throughout.

I think God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen is one of the standout songs in this collection.  What is normally a very dour song, has a wonderful swinging Rock beat applied to it.  The horns and lead guitar work make this song one of the best on the whole CD.

Tracks 18 and 19 are the other original Chicago Christmas songs.  They both appeared on the original 1998 release.  Both feature a children’s chorus made up of the children of the band members.

Track 18 is a song titled Child’s Prayer.

Track 19, One Little Candle, is a minute and a half of the children singing over an acoustic guitar, the only musical instrument involved.

The last song on this 2003 release is White Christmas.  This Irving Berlin composed Standard is given the classic Chicago treatment, once again, making it almost unrecognizable, at least for the first 30 seconds.  I’m not saying this is a bad thing.  Chicago uses a different approach to these songs than most arrangers who stick to the original arrangements, the way they were originally composed.

There are many reasons to own this CD.

The fact that they started with 14 songs in 1998, then added 6 newly recorded bonus tracks, makes this a Christmas CD that is just packed full of music.  A full 75 minutes of Christmas songs!  You don’t get that too often, except maybe for 2-disc compilations.

Chicago has gone out of their way to put new, fresh arrangements of Christmas Classics into a rockin’  Christmas CD!  And overall, they do a great job.

If you like your Christmas to rock a little, I can highly recommend this CD.  But make sure to get the 2003 issue.  Also, if you like more Contemporary arrangements of Christmas classics, you will want to include this in your Christmas collection.

That being said, I like the band Chicago.  I LOVE Christmas music.  But I don’t LOVE the band Chicago doing Christmas music.  Not as much as you might.  At least not for 75 minutes.  This is a great CD to have.  I’ve anticipated a Chicago Christmas release for so long, and I knew the ‘Chicago’ sound would be there, so I knew what I was getting into.  Oh yes, it’s a must have.  But I tend to gravitate to older, more ‘Classic’ Christmas music so I might include this one in a general mix.  If I know that the friends coming over prefer Contemporary Christmas music over Bing Crosby and Perry Como, this is going to be the first one I pull off the shelf.

I give this CD :

****

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