Sunday, December 06, 2009
A+E, Music, Reviews

Sounds of the season

Six Christmas albums worth checking out—or avoiding

BY HAL HOROWITZ

Finding the “gift that keeps on giving” might be a shopworn cliché this time of year, but it’s proven particularly prescient for the recording industry. Once the province of stodgy crooners like Dean Martin, Johnny Mathis, Nat King Cole and Doris Day, the Christmas album has long since broken free of its kitschy stigma. Perhaps we can thank Phil Spector, who in 1963 affixed his personal “wall of sound” stamp on “A Christmas Gift for You,” still one of the most durable and enjoyable sets of holiday music ever released. He might have paved the way for artists as varied as James Brown, the Squirrel Nut Zippers, Reverend Horton Heat and, er, Bob Dylan to inject the concept with their unique approaches.

Anyone who’s experienced 1981’s “ZE Christmas Record,” with its wildly eclectic, edgy and even experimental spin on seasonal sounds (James White’s “Christmas with Satan” is a personal fave), knows there are few artistic boundaries left to be broken in the genre. Throughout the years, Christmas tunes have been stretched, distorted and otherwise crammed into such wildly diverse styles as reggae, punk, hard rock, garage, psychedelic and even death metal in an attempt to attract audiences once uncomfortable with the creaky concept of holiday fare, to varying degrees of success.

This year’s stocking is, as usual, a mixed bag. Whether these turn out to be durable favorites or forgotten lumps of coal in the artists’ catalogs remains to be seen. 

TORI AMOS
“MIDWINTER GRACES” (Universal Republic)
Even apprehensive fans have embraced this as one of Amos’ best recent releases. It’s something old and something new, with the singer and pianist infusing original and traditional material with her usual panache. The innovative arrangements are fresh, inspired and full of the dramatic flair that runs through all of Amos’ best material.

NEIL DIAMOND
“A CHERRY CHERRY CHRISTMAS” (Columbia)
Diamond collects highlights from two existing Christmas albums, slaps on a couple of new songs (including Adam Sandler’s “Chanukah Song”? Really?) and pisses off his fan base. Bad move, Neil; you’re on the naughty list.

BOB DYLAN
“CHRISTMAS IN THE HEART” (Columbia)
Dylan calls himself a “song and dance man” from way back, and he proves it with this croaky collection of schlock. All the proceeds go to charity, which still doesn’t make it any easier to stomach Dylan wheezing through standards that will clear any holiday gathering faster than sour eggnog.

JACKSON 5
“ULTIMATE CHRISTMAS COLLECTION” (Motown)
Never a stranger to cash-generating repackagings, Motown buffs up the Jacksons’ 1970 “Christmas Album” with some stripped-down versions, a barrel-scraping unreleased track and a few spoken-word snippets. Regardless of its shifty motives, you can’t deny the joy in young Michael’s innocent voice as he injects frisky soul and enthusiasm into hoary holiday pop you never thought you wanted to hear again.   

STING
“IF ON A WINTER’S NIGHT…” (Deutsche Grammophon)
Look no further than the label to know that this collection of madrigals, lullabies, ballads, carols and other stuffy, classically themed “winter music” isn’t going to find much of an audience among those who overpaid for Police reunion tickets last year. Classy, beautifully crafted, and dull as dirt.

SUGARLAND
“GREEN AND GOLD” (UMG Nashville)
Color me impressed, as Atlanta’s platinum-selling country pop duo writes five decent originals and reinterprets five more in their distinctively slick style. It’s far more polished and creative than the seasonal cash-in we might have expected. SP