Diana Krall Christmas Songs

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Christmas Songs Rating: List Price: $18.98 Sale Price: $13.49 You save: $5.49 (29%) Buy Used From $12.00 Release Date:   2005-11-01 Sales rank:   4 Catalog:   Music ASIN:   B000B7BRMM UPC:   602498821213 EAN:   0602498821213 Binding:   Audio CD Release Date:   2005-11-01 Usually ships in 24 hours

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Songs List:

Jingle Bells Let It Snow The Christmas Song Winter Wonderland I`ll Be Home For Christmas Christmas Time Is Here Santa Claus Is Coming To Town Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas White Christmas What Are You Doing New Year`s Eve Sleigh Ride Count Your Blessings Instead Of Sheep

Product Description:

As the song goes, "Merry Christmas" has already "been said many times, many ways." Diana Krall`s Christmas Songs is a worthy--though not particularly unique--addition to the holiday catalog. On it, she excels with an approach mastered long ago: elegant delivery that gives extra polish to a very familiar lineup. Some might find her style frosty at times, but that will come as a relief to those who want their carolers to cut through some of the holiday treacle and create a festive, yet grown-up vibe. And Krall does show off her playful side with little, personal touches. In "Winter Wonderland" she promises to "frolic and play the Canadian way," which should draw smiles from her native land. (That`ll mean toasting the holiday with Molson, eh?) Elsewhere, she ends "Jingle Bells" with the girlishly giddy statement, "I`m just crazy about horses." Well.can`t argue with that. --Leah Weathersby

Reviews for Christmas Songs

A Classy Christmas The trouble with Christmas albums is that by December 26th they are usually consigned to the CD rack for 11 months -- I fear this may be another. However, it is a nice album,with good, sensitive arrangements; both with the Clayton~Hamilton Jazz Orchestra{which gets one of the stars awarded this cd) and also with the string section. Diana Krall always exudes CLASS and this album is no exception. It`s also "cute" that she finds it difficult to pronounce her "R`s" (Cwistmas; awound etc). This CD would be ideal as background dinner music or for a late night,romantic drive. It`s not a great jazz album, but it certainly has good jazz tinges and it is very tasteful. The REAL cause of global warming... I never thought Christmas albums could be the real deal. I love Christmas songs (except for Little Drummer Boy, of course) but they just didn`t seem like the kind of covers an artist, at the top of his/her game, would naturally include. Otherwise, wouldn`t you find songs about sleigh bells sprinkled in amongst ones about cold hearts and love-gone-bad? Is it all obligatory, like the other Christmas trends such as shopping and sending cards? Is it due to our tendency to not hold Christmas in our hearts all year that after the sun sets December 25th a Christmas CD will gather dust for the next eleven months? Maybe so, but Diana`s new Christmas Songs, I`m willing to bet, won`t go down that road. Irrelevant chestnuts such as "Jingle Bells," "Winter Wonderland," "Sleigh Ride" and "Let it Snow" sparkle with Krall`s playful treatment, which includes a couple little surprise lines. Krall`s vocals on this set are some of her most inspired yet. Maybe a future album will showcase her spectacular musicianship but here, her piano is part of the orchestra, albeit a standout with, among other things, an amazing flourish on "Jingle Bells." Aside from being the only CD where she fronts a big band, what really powers it past New Year`s is Diana Krall doing what nobody does better than she: pulling you into her own personal space with the intimacy and deep, rich character of her gorgeous voice. She has made so many songs her own this way and now "Count Your Blessings" (which certainly is appropriate any time of year) can be counted among those. "Christmas Time is Here" and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" have been there, in my view, since the 1998 import album. (These are the same versions; "Jingle Bells," however, is a fresh cut.) Certainly, the jacket shows more calf than your average Christmas CD. But then, this is not an inspirational work in the religious sense. You get your inspiration your way, I`ll get mine my way. It`s probably impossible to produce a photograph of this woman sans sex appeal, so why try? With a tiny bit of imagination, the liner photos really suggest a little storyline to "What Are You Doing New Year`s Eve." Overwhelmed by the arrangements? I love Diana and her voice. But this outing doesn`t do it for me. I prefer her being out in front like on Love Scenes or When I Look in You Eyes. To me her previous big band outing, Look of Love, suffered in the same way -- great photos, weak rhythm. She just sounds too constrained to me when she`s following the big band. I don`t know how they recorded this, but if the recorded the strings before Diana`s voice, my suggestion would be to record Diana and a small combo first, and THEN record the strings. Let her swing a bit. Let her follow her own beat. Don`t tie her down! Let the people in the monkey suits follow her, not vice-versa. While Beethoven and Bach may have allowed improvision in classical music, classical musicians forgot how to swing and improvise a couple hundred years ago! All traditional songs, too short I found the diversity of previous reviews most interesting. All of the songs on this recording are very familiar Christmas songs. I found the arrangements to be good, and enjoyed the fact that Diana`s voice was clear and not covered up by the orchestration. I am always disappointed by recordings that use up only a fraction of the capacity of a CD -- in this case, 45 minutes. I don`t think we pay only 60% of the price. I would have liked at least one or two less common songs. It`s ok Having heard of Diana Krall from friends that are fans, but never having listened to her music, I thought this would be a nice addition to our family`s christmas collection. After 3 or 4 listens I can say it`s just ok. There aren`t any standout tracks here and it just isn`t very much fun. I might add a song or two to a christmas mix but don`t think I would put this disc in just to listen to on its own. If I had been a fan of Ms. Krall I suppose I would have known what to expect, but there isn`t anything here that would entice me to spend any more time or money on her music.