SOUND CHECK.Jewel/``Joy: A Holiday Collection'' (Atlantic) Hark! The blond bombshell sings. On this yuletide set, the folk-pop chanteuse chan·teuse n. A woman singer, especially a nightclub singer. [French, feminine of chanteur, singer, from chanter, to sing; see chant.] and dewy dew·y adj. dew·i·er, dew·i·est 1. Moist with or as if with dew: dewy grass in early morning. 2. Accompanied by dew: a dewy morning. 3. poet's third album, Jewel offers 13 seasonal favorites and new originals. Along with perfectly respectable renditions of standards ``Silent Night,'' ``Hark! The Herald Angels Sing Hark! the Herald Angels Sing traditional Christmas carol. [Western Culture: “Hark! the Herald Angels Sing” in Rockwell, 132–133] See : Christmas ,'' ``Joy to the World'' and ``O Little Town of Bethlehem'' the 25-year-old reworks her recent hit, ``Hands,'' in Christmas mode (``In the end, only kindness matters'') adding bells, horns and chimes. Also included are two new tunes: ``Face of Love,'' an expression of faith that soars on the strength of the vocals, and ``Gloria,'' inspired by a J.S. Bach mass. Produced with deft precision by veteran studio ace Arif Mardin, ``Joy: A Holiday Collection'' should keep the embers glowing in many homes this season. Three stars - Fred Shuster Various/``Mr. Hanky's Christmas Classics'' (Columbia) Various/``Touched by an Angel: The Christmas Album'' (Epic) Proof positive that there's a Christmas album for every taste - heretics and high-minded alike. ``Mr. Hanky's Christmas Classics'' (Three stars) comes courtesy of the ``South Park'' gang and features a very appropriate parental advisory warning. It's the only place you'll find Christmas songs voiced by Satan and Adolf Hitler, not to mention Mr. Hanky singing ``Christmas poo.'' But like this year's movie, the album is as funny as it is offensive, skewering as it does Christmas music conventions and holiday traditions. The ``Touched by an Angel'' (Two and one half) compilation is a rather predictable affair with plenty of lush holiday ballads delivered with plenty of conviction by middle-of-the-road artists like Amy Grant, Keb' Mo' and Randy Travis. The stars of the series - Della Reese and Roma Downey - open and close the festivities fes·tiv·i·ty n. pl. fes·tiv·i·ties 1. A joyous feast, holiday, or celebration; a festival. 2. The pleasure, joy, and gaiety of a festival or celebration. 3. with heartfelt selections that will undoubtedly touch the show's faithful. - Glenn Whipp Al DiMeola/``Winter Nights'' (Telarc) This album from master guitarist DiMeola belongs beside Windham Hill's better ``Winter Solstice'' offerings. Working with Ukranian bandura ban`dur´a n. 1. A traditional Ukrainian stringed musical instrument shaped like a lute, having many strings. player Roman Hrynkiv, DiMeola plays acoustic guitar, keyboards and percussion instruments on delicate versions of seasonal gems and lovely original compositions. Songs like Peter Gabriel's ``Mercy Street'' and Simon and Garfunkel's ``Scarborough Fair'' add to the peaceful, wintry vibe. Three stars - G.W. Various/``Christmas Around the Country II'' (NPR NPR In currencies, this is the abbreviation for the Nepal Rupee. Notes: The currency market, also known as the Foreign Exchange market, is the largest financial market in the world, with a daily average volume of over US $1 trillion. Classics) No need to wait for Christmas Day to hear some of the best holiday music from National Public Radio's ``Performance Today'' program. NPR has assembled 24 tracks of mostly live recordings aired on Christmases past that capture the worldwide scope of the holiday yet sound surprisingly compatible. The performers represent the creme de la creme crème de la crème n. 1. Something superlative. 2. People of the highest social level. [French : crème, cream + de, of + la, the + of their fields, including the Lionheart Lionheart can refer to: People
n. pl. mez·zos A mezzo-soprano. mezzo Adverb Music moderately; quite: mezzo-forte Noun pl -zos soprano Denyce Graves. But the most amazing tracks, including a dreamlike contemporary arrangement of a 500-year-old German carol, are mesmerizing mes·mer·ize tr.v. mes·mer·ized, mes·mer·iz·ing, mes·mer·iz·es 1. To spellbind; enthrall: "He could mesmerize an audience by the sheer force of his presence" . Three and one half stars - Valerie Kuklenski Nat King Cole/``The Christmas Song'' (Capitol) ``The Christmas Song'' stands as one of the most enduring tunes of the century, and Nat King Cole sings the definitive version of the classic. On this reissue, there are three versions of the timeless standard, including Cole's original 1946 recording and a decently engineered duet with daughter Natalie, a la ``Unforgettable.'' Interestingly enough, ``The Christmas Song'' is the only non-traditional song on this album of Christian hymns. Cole invests each with plenty of warmth and feeling, making this an album that just gets better with each Christmas season. Three and one half stars - G.W. Ray Brown Trio/``Christmas Songs'' (Telarc) Bassist Ray Brown swings into the Christmas season with plenty of help from some of the jazz world's top singers. Diana Krall, Dee Dee Bridgewater Dee Dee Bridgewater (b. May 27, 1950) is an American Jazz singer. She is a two-time Grammy Award Winner, Tony Award Winner and Host of NPR's Syndicated Radio show "JazzSet with Dee Dee Bridgewater". She is a United Nations Ambassador for the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). and Kevin Mahogany are among the singers helping out on this program of popular Christmas favorites, backed by Brown and his trio, along with guitarist Russell Malone and sax player Ralph Moore. The singers often stick a little too closely to familiar readings of the songs, but the bluesy backing never wavers in its joyful intensity. Three stars - G.W. Jimi Hendrix/``Merry Christmas and Happy New Year'' (Experience Hendrix) From the cover shot of Hendrix decked out in Santa suit and beard to the music within, this package smacks of dead-rock-star cash-in. Included are just three tracks: a ``Little Drummer Boy''/``Silent Night''/``Auld Lang Syne'' medley, Hendrix's own ``Three Little Bears'' and a bonus extended version of the first track, all recorded in 1968-69. There's some predictably great guitar work here but the disc is ultimately for Hendrix completists or unhinged Christmas collectors only. Two stars - F.S. Various/``A Merry Affair: Starbucks Swinging Songs of Red Velvet and Mistletoe mistletoe, common name for the Loranthaceae, a family of chiefly tropical hemiparasitic herbs and shrubs with leathery evergreen leaves and waxy white berries. They have green leaves, but they manufacture only part of the nutrients they require. Kisses'' (EMI/Capitol Special Markets) It's time to put the cool back in the yule. This compilation, featuring Frank Sinatra, Diana Krall, Ella Fitzgerald, Holly Cole, Dean Martin, Lou Rawls and Mel Torme (crooning ``The Christmas Song'' the way he intended) is perfect for cocktail sipping and even a little rug cutting. It's hard to sit still through Ella's ``Sleigh sleigh: see sled. Ride'' and the Ray Brown Trio's rendition of ``Let It Snow.'' If you want to get cozy, grab your honey and go for a whirl under the mistletoe to Dino's ``I've Got Love to Keep Me Warm'' or Nancy Wilson's ``What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?'' Three and one half stars. - V.K. Rosie O'Donnell/``A Rosie Christmas'' (Columbia) It was only a matter of time before the ubiquitous talk-show host got into a studio and put down her pipes for the ages. And what safer way to debut than on a bunch of Christmas songs. Everything sounds canned, including her voice, which makes it hard to decide which is more hideous: her duet with Cher, which sounds like a microwaved ``Believe''; her cringeful duet with Billy Joel on ``Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas''; or her wow!-how'd-they-think-of-that? duet with Rock 'n' Roll rock 'n' roll: see rock music. Elmo from ``Sesame Street.'' Exactly one song rises above the yuck yuck 1 also yuk interj. Slang Used to express rejection or strong disgust. , and that is the pretty, peppy ``Santa on the Rooftop'' with Trisha Yearwood. Incredibly, though, there is nothing here from Shania Twain, Ricky Martin, Garth Brooks or Chris Gaines. What a gyp. One star - Jim Walsh St. Paul Pioneer Press
The St. Paul Pioneer Press is a newspaper based in St. Paul, Minnesota, primarily serving the Twin Cities metropolitan area. CAPTION(S): 8 Photos Photo: (1) no caption (Jewel) (2 -- 8) no caption (CD covers) |
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