2 comments about Christmas in the Country.

1. The Gaither gospel music is just great. I play Christmas in the country whenever I neeed a little moral booster and it always works. it's just great
   Helen



2. Really enjoyed this album. I loved to see his family and home and he seems genuine in his faith. That makes me like his music even more. The music is found on other albums but put on this DVD in a nice package.

3 comments about The Christmas Guitar.

1. Christmas Guitar by John David is an instrumental collection of 13 popular holiday songs. Mr. David arranged and performed these carols flawlessly using acoustic guitars and mandolin. The performances are what sets Christmas Guitar apart from similar recordings: They are played so well you feel that is the way the original composer would have want them played. Christmas Guitar would be a welcome addition to your holiday music collection and is one of my favorites.



2. John David masterfully lets the melodies shine through while still using the timbre of his instrument in exactly the right way, accenting just the right moments and harmonizing in unique yet very fitting ways.
   
   A definate must-own in any holiday music collection.



3. What a delightful collection of Christmas songs! John David uses various techniques to create wonderful guitar versions of several holiday classics. My personal favorite is "Jingle Bells." That one will put you in the holiday spirit no matter what!!

No comments about Gonna Let It Shine, A Concert For The Holidays.

1 comments about Crystal Gayle Christmas.

1. Christmas just isn't the same without this classic album of holiday songs! I grew up listening to this, and recommend it to anyone.

No comments about Christmas Fireplace.

5 comments about Christmas Gumbo.

1. Must be that saucy prancing upon the ivories that aids in pull'n seasonal standards along ...or maybe Fat's deep bayou delivery styling nice and simple like which allows the song to be the star ...or perhaps the twist n' tweakin of rhythm and melody with oldie type trickery ... I just can't finger why I like this record so much, ohh yeahh I'm thankful great seasonal songsmithing like this exists and I'm willing to just enjoy them for what they are, you should too. ~~~Merrily Mix~... Post Script: Like all great showman, Fats puts his best tracks first then leaves the listner want'n with an ohh yeahh excuse me instru-tinsel rendition to close out. To those in the kNOw and\or YULEtide Treasure Seekers there is that special sparkle sprinkled throughout that only a bona fide founding father of ever mutating genres could generate. Amazonian Alert Applies As Ample Americana ***buyit*saveit*shareit*giveit*donateit to the local library*** YULEridGEMality Factor = 2 1\2



2. Must be that saucy prancing upon the ivories that aids in pull'n seasonal standards along ...or maybe Fat's deep bayou delivery styling nice and simple like which allows the song to be the star ...or perhaps the twist n' tweakin of rhythm and melody with oldie type trickery ... I just can't finger why I like this record so much, ohh yeahh I'm thankful great seasonal songsmithing like this exists and I'm willing to just enjoy them for what they are, you should too. Post Script: Like all great showman, Fats puts his best tracks first then leaves the listner want'n with an ohh yeahh excuse me instru-tinsel rendition to close out. To those in the kNOw and\or YULEtide Treasure Seekers there is that special sparkle sprinkled throughout that only a bona fide founding father of ever mutating genres could generate.



3. I have been a Fats Domino fan since the '50's. I have always wanted to hear Fats sign gospel-I always knew he was a believing man. I cried when I listen to his instramental of "Amazing Grace." "Christmans is A Special Day" and "Silent Night" are the best versions I've ever heard.
   Thank You Fats from the bottom of my heart for recording this CD. Would love to find a Fats Domino Gospel CD someday. I will request my family play the "Amazing Grace" at my funeral.



4. I love Fats Domino..but this is like chocolate supreme icing on an already yummy musical cake!! Don't hesitate..buy it...if you like Fats Domino at all, you'll love this...every song is treated like a treasure ...so many extra touches that will have you hitting that rewind button to hear each song over and over. Merry Christmas!



5. One of the greatest CD's to purchase to bring back memories of the 50's. Needs to be in every music lovers library. Excellent!

5 comments about December.

1. "At no other time of the year is there a wider array of emotions than the month of December. As I considered material and arrangements for this recording I wanted to assure myself that in each instance the songs reach out to the joys and reflections of the season. I wish you all the best in all your Decembers." ~ Chris Botti ~
   
   December. We're on the last month of the year. It's the time of the year again when people tend to become busier than ever. Time flies so quickly. Where did January thru November go? But anyway, December is truly without a doubt my favorite month of the year. To me, it brings so many cherished, fond and warm family memories to have and to hold year after year.
   
   It was such a pleasure to be with my friends at Chris Botti's live concert last night at the Wilshire Theatre with his special guests. It was a terrific and enjoyable concert. A dream concert! To any fan, the ultimate and best thing is watching him perform live and see and hear before your very own eyes and ears how exquisitely he played his favorite instrument and interpreted some of the hauntingly beautiful classics of all-time.
   
   This outstanding CD is one of my absolute favorite Christmas CDs from my collection. You'll enjoy listening to thirteen Christmas classics of all-time with arrangements by the artist himself and Billy Childs. You'll be delighted with the fabulous, breathtaking and sublime interpretations of "The Christmas Song," "O Little Town of Bethlemen," "Silent Night," "I'll Be Home For Christmas" and "Hark The Herald Angels Sing," a twosome with Hector Pereira on guitar (wow, trumpet and guitar - what a perfect combination!). And of course my very favorite from this collection of wonderful Christmas carols, "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" showcasing Mr. Botti's smooth and mellow vocals.
   
   "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas"
   ~ Words and Music by Hugh Martin & Ralph Blane ~
   
   Have yourself a merry little Christmas
   Let your heart be light
   From now on our troubles will be out of sight
   Have yourself a merry little Christmas
   Make the Yuletide gay
   From now on our troubles will be miles away
   
   Here we are as in olden days
   Happy golden days of yore
   Faithful friends who are dear to us
   Gather near to us once more
   Thru the years we all will be together
   If the fates allow
   Hang a shining star upon the highest bow
   And have yourself a merry little Christmas now.
   
   May this Christmas Season bring more joy, peace and blessings to one and all. Have the happiest Holidays ever!



2. December is...the beginning of a beautiful season and a time to reflect on all the things that are good about life. It's also a CD composed of thirteen songs of the season performed by Chris Botti, one of the preeminent trumpeters in contemporary jazz today. Whether you have a collection of Christmas music or none, this CD is not to be missed.
   
   December is...a time when snow can and does fall in places where it's cold enough for it to actually land on the ground and accumulate so as to be fun and a hazard at the same time. And...it's not just music for fans of Chris Botti; rather it's a CD that anyone can put in the player and relax to as you listen and absorb familiar tunes such as Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let it Snow. Even if you live in the tropics and never see snow, you can close your eyes and picture Chris's brilliant tone ascending to the heavens and coaxing down the flakes. Let It Snow is a beautiful arrangement for a classic jazz quintet with Billy Childs on piano, CJ Vanston on synthesizer, David Carpenter on bass while Peter Erskine applies the brushes to snare drum and cymbals. The Little Drummer Boy is a playful rendering featuring Brandon Fields on tenor sax joining Chris with Vinnie Colaiuta taking over on drums; this is a great tune to light your fire on a cold night.
   
   December...contains a hypnotic chill out song that's oh so mellow called Hallelujah, the fourth tune on the CD. It's performed by a trio of Botti on muted trumpet accompanied by Shane Fontayne on guitars and on bass is Jon Ossman of Chris's band; this song has the power to move you.
   
   There is so much to like about this collection. I'll Be Home For Christmas is just the sort of arrangement that will remove the stress of too much hustle and bustle and replace it with joy; put this song on repeat and let Chris's muted trumpet evoke in you an emotion that'll get you going for the rest of the year.
   
   Have fun, enjoy life and December.



3. This is such a beautiful compilation of Christmas classics that is sure to become a favorite in anyone's collection. I love this album for slowing down and remembering the magic of the holiday season, for background music during our holiday feast or a cocktail party with friends and for cuddling up with my honey for the evening. The music is soulful, moving, even sultry. I was especially enjoyed Botti's rendition of Hallelujah. Relax and enjoy "December."



4. This album is a wonderful Christmas album. His trumpet is so mellow it makes you swoon. If you love this album you'll love all his others.



5. If you appreciate Chris Botti, you'll love listening to him playing Christmas music.
   
   This album in particular is not my favorite of his. The beginning tracks I think are the highlights of the album. Nice to hear him playing some more upbeat jazz on this one. This should put some of his nay sayers to rest about him being overrated.
   
   Just close your eyes and appreciate the smooth sounds of Mr. Botti.

1 comments about Christmas Goes Baroque, Vol. 2.

1. This album is wonderful. The blending of classical baroque pieces with original Christmas carols is a wonderful idea. My favorite is track number 3, "White Christmas." Take a listen!

5 comments about Merry Axemas.

1. What an absolutely fantastic album. It's so good that I have had to buy it three times, as the other two CDs mysteriously "vanished". Oh well, if I had low morals, I'd steal this, too. The mood of this album vascillates, as it starts off full swing in the holiday spirit, with a pretty literal version of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. But my favourite track is Eric Johnson's "First Nowell". I'm a wee bit biased, as I think he is the greatest modern guitarist. But it truly is an extraordinary composition. It is in fact quite intricate, and he manages to incorporate his own flavour into the melody without destroying the structure of the piece. Which cannot be said for Joe Satriani's "Silent Night", which goes on a tangent of accousitcally illegible meanderings. Joe Perry does a fantastic job with "Blue Christmas". It is almost two songs, the first an homage to the classic version, with almost an Hawaiian tiki feel, and then he rips off the leis and the hawaiian shirt, and shows that underneath he has black leather pants and a ripped t-shirt and absolutely shreds it. I knew my 90 year old grandmother would like the first part of the song, and then the second part came on, and she said "Oh, my". Hilarious. Alot of the songs take you by surprise that these heavy metal guitarists can be so expressive. Kind of gives you a new insight. Who knew that Ritchie Sambora could be so eloquent? It ends perfectly, with Hotei's version of "So This Is Christmas". Like alot of the other reviewers, I listen to this year round, and this album is my absolute favourite "holiday" compilation. Buy it, if you don't like it, sell it to me, as someone will invariably steal my third CD of this album.



2. This (along with vol. 2) has become my favorite Christmas music. Some of it is just fun, some of it serious, all of it great! My favorites are "Joy To The World" and "Happy Xmas War Is Over). Combining Christmas with great guitar work is Heaven on earth.



3. Let's face it; a lot of Christmas music is overfamiliar, if not outright boring. Whenever Jose Feliciano's "I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas" vomits out of the radio, I "wanna" run screaming from the room. "Merry Axemas" comes to the rescue, shredding the cobwebs with hurricane force. Familiar music is completely deconstructed and reimagined in a thrilling way, as world-class rock guitarists reinterpret songs we've all heard a million times. The passion and virtuosity takes my breath away; it's like hearing the melodies for the first time. I believe the apex of the disc is Joe Satriani's "Silent Night/Holy Night Jam." I rate this disc in the same category as the Charlie Brown Christmas Soundtrack, Phil Spector's "A Christmas Gift For You," and "Rockin' Little Christmas." This is timeless music; no "1001 strings" or Fairlight synthesizers to date it. Highly, highly recommended.



4. I found Alex Lifeson's (Rush) acoustic "The Little Drummer Boy" to be the most strong, moving, beautiful cover on this CD. Alex's deep, tonal guitar work dances in step with the rest of the music, swirling into a full crescendo of grace and power at the end. Utilizing his home studio for this project, he incorporates the sound of bells at the end that says 'holiday' music much more eloquently than just some shaken jingle bells...something I suspect some artists think they can do to a song to make it a holiday tune.
   
   The song is poignant and touching, not only as one recalls the words that speak of the greatness of giving gifts from the heart, but because according to the date of the release of this CD: October 1997. I do not know the timeframe that the artists on this CD had to submit work, but Alex may have been writing this just after the tragic death of the daughter of his band mate Neil Peart. So, I wonder if the subject of the song (a drummer) had anything to do with his choice, and its saturated emotional quality of hope and longing.
   
   Eric Johnson's "The First Noel" is definitely worth a mention. This song glistens with sweet holiday sparkle, and like Alex's "The Little Drummer Boy", works nicely with all of my other holiday 'house' music.
   
   Both of these songs feature the guitar, but not at the expense of the song. The other songs on the CD are very nicely done, but some artists have showy solos in the songs, which I don't care for because it's as if they're saying `whee, lookit me!', but if this is what you like then you'll love it!



5. For those of us who grew up loving Christmas and all the classic Christmas songs that accompany the season, the ones we reminisce about listening to on vinyl and cassette tape with our parents as kids, classics like Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Andy Williams, Perry Como, we've all run into a bit of a conundrum in our adult lives: while these classic tracks bring back joyful memories to play on our own time, you can't exactly bust them out for your Holiday parties, unless you want to gently rock your guests to sleep that is.
   
   Many who purchase Merry Axemas, a compendium of arrangements on traditional Christmas tunes from some of the most prominent ambassadors of hard rock and pop metal, are going to be aiming to have some fresh, shredding takes on the yuletide classics to blast forth with, especially in a social setting where they can tap the sentiment of the Holiday but still get hips rocking and heads bopping. With offerings from the likes of Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Richie Sambora, and more, this aspiration would be well founded.
   
   I see that many other reviewers found true appreciation for this "Guitar Hero" Christmas, per se, but I have to admit I found it somewhat lacking and that it fell short of what I had expected. No knock to the talents of the axe-wielding masters who graced this work, for their shredding skills do come through in just the right amounts, but for the most part the arrangements are far too simplistic and ploddingly derivative of the traditional nature of the songs.
   
   This fact is most notably conveyed when comparing the true standout track on here to the rest; Brian Setzer and his Orchestra's up tempo, slamming version of Jingle Bells. I was already quite well versed with Setzer's take on this most hackneyed of Holiday tunes from his phenomenal Boogie Woogie Christmas, and how he deftly recreated the foundation of the tune and made it a rocking anthem of Christmas. This approach was for the most part, sadly abandoned by most of the other contributors to Merry Axemas, who in most cases used 90% of the typical arrangements we've all heard so many times and transposed the lyrics with their guitar riffs.
   
   This all is not to say that the CD isn't completely without merit. Kenny Wayne Shepherd's opening slant on Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer twists the song into a nice 70's rock rendition, Joe Perry's Blue Christmas churns along at first, before kicking into overdrive and blasting the melancholy right off the track, and Jeff Beck's performance on the arrangement of Amazing Grace does a great deal to combine the spirituality of the Christmas holiday with some rocking guitar.
   
   Nonetheless, too many of the artists here played it safe and slow, namely Eric Johnson, Joe Satriani, and Steve Vai, some of the heaviest names when discussing masters of the 6 string. Given an opportunity to redefine Christmas music for their generation within the parameters of their mastered medium of Hard Rock Guitar, they seemed to have been overly cautious with taking artistic license, and its a true detriment to the quality of this CD.
   
   Merry Axemas was a great concept, and had all the right elements to establish itself as a definitive Christmas endeavor for the Hard Rock Genre, and its not a complete failure in this regard, but those who are fans of this music were likely expecting more. One's money could be much better spent in an attempt to obtain some contemporary, rocking renditions of your favorite Christmas Tunes on the likes of the aforementioned Boogie Woogie Christmas by Brian Setzer, or Gary Hoey's works, which I received in conjunction with Merry Axemas, and heartily delivers the rocking takes on so many Christmas classics I had hoped for on this CD.

2 comments about James Galway & The Chieftains in Ireland.

1. Easy listening, very nice Celtic Classical music. Typical Ireland tunes of jigs & dances with flutes & whistles.



2. Once again, James Galway and the Chieftains have succeeded in making music to help you relax. It is so soothing and well performed, that one can take a nap, unwind from a hectic day, or just sit an enjoy the peace that comes from quality music. I don't recommend it while driving, unless you have lots of coffee, or someone to talk with, to help you stay awake!