5 comments about A Soulful Christmas.

1. Brian Culbertson does a tremendous job on this album of taking old classics and revisiting them without ruining them. Many artists try so hard to be new and creative they do the songs an injustice - not so on "A Soulful Christmas".
   
   As you listen to this album you realize the double-meaning behind the title. Culbertson mixes gospel singers (Joy To The World) with the soaring soprano of his wife (Some Children See Him) to put the attention on the `soul' of man. Note the rest of the tracks included.
   
   He opens with a classical rendition of Joy To The World that swiftly transitions into a rollicking version of the same and keeps the quality at the highest level throughout. Some of the biggest names in smooth jazz collaborated with him in the studio such as Eric Darius, Eric Marienthal, Warren Hill, Peter White, Nathan East and the list goes on. There is not a track I would skip as they flow together effortlessly creating a treat for your family and loved ones as you gather during this special time of year.



2. I loved every song! Especially Jingle Bells and Joy To The World. Michelle has a beautiful and calming voice! Listening to it every year will surely become a part of my family's Christmas tradition. Brian makes it seem so easy! He is truly talented and I would hope that one day, I could play 1/2 as well!



3. Trust me, I know you probably have a dozen or more Holiday CD's. But if you are a smooth jazz lover like I am, you need to add lucky number 13 to your collection. Brian does a tremendous job tickling the ivories on these favorites. The music is crisp, tempo just right, and puts you into the right spirit for the holidays. Just sample it and then either purchase the CD or download it. You won't be sorry.



4. I had contemplate buying this album for some time. Some christmas albums leave you tired. lol Not this one!! I wish that I would have brought it when it first came out.
   
   No one does it better on the keys then Brian Culbertson. This christmas jazz album has everything you need. Joy and happiness. Every song is wonderfully made. My favorites are: Joy to the World and Christmas..by the Man Micheal Macdonald.
   
   
   Buy this album and you'll be playing this over and over and over...
   
   Merry Christmas



5. I've been a fan of Brian Culbertson since 1995 and his Christmas CD is very, very enjoyable. If you get the chance to check out his Christmas concert, I highly recommend it!!

1 comments about Redneck 12 Days of Christmas / Here's Your Sign Christmas.

1. Fine cd, funny, etc. Apparently I read the description wrong because there are only two songs on the cd! OOPS! Well I got it as a combo with another CD so no big but felt a little sheepish when the person I gave it as a gift told me there were only two songs.

5 comments about Celtic Christmas, Vol. 2 [Windham Hill].

1. This cd is very relaxing. The bagpipes are great I recomend this cd to everyone!



2. Beautiful listening but badly named. The only seasonal piece on the album was James Galway's arrangement of the Wexford Carol. There are songs about fish, unrequited love, the Great Famine, defeat in battle... heaps of Celtic stuff well worth listening to, but not if you want holiday music. For midwinter celebration you'd do well to give this album a miss and try Celtic Christmas III instead.



3. I love this music--it is so relaxing--I listen to it all year



4. This 56 minute CD contains beautiful Celtic music. It is not your typical hodge podge of "various artists". This CD flows nicely from song to song. One especially nice feature of this CD is the 8 page booklet with liner notes. This includes the lyrics (and English translations, if needed). The liner notes also list musicians and other credits. I especially enjoyed Muladach Mi Is Mi Air M'Aineol by Capercaillie. Recommended to anyone who enjoys Celtic music.



5. Volume 2 of the Celtic Christmas Series is awesome. If you have any or all of the other albums in this series, you have to get this one. Like all the others, the moods of the album range from mellow to exuberant, from wanting to sit & meditate to wanting to get up & dance. Yet this album in itself is as unique as the rest. It has familiar tunes like the 'Star of County Down' & new haunting melodies like 'The Dove's Return'. It completes the set of wonderous Celtic music found in the series. I highly recommend it.

5 comments about Replay.

1. I love play. It's definetly a new discovery of mine even though they broke up already, but music today is so boring I keep going back a couple of years or listening to music from Europe to get my pop fix. Play is a strong girl group from the early 00's and though they do one too many covers they are extremely excpetional. I love Faye and Anais.
   
   REPLAY~Play
   1. I Must Not Chase The Boys- A great original pop song, with sass and sex appeal. Pop Perfection. The song geniusly mixes the two trends going on in pop at that time; Britney Sex appeal with Avril guitar angst. 11/10
   2. Honey To The Bee- A cover of a Billie song. It takes a few listens to get used to but its a cute and pleasant song overall. 8/10
   3. Just A Little- This song was recorded at the same time by British boy-and-girl group Liberty X, but Plays version is much more superior. Plays vocals are much MUCH stronger and its sexier without using the cheesy more suggestive lyrics Liberty X uses. 10/10
   4. Whole Again- A cover of an Atomic Kitten song, but once again Plays version is more melodic and the vocals are much more Strong. A beautiful ballad with perfect harmonies. 11/10
   5. Hot- Play trying to be sexy again, its a good R&B song but Just A Little is better, but still one of the better tracks. 9/10
   6. Girl's Mind- This song isn't my favorite but the vocals are strong and it reminds of something Christina Aguilera would do. 7/10
   7. What Is Love?- This song was later covered by Raven-Symone but both are good and different. Plays is a bit more catchy and pop while Ravens' is more R&B. Good and cute song. 9/10
   8. 11 Out of 10- Very smart lyrically. A more rock-ish attempt but the song is pretty cool. I like this one a lot actually. 9/10
   9. Let's Get To The Love Part- A very cute song kinda like Honey to the Bee but a bit better. 8/10
   10. 2 Blocks Down- Very similar to 11 Out Of 10 but not as good, but its still worthy of your listening. 8/10
   11. Ain't No Mountain High Enough- One of the most covered songs of all time. But play does it decently and its worth a listen. 8/10
   
   Buy this album, I still havent heard Don't Stop The Music, but this is much better then Play's self titled album and don't even consider Girls Mind, it doesnt have Whole Again or Just a Little.
   This album is pop greatness from an under-rated pop girl group.



2. I rented this CD from my local library and I fell in love with it, this CD is no Teen Bopper they sing very mature songs.
   The song 'Let's Get to the Love Part' and 'Just a Little' you can figure out what they are talking about, 'Honey to the Bee' is a sweet song and 'Whole Again' is a good song too.
   For someone who is in love or thinking about their man should definatly get this CD.



3. MAJOR PROPS TO PLAY!!!! I have all 3 of PLAY'S cds. I have their debut PLAY, their second album (this one) REPLAY, and their third album DON'T STOP THE MUSIC. This one is my favorite one of them all. This album was released in 03. This album is 10x better than the debut. The best songs in my opinion included: Honey To The Bee, Hot, Girl's Mind, What Is Love?, 11 Out Of 10, and Ain't No Montain High Enough. 6/11 were good to me, and 5 of the remaining songs such as Just A Little weren't really clicking with me. I love PLAY because they are so orginal, and their vocals are great. All of the songs on this album are on key. They also choose songs that they know their vocals are good for. They also did an outstanding remake for the classic song "Ain't No Mountain High Enough." They sing their hearts out on the songs. For 14 and 15 year old girls (in 2003 when the album was released), they are hot. GET THE ALBUM, IT'S HOT!!!!



4. Play is a girl group from Sweeden, and at the time of Replay's release, they were between the ages 14 and 16. Replay is much more mature than their debut, the self titled Play. The only thing I didn't like about this CD was that Faye did almost all of the singing! Yes, Anais did have some solos, but what about Rosie and Anna? This is a girl group. The members are supposed to do singing, a lot of it!!!! Now here's my song by song review---
   
   1) I Must Not Chase The Boys---8/10.
   This is what I'm talking about when I say Play has matured. Their voices have alos matured, as shown in this song.
   
   2) Honey To The Bee---9/10.
   I have heard this is a remake, which I feel Play does WAY to many of. This song has a killer melody and sweet harmonies.
   
   3) Just A Little---8/10.
   Great to dance to, more of the whole maturity thing.
   
   4) Whole Again---10/10.
   Another remake, but an awesome one. An angelic ballad exposing the talent of Play. Great to sing to.
   
   5) Hot---7/10.
   This song dosen't really show Play's singing talent, but it's the best song to dance to on the whole CD!
   
   6) Girl's Mind---7/10.
   I can totally relate to this song, and I love the killer harmonies.
   
   7) What Is Love---10/10.
   This song was later covered by Raven, but Play's version is so much better. A sweet ballad with awesome harmonies and a beautiful melody, it's one of my favorite songs on the CD.
   
   8) 11 Out Of 10---7/10
   Dosen't really show their talent, can't really dance to it, but still a good song.
   
   9) Let's Get To The Love Part---10/10.
   More wonderful talent. I love to sing to this song, as well as dance to it.
   
   10) 2 Blocks Down---9/10.
   I love the melody, but the words are kind of cheesy. (Now I know I love you, I can't wait to say "I do.")
   
   11) Ain't No Mountain High Enough---9/10.
   I have never seen so many remakes on 1 CD! If this was not a remake I would give it a 10/10.
   
   So that's it. I wish Play had gone a lot farther than they did, because they definetly had the potential. I recommend any GIRLS ages 10-15 to BUY THIS CD!!!



5. I absolutely love Play and am just about one of the biggest fans of Play. My favorite member is Anna. I love how her voice is very sweet. i also love Rosie's voice. It's very unique because of her accent, yet its still nice to listen to. All the songs on the cd are amazing. They really show they're getting older and that they're trying to appeal to an older crowd. The only thing I don't like about this cd is that its all evolved around Faye. Anais has a few parts, and Rosie and Anna have absolutely none. Being such a big fan of anna and rosie i was very upset by this. I would still buy the cd no matter what. Faye has amazing vocals and is extremely talented, but she's not the only one in the group! There are some parts on the cd where I coudl just imagine Anna or Rosie singing 10x better than Faye or Anais. Its not all about the range and the notes, its also about the style and that's exactelly what Anna and Rosie have in their singing. All in all this cd by play is not my favorite and I only pick it up once in a while but this cd is something that not just play fans wuld buy! <3 liz

5 comments about This Is Christmas.

1. The songs are not your typical carols, but are yet about Christmas. These are mostly songs I never heard Luther do, but am glad they are recorded for posterity. I always loved the Christmas song or two I heard on the radio during Christmas recorded by Luther and have longed for an entire album. They are love songs, with his typical styling, beautiful lyrics and vocalizations. I wish he were still around and could do a series of them.



2. This Christmas CD is so relaxing to listen to. You can feel Christmas in your heart as Luther sings the lyrics. This is a must to add to your collection, you won't be disappointed. My absolute favorite song is "Every year, Every Christmas".



3. I had gotten the cassette a long time ago, but needed the CD. I love all the songs and know them by heart. This the best Christmas CD I have and no one comes close to Luther. Please don't wait to get this. You'll enjoy it all year long.



4. This product is a re-released version of Luther Vandross's 1995 Christmas album "This Is Christmas." In the mid-90s, it seemed that every high-profile R&B act was releasing Christmas albums for a quick buck, but this is truly one of the very best. With ten songs, seven are originals written by Luther, so it makes for a very memorable listen among a sea of generic albums with nearly identical tracklists. "This Is Christmas" does not explore the Christian side of Christmas (the only song that even mentions Christ is his performance of "O Come All Ye Faithful"), but songs are split between one of two types: the slow Christmas love ballads and the upbeat Christmas party tunes. Production is wonderful throughout, often simple and consisting of well-written piano parts. The songs are both well-written and often catchy, quite memorable, which in my mind are all great signs of a good Christmas song. Guests are minimal, only one duet exists among the tracklist. I highly recommend "This Is Christmas," one of my favorite Christmas albums.
   
   The disc opens with "With a Christmas Heart," a slow and dramatic piece about the power of love at Christmas. He delivers a truly inspiring performance here. The title tune isn't quite as good but is another keeper, slow and thoughtful. You'll love "The Mistletoe Jam (Everybody Kiss Somebody)," a fast and funky party-starter that reflects Luther at his best. "Every Year, Every Christmas" is a classic ballad about a man's Christmas feelings after a breakup, it's excellent. He sings his own upbeat interpretation of John Coltrane's "My Favorite Things," then moves into a wonderful version of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas." My favorite song on this album is "I Listen to the Bells," a cleverly written pop duet with Darlene Love. The two trade off lines over a fast, soaring track about a Christmas breakup. Clarence Clemons of E-Street Band fame makes an appearance on saxophone. "Please Come Home for Christmas" and "A Kiss for Christmas" don't stand out quite as much, but are both pretty good, and his performance of "O Come All Ye Faithful" is just short of stunning, with old-fashioned production.
   
   This album gets non-stop rotation from me every year around Christmas, and it's a really fun holiday record. I highly recommend it to those Christians who love Luther and 90s R&B.



5. Wonderful Christmas album! Luther VanDross always added a special touch to anything he sang, and made the ordinary extraordinary.

5 comments about Rocky Mountain Christmas.

1. When my parents moved from my childhood home into a new house, my mom stumbled across all of her old 8 tracks. In with it all was John Denver's Rocky Mountain Christmas. Since my mother has a birthday near Christmas, I surprised her with the CD. She was just as tickled pink as she was when she found the old 8 track. It was perfect for a woman who loved John Denver and his music.



2. Apparently this album has been released in at least three different formats. One contains two extra tracks and another even more. Perhaps they are a better bargain and you get to hear more John Denver, but this CD remains true to the original album and concept. Somehow having tracks after "A Baby Just Like You" would spoil the album. This is typical Denver, reverent, irreverent, mellow, lively. John was a study in opposites. He blended folk with country and was the first artist to broaden the base of country music listeners. The current popularity of country music has much to owe John Denver. Before him, it had a much narrower following. "Aspenglow" is a lovely tune, one that I like to hear every Christmas, even though it is not traditional. The oddest track is "Please, Daddy, Don't Get Drunk this Christmas." Even more peculiar is the fact that I really like this track. It is certainly memorable, and in its way brings home the fact that not every child has a wonderful Christmas and perhaps we should all do more to make Christmas special for those that are less fortunate. All in all, this is a great album, especially if you love John Denver. It makes the season just a little more poignant.



3. The songs on this album constitute a "Rocky Mountain Christmas" more because John Denver is singing them than because they are about the holidays in the high mountains. Only the opening track, "Aspenglow," would suggest the later, but I know I am not alone in associating Denver's music with that western mountain chain (I always listen to his first greatest hits album why driving through the Rockies). Besides that first track Denver also had a hand in writing "A Baby Just Like You" and the last three bonus tracks on the album, but the chief charm here is hearing songs like "Silver Bells" turned into John Denver songs.
   
   "Rocky Mountain Christmas" is ideal for quiet nights in front of the fire. Most of the songs rely on simple accompaniment by acoustic guitars, although sometimes an entire country band shows up for the likes of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" and a harpsichord pops up as well. But clearly the effort here is to keep things simple. There is a nice trio of traditional carols in the middle of the album with "Away in a Manger," "What Child is This?" and "Coventry Carol," which makes up for having "Please Daddy (Don't Get Drunk This Christmas)" intruding in the lineup (for me it stands out like a sore thumb). Fortunately in between the two is Eric Weisberg's "Christmas for Cowboys," which serves as a nice transition.
   
   Actually the songs that impressed me the most were the ones where Denver tackles something different, which would be "Coventry Carol" and "O Holy Night." The accompaniments are more formal and so is his singing, but still with his distinctive tenor voice. This is the 1998 reissue of the CD and as such adds five bonus tracks to make it even better: "Jingle Bells," "White Christmas," "The Music is You," "Perhaps Love," and "Dreamland Express." The last three are not exactly Christmas songs and give the end of the album a decidedly different feel, so you may actually just want the CD with 14 tracks and not this one with 17 (I do not believe you can get a CD with just the 12 tracks from the original album). Or else you can just program this one to end the way you want.



4. In the process of rebuilding my John Denver collection, it was great seeing this album again. I had it when it was on vinyl. Yes, folks, there was such a thing as old fashioned records. When I first bought this album in '76 I think it was, I played this album every year until the poor thing warped around 1984. For me at least, Denver takes the schmalz out of Christmas songs. After I finish collecting other Denver albums on these new fangled CD's, I'm going to buy this and remember the good 'ol days.



5. This CD is a must for anyone collecting beautiful holiday music and John Denver's voice and songs are breath-taking here. A real classic.

5 comments about Christmas, Love and You.

1. I didn't buy this for me but I knew my mother would like it. She loves good R&B music like Luther Vandross and anything on the smooth jazz stations. It was perfect for her tastes. She put it on in her car and was happy.
   
   The brother's voice is so smooth and mellow. I have his "Moods" CD and, oh, yes! Will = smooth. His voice reminds me of warm chocolate. Smooth, rich and dark. You know what I'm talking about.



2. I thoroughly enjoyed Will Downing's Christmas CD entitled, "Christmas, Love and You." It was a very romantic CD and it certainly lived up to my expectations of what a Christmas CD should be. It also lived up to the sultry soul sound for which Will Downing is well-known. I would highly recommend this CD to anyone who wants to get into the Christmas holiday spirit, especially with their sweetheart!



3. Being a true fan for a long time, I am not surprised that he delivered his "A Game" with this CD. He provides a variety of tracks designed for couples sharing the holiday together and understanding the reason for the season. The perfect gentleman and perfect CD for the perfect holiday- it cannot get any better! The only thing missing is Denzel Washington! (joke)



4. While i have to admit that i haven't been a long time Will Downing fan, i can say that he is smooth with his music and this CD is no different. I just sampled it on Amazon and it was outstanding to say the least. My favorite song is Christmas, Love and You, but they all sound good to me. I was justlooking online for some new Christmas music for this year and i recommend it to any and everyone cause i am gonna buy it for sure!



5. Will Downing is so sexy and, Christmas is no different. I love his personality, stage presence, and most of all his sexy voice! This is a good one!

5 comments about Ultra-Lounge: Christmas Cocktails, Pt. 3.

1. If you are into the Ultra Lounge series as I am, then you will want this album in your collection. I have the previous two Christmas albums which I think are better than this 3rd addition, but still worth having if you are a fan of this stuff.



2. Love this kind of music - can't get enough - have most all of the CDs. Excellent New Jersey-based company with excellent foresight and retro-understanding for the best party and jazz combos. Excellent choice for any kind of day or evening, party or relaxation time.



3. Virtually every song on this CD appears on other CD's. The order of the tracks is poor, transitions too much, to make it a good party background cd. The only worthwhile thing about the cd is that it's all from the same wide genre, lounge. So, if you don't have any christmas cd's, and you like lounge, this is the cd for you.



4. Ultra-Lounge Christmas Cocktails, part three continues the hits that made the first two volumes a huge success. Unfortunately, however, this last segment of the three part CD series seems to have been done hastily--and on the cheap. Just as other reviewers note, there are practically no liner notes and there are fifteen tracks instead of twenty or more.
   
   Some highlights of this CD immediately come to mind; it's not without its good points. I especially enjoyed "Baby It's Cold Outside" by the incomparable Carmen McRae and Sammy Davis, Jr. Bing Crosby's "Frosty The Snowman" is also very well done. Bing never sounded better! Moreover, listen for Wayne Newtown's "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!" Wayne's excellent diction bolsters his fine performance. The strings and brass make "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!" a really good number.
   
   Peggy Lee's "White Christmas" is really very good; and the slight echo of her voice on this track is a great special effect. Love it! Lou Rawls's "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" features Lou's vocals squarely in the spotlight; and the musical accompaniment adds an extra jazzy touch so that Lou can put his own stamp on this classic holiday number.
   
   Julie London's "I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm" is romantic and Julie conveys all the romantic nuances that any man would love; and the CD ends strong with June Christy singing "Sorry To See You Go." Love that brass on "Sorry To See You Go" as June sings this out with panache.
   
   As I mentioned before, the "liner notes" are a real letdown after the great booklets we get with the first two volumes in this series. Other reviews also note--quite correctly--that this third CD in the three part series has much more material that can easily be found elsewhere on other CDs. Sigh. Gotta take off a star for that!
   
   Overall, the quality of the songs is still pretty good but there's less material and what we do get features some rehashed material instead of more numbers lovingly picked from the vaults. If you like lounge music and you don't have too many of these holiday time classics then you should get this CD. People who are diehard fans of Christmastime music will already have a lot of this material and these people should look elsewhere if they want to buy an extra CD of Christmas music.
   
   Four stars.



5. The first two "Christmas Cocktails" CDs were absolute classics--a wide variety of music--some familiar, some esoteric--and a great value. Volume 3? Well, it's got some wonderful tracks on it, but for the most part, it's a very ordinary song selection.
   
   Perhaps most troubling--and why the music industry is in such dire straits today--it the fact that they give you less and less for your dollar. The first two volumes in this series were 72 and 64 minutes, with 21 and 20 tracks, respectively. Volume 3 is under 40 minutes with just 15 tracks. Plus they eliminated the liner notes booklet, and now only have a one sheet insert. And all for the same price as volumes 1 & 2.
   
   If Capitol wants consumers to buy their "physical" product, give them some reason to do so--provide something they don't get via a download (legal or not). And don't cut back so much on the content itself--value "added" gets more buyers, not value "subtracted".

3 comments about Wolfman Jack's Halloween Special: Monster Mash Bash.

1. What a rip-off! This is just another compilation of people doing covers of other people's songs. This was not Bobby "Boris" Pickett at all. In fact, only tracks 4, 5 and 7 are the originals. Don't bother!



2. My children and I just love every single song on this CD. We have such a good time listening to them.



3. Today I went to a Halloween party for the "Savvy Seniors" of my church - people 60 years old (Boomer age) and older - up to near 90. The hosts played this CD, and it helped make the party a hit. I liked hearing all those old silly songs, such as "Purple People Eater" and "Witch Doctor" and even some that are new to me that I like, such as "Spooky". Further, near the end of the party, we even danced to some of the songs! Good for a Halloween party - try it some time.

2 comments about A Hawaiian Christmas.

1. Listen to the samples of these apparently unfamiliar Hawaiian songs and discover that you've heard/sung these before. Backed by Jeff Peterson on Guitar, Chino Montero on 'Ukulele, Stephen Jones on Bass, and Bobby Ingano on Steel Guitar, Amy Hanaiali'i makes your holiday season light and wonderful. Back to the Hawaiian songs:
   "Hamau E Na Kanaka"="Hark! The Herald Angels Sing"
   "Betelehema Iki E"="O Little Town of Bethelehem"
   "Po La'i E"="Silent Night"
   "Pomaika'i Wale Ko Ke Ao"="Joy To The World"
   "Ho'onani Kakou Ia Ia"="Adeste Fidelis," aka "O Come All Ye Faithful"
   "Ka Po La'ela'e Ka Hikina Mai"="It Came Upon a Midnight Clear"
   "Po Hemolele"="O Holy Night"
   "Ke Akua Mana E"="How Great Thou Art"
   If the Hawaiian versions are too foreign, there are more familiar Christmas songs, such as "Have Yourself A Merry Christmas" or "Mary Did You Know?" All in all, a delightful Christmas/holiday evening in Hawai'i!



2. I bought this CD as we have been in love with Hawaiian music since a trip there a few years ago. I looked at a lot of Hawaiian Christmas music online and it seemed a little tacky...kind of touristy if you can follow what I mean. Then I heard Amy and knew this was the one to buy. There is a good mix on this CD and I love hearing some of the classics done in her native tongue. Too bad IZ has passed...I would love to hear Amy and him do some duets.