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18 • BAY AREA REPORTER • December 29, 2011-January 4, 2012
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Seasonal soundtrack by Gregg Shapiro
T
he retro album art for A Very She & Him Christmas (Merge), by the duo consisting of M. Ward and the ubiquitous Zooey Deschanel, gives listeners a good indication of what it is they are about to unwrap. The CD could have been recorded 50 years ago or yesterday. The Sammy Cahn/Jule Styne standard “The Christmas Waltz” (what is it about Yids and classic Christmas compositions?) opens the disc, and She & Him pleasantly pay homage to the Beach Boys with covers of “Christmas Boy” and “Little Saint Nick.” “Sleigh Ride” suggests a jaunt through artificial snow, while “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” sways more than rocks. Be sure to have the mood elevators handy for the borderline catatonic “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” and “The Christmas Song,” as well as the lackluster “Silver Bells.” After getting off to too much of a Mariah Carey-style start on their rendition of the wacky songbird’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” a cappella group Delilah redeem themselves on the first track of The Sing-Off: Songs of the Season (Epic). Showcasing cast members from the third season of the NBC competition show The Sing Off, this 13-track disc mixes tunes from across the Christmas music spectrum, from contemporary favorites such as “Christmas Time Is Here” by Afro Blue and “Up on the Housetop” brilliantly reimagined by Dartmouth Aires to traditional carols such as “It Came
Upon the Midnight Clear” by University of Delaware Deltones and “Coventry Carol” by Sonos. Like the Sing-Off disc, Glee: The Music, The Christmas Album, Volume 2 (Columbia) gets the snowball rolling with “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” a version that is different enough to make it a delight. But the remainder of the disc is as uneven as the branches on Charlie Brown’s Christmas tree. Original/exclusive cuts written by committee (the generic Anders/ Astrom/Peiken tune factory) pale in comparison to the faithful readings of Joni Mitchell’s “River” (not too badly mutilated by Lea Michele) and the Waitresses’ modern Christmas masterpiece “Christmas Wrapping,” “Do You Hear What I Hear?” “Let It Snow” (given a gay peppermint twist by Chris Colfer and Darren Criss) and the unexpected inclusion of “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” For those who never thought they would live to see the day when legendary singer/songwriter Carole King would perform a song from The Sound of Music, that day has arrived with A Holiday Carole (Hear Music/Rockingale). King opens her first-ever holiday album, produced by daughter Louise Goffin, with “My
Favorite Things,” and continues with delightful interpretations of festive favorites such as “Carol of the Bells,” “Sleigh Ride,” “Everyday Will Be Like a Holiday” and “This Christmas.” In addition, King sings three new songs co-written by Goffin, including the lovely “New Year’s Day.” The album’s centerpiece is a luminous rendition of the “Chanukah Prayer,” on which King is joined by Goffin and grandson Hayden Wells. Employing studio trickery worth of Lady Gaga on the song “Yivonim,” the Yeshiva Boys Choir under the direction of Eli Gerstner and Yossi Newman sound like the holiest boychik band ever. Their album Chanukah (Indie Extreme/ Fontana), comprised of original selections, rocks (back and forth, I’d imagine) like davening frummers. Joyous selections such as “Those Were the Nights,” “Shehechiyanu,” “The Chanukah Medley” and “Mizmor Shir” make the best use of the choirs’ talents. “Chasoif,” which sounds vaguely like “My Heart Will Go On,” and the faux head-banger “Haneiros” might leave a metallic taste in your mouth. Scott Weiland of Stone Temple Pilots, Velvet Revolver and various
drug busts fame, popped a fedora on his head for The Most Wonderful Time of the Year (Atco/Soft Drive), a set of less than smoothly crooned holiday hits. It must have taken a lot for Weiland to screw up the courage for a project such as this, so take a moment to acknowledge that. When you’re done, be sure to check out “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” the swinging “What Child Is This?” the original “Happy Christmas and Many More” and the island-influenced “O Holy Night,” but wisely avoid the rest. Out sax-man Dave Koz’s second holiday compilation Ultimate Christmas (Capitol) draws on songs from both of his previous seasonal sets, including the jazzy twang of “Sleigh Ride” and the retro soul of “Please Come Home for Christmas” (featuring Kimberly Locke). It also expands his contributions to songbooks of the season with “Welcoming the Season (Prelude)” and “Welcoming the New Year (Coda).” Koz also includes the original “Eight Candles (A Song for Hanukkah),” a nod to his own heritage. Culling tracks from various Christmas discs throughout his career going back as far as 1968,
the un-hip hip-hop of “I’m Into You” featuring the over-exposed Lil Wayne, and the generic dance of “Invading My Mind.” Lopez does manage to crawl out from under the rubble on “Until It Beats No More” and “Starting Over.” When Sade’s domestic debut Diamond Life arrived in 1984, it was clear that Madonna was no longer the only one-named wonder winning over music-lovers. On the strength of hit songs “Your Love
Is King,” “Smooth Operator” and “Hang On to Your Love,” all found on the splendid double-disc compilation The Ultimate Collection (Epic), Sade dazzled listeners with the promise of more. For the most part, she didn’t disappoint. Sade kept the strong songs coming with “The Sweetest Taboo” and “Never As Good As the First Time” from 1985’s Promise, “Paradise” from 1988’s Stronger than Pride and “No Ordinary Love” from 1992’s Love Deluxe. Eight years passed between albums, and Sade returned in 2000 with the Bob Marley-esque “By Your Side” from Lovers Rock. Then it was another 10 years before her next studio disc, Soldier of Love, whose title track was possibly her most daring musical departure. The Ultimate Collection contains these and 19 more cuts, such as the unexpected Thin Lizzy cover “Still in Love with You” and the dreadful remix of “The Moon and the Sky” with the unnecessary Jay-Z, making this her most thorough anthology to date. Country rock survivor Lucinda Williams is nothing if not prolific. Since her groundbreaking 1998 comeback disc Car Wheels on a Gravel Road, she’s recorded five
The Classic Christmas Album (Columbia/RPM/Legacy) by Tony Bennett feels the most like Christmas out of all the discs in this column. The combination of Bennett’s voice and phrasing and the arrangements makes this a truly classic Christmas recording. Standouts include the toe-tapping and finger-snapping “Santa Claus is Coming to Town,” the groovy “My Favorite Things,” the warmth of “The Christmas Song,” “Christmas in Herald Square” and the previously unreleased “What Child Is This?” As far as we know, football player turned singer Benjamin Utecht isn’t in the same wacko camp as that Tim Tebow fella, in spite of having recorded for Sandi Patti’s record label and releasing the “inspirational holiday collection” Christmas Hope (Green Hill), which includes a duet with Christian jazz (what?) singer Jaimee Paul on “Let It Snow.” The disc also features a trio of collaborations with piano man Jim Brickman. Utecht’s voice is pleasant (way better than Scott Weiland’s), and his approach is dead serious (no fooling around for the faithful), if that’s what you’re looking for in your Christmas music.▼
Dishing the divas by Gregg Shapiro
J
ennifer Lopez will do anything for our respect. Whether she’s taking a stab at being a fashion icon, a serious actress or a judge on an overrated TV talent show, she wants nothing more than to be valued for her talents, whatever they may be. And that’s what makes her recording career so puzzling. Does she really need (or want) to be a singer? Look no further than
her unlovable new album Love? (Island) for the answers. Why is it that when Cher was strutting her stuff – in rocker chick or disco diva drag – well into her 40s and 50s, she came off as timeless, while J Lo just sounds tampered with and tired? Buried under production as slick and shiny as the CD booklet (and as gauzy as the photos), Lopez gives her most phoned-in performance to date. Check it out on the vocoder programmed “Good Hit,”
more studio albums, including her latest, Blessed (Lost Highway), never taking more than a few years off between releases. The Williams of “Passionate Kisses” fame is probably a thing of the past, with the closest we get to something almost upbeat occurring on Blessed’s fourth song, “Seeing Black.” For the most part this is a somber if occasionally uplifting record, as you can hear on the exquisite album closer “Kiss Like Your Kiss.” Marianne Faithfull has long struck a balance between being an interpreter of other people’s songs and a performer of her own compositions. Over the course of almost 20 studio recordings See page 19 >>