With her new holiday album, Barbra Streisand has a tough act to follow: herself. In 1967 she released one of the definitive yuletide discs, A Christmas Album, spawning memories that still light the corners of one's mind. Alas, this new collection doesn't hold a candle to its predecessor. While A Christmas Album mostly featured the usual standards, the new one skimps on familiar faves, with only "I'll Be Home for Christmas" and "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?" included here in lush, string-soaked renditions.
Elsewhere, Streisand covers more obscure tinsel tunes that don't have quite the same luster. Still, there is a warm, romantic quality to the orchestral arrangements of numbers like Stephen Sondheim's "I Remember"—given a holiday twist here with additional lyrics—making these songs just right for snuggling by the fire. The highlight, though, is Streisand's supremely sung version of Schubert's "Ave Maria," which shows what a miracle her voice is.
Bottom Line: She did it better once before
Destiny's Child (Columbia)
Following in the uneven tradition of holiday discs by pop acts like 'N Sync and Christina Aguilera, 8 Days of Christmas finds Destiny's Child frontwoman Beyoncé Knowles taking center stage again, cowriting and arranging five new bayberry-scented numbers. But 'tis the season to be wary: "Platinum Bells" is a self-indulgent take on "Jingle Bells," while the treacly "Spread a Little Love on Christmas Day" is an odd blend of pop and piousness—its lyrics include religion and Rosie O'Donnell, not to mention a plug for Destiny's Child's new dolls.
The belles fare better on Christmas classics layered with stirring orchestrations and soulful vocals. Kelly Rowland chimes in on a melodic, gospel-inflected rendition of "Do You Hear What I Hear," while Michelle Williams gets spiritual on the jazzy yet prayerful "O Holy Night." The group even recruits Knowles's 15-year-old sister Solange (who will make her solo debut with an album next spring) for a slinky version of "Little Drummer Boy." And though an ambitious medley of standards offers no revelations, "Opera of the Bells," Knowles's spirited revision of the traditional "Carol of the Bells," is a gift indeed.
Bottom Line: Good, but not destined for glory
B.B. King (MCA)
Album of the week
It's hard to bring dash to the kind of songs you associate with Andy Williams and Mel Tormé, but everything B.B. King touches turns to cool. Affirming that Christmas has its melancholy moments—and not just when you're trying to force down another mouthful of Grandma's turkey—King, 76, forsakes Frosty and Rudolph in favor of bittersweet, adult titles like "I'll Be Home for Christmas," "Lonesome Christmas" and "Please Come Home for Christmas." His languorous, liquid guitar licks cruise through all of them with such mellow aplomb that you'll swear Santa's workshop is located somewhere in the vicinity of New Orleans. In King's hands these old chestnuts are still roasting quite well.
King's voice has always been overshadowed by his guitar, but his throaty rasp, at once wistful and muscular, is in fine form. Turn the TV off and put the kids to bed; Christmas is for grownups too.
Bottom Line: Here's to a blues Christmas
A NANCY WILSON CHRISTMAS Nancy Wilson (Telarc) On her first holiday CD, Wilson gets into the seasonal swing with jazzy takes on traditional carols and evergreens such as "The Christmas Song." Some selections get big band treatments, while others get orchestral ones.
NOW THAT'S WHAT I CALL CHRISTMAS! Various Artists (Universal/ EMI/Zomba/Sony) The latest in the Now series is a double disc featuring 36 gems from Christmases past and present, performed by everyone from Bing Crosby and Ella Fitzgerald to Bruce Springsteen and Britney Spears.
ONE FAMILY: A CHRISTMAS ALBUM Kelly Price (Def Soul) With her gospel-tinged voice, Price puts loads of spirit into this holiday disc, turning basic yuletide material like "Silent Night" into soulful jams.
CHRISTMAS EXTRAORDINAIRE Mannheim Steamroller (American Gramaphone) The novelty may have worn off since Steamroller's hugely successful first Christmas album in 1984, but tackling the classics with a combination of orchestral instruments and electronica still has a bright, goofy charm.
SNOWFLAKES Toni Braxton (Arista) Braxton's rich, smoky alto goes down like a cup of hot cocoa after a snowball fight on this R&B-flavored collection, which includes five original tunes (one featuring Shaggy) and a lovely take on A Charlie Brown Christmas' ditty "Christmas Time Is Here."
Gift Sets Looking for a present that brings back the past? These multi-CD collections feature tons of tunes for a stockingful of music fans.
Simon & Garfunkel The Columbia Studio Recordings 1964-1970 Simon & Garfunkel (Columbia/Legacy)
Containing digitally remastered versions of all five albums the folk-rock duo recorded for Columbia—including Sounds of Silence, Bookends and Bridge Over Troubled Water—this boxed set is pumped up with 13 rare and previously unreleased bonus tracks.
Echoes: The Best of Pink Floyd Pink Floyd (Capitol)
This two-disc set intermingles highlights from all of the band's various incarnations over 30 years. Running through the tracks in nonchronological order makes for a suitably weird collage—without such familiar cuts as "Run Like Hell" and "Brain Damage," but with the rare "When the Tigers Broke Free" (previously only on vinyl).
The Golden Road (1965-1973) Grateful Dead (Rhino)
Having spawned such imitators as Phish, the Grateful Dead—whose leader, Jerry Garcia, died in 1995—live on in spirit. This monster set (15½ hours on 12 CDs, including four live discs) doesn't have quite the allure of those homemade tapes, but it should bring back fond recollections for some of the Dead's most loyal fans, whose memories may be impaired.
Cat Stevens Cat Stevens (A&M/UME)
Now known as Yusuf Islam, Stevens made acoustic soft-rock for '70s dorms. This collection contains lots of well-strummed classics—"Father and Son," "Peace Train"—but there's a lot of filler too.
Lady Day The Complete Billie Holiday on Columbia (1933-1944) Billie Holiday (Columbia/Legacy)
Rounding up the recordings Holiday did for Columbia—230 numbers total—this ornate package of 10 discs pays suitable tribute to the lady who transformed jazz.
The Long Road to Freedom An Anthology of Black Music Various Artists (Buddha) This five-CD boxed set celebrates the history of black music, including folk songs from Africa and minstrel ditties. A detailed book and bonus DVD feature commentary by Harry Belafonte.
KISS: The Box Set KISS (Mercury/UME) Underneath all the makeup was a potent arena-rock band that never got enough respect for its music. With five discs, including all the hits, this is a '70s head-banger's must-have.
The Reggae Box The Roots of Jamaican Music Various Artists (Hip-O) From lilting Mento to salacious dance-hall, the forms of reggae are comprehensively sampled in this four-CD compilation, which comes with a 48-page booklet detailing the music's birth, growth and ever-expanding influence.
Can You Dig It? The '70s Soul Experience Various Artists (Rhino)
This super-bad (as in good) boxed set is almost worth it for its groovy packaging alone: Its six CDs come in an 8-track carrying case. But this collection has plenty else to dig, including 136 soul nuggets of the polyester decade—from Freda Payne's 1970 hit "Band of Gold" to Smokey Robinson's 1979 classic "Cruisin'."
Q: The Musical Biography of Quincy Jones Quincy Jones (Rhino) Each of this sweeping set's four discs is devoted to a different aspect of the 26-time Grammy winner's 50-year career: his early jazz work, his movie and television scores, his production for artists such as Michael Jackson and, finally, the Dude's own eight acclaimed albums.
- Contributors:
- Chuck Arnold,
- Sona Charaipotra,
- Kyle Smith.
Saved by the Bell Reunion
The hookups, the meltdowns, the memoires
The case reveals what was really going on what they think of each other now!
