Smells Like Christmas Spirit
Doug Taepe | Rochester, NY USA | 11/06/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I first heard the sound samples up on the Magna Carta website of this album. It sounded like a very fun album, fun seems to be something lacking from many of today's Progressive and Rock bands. This album explores the question: `What If . . . our favorite rock bands recorded Christmas Carols ?'. Taking themes from each of these great bands, the December People weave through riffs and fills that echo, but never plagiarize their heroes.
Highlights for me include the interpretation of Genesis performing `What Child Is This?'. From the `Lamb Lies Down .' opening, we are brought through themes from classic Genesis to fill out this carol. Nice full keyboards, and full lush arrangements. As a bonus, Trent Gardner (Magellan, Explorers Club), has a nice warm voice, and never tries to imitate Peter or Phil.
The Led Zeppelin-esque take on `Twas The Night Before Christmas' builds from `Stairway To Heaven' right on through to `Kashmir'. `Silent Night' by Pink Floyd builds off of `Dark Side . .' and `Wish You Were Here' era. The King Crimson inspired `The First Noel' builds from the `Court Of The Crimson King', layering mellotrons, and even featuring Crimson alumnus John Wetton on vocals.
Kansas vocalist, Steve Walsh, sounds incredible on the two carols `We Three Kings' and `Angels We Have Heard On High/Christmas Lullaby' ; as well as the Kansas song' `The Light", written exclusively for this release.
Some songs take a bit more time to decipher the influence, but it is fun playing it for people, and seeing the expressions on their faces when they recognize both the styles and the carols.
The album holds up well as a Christmas album, a tribute album, and an enjoyable listen. Grab something new for the holidays, you'll get a kick out of this album."
What if all Christmas Music was this fun?
Harold Angell | Colorado Springs, CO USA | 12/15/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"With such a compelling concept and such talented musicians to actually pull it off, Robert Berry has produced an imaginative journey which transports the listener not only to an era in which the greatest music of our time was created, but to an emotional serendipity that can exist only at Christmastime. The title of this recording gives us the key as to how Berry and company have accomplished this. By incorporating the premise of "Sounds Like...", the December People usher us into this improbable dimension of hearing our heroes of classic rock prresenting us with a very special Christmas gift. The music is performed with a technical precision that is assuredly reminiscent of the bands to which this tribute is directed. While the listener is never intentionally fooled into believing that these bands have reunited for this project, the signature sounds are accurately reproduced in such a way that I was constantly saying, "Wow, that really sounds like...". To fully appreciate the impact that this recording can have, it is best to listen to it without knowing which artists are being emulated ahead of time. For me, this only heightened the serendipity. Later, as I looked at the Magna Carta website, it was fun to see which artists I had guessed correctly. (Actually, with the quality of this project, it isn't all that hard to tell if you are a true fan of classic 70's rock.) As a fan of classic rock and a lover of Christmas carols, this recording truly touched me in many ways. I hope that you will take the opportunity to experience the childlike wonder of Christmas as seen through the vision of Robert Berry and the December People."
Interesting, but...
Brian McHale | 12/08/2002
(3 out of 5 stars)
"As a big fan of progressive rock groups like Yes and Kansas, I thought this sounded like a very interesting concept. Now that I 've listened to it a couple of times, I'm not sure what to make of it. It IS interesting, but also a bit disappointing. Part of the problem is that I expected it to sound like the actual groups were performing Christmas carols. What they've done, however, is cop some signature licks/sounds and adorn the songs. You'll be able to pick most of the songs that are borrowed from. In other words, they're not trying to sound like the BANDS, they're trying to sound like the SONGS. Not that it's bad, but it sometimes comes off almost like a parody, as opposed to a tribute.The musicians are quite good, as are most of the vocalists, but I do have a couple of complaints. In some cases, the vocalists just don't sound enough like the singer they're imitating. Not that they sound bad, they just don't sound "right." My other complaint pains me to point out. Even though several other reviewers have singled out Steve Walsh's vocals, to me they're almost painful to listen to. At one time, Steve Walsh had a great voice, but the years have taken a toll. If you liked how Steve sounded on Somewhere to Elsewhere, you'll probably be happy, but if you're expecting Leftoverture vintage sounds, you're likely to be disappointed.I'm still glad I bought this, but it's not as good as I was hoping."
Track Listings (13) - Disc #1