Search - Jacqui Naylor :: Smashed for the Holidays

Witty and Fun

Girlie Power | New York, New York | 10/09/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I picked up this CD at Jacqui's awesome show at Blue Note Jazz Club in New York. "Smashed for the Holidays" is fun, witty and wonderful. Finally, a new kind of holiday CD that mixes rock and jazz like I've never heard it and it makes me smile. I mean really, mixing "Santa Baby" with Zeplin is brilliant. I've heard mash-ups from DJs before but that is not what this is. Here they are actually playing two songs at the same time, which also makes the use of the word "smashed" even funnier. There are just enough of these holiday/rock mergings to be enjoyed and then the CD is balanced nicely with well sung standards like her intimate version of "The Christmas Song" with just guitar. I also really like the original music on this recording. "Celebrate Early and Often" and "Thank You Baby" remind me to stop and be grateful and "Christmas Ain't What It Used To Be" reminds me to stop and think about what we are really celebrating. I think this is a GREAT CD and I plan to turn a lot of people on to it and use it as my holiday gift. She can sing with the best of them and the band plays the hell out of these songs."

You have to hear this artist!

Tim | Burlington, MA United States | 10/27/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is the most amazing collection of smashed up christmas carols and rock songs ever. Very accessable. Smashup DJs everywhere should have this in their collection. Great work by a terrific artist. I hope everyone picks up a copy for Christmas and then goes out and buys her older stuff.



You won't be disappointed!"

Smashing Jazz Diva

Richard Banks | Pflugerville, TX United States | 10/16/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Jacqui Naylor and her band have put together several songs matching a pattern sometimes called "A versus B", where an instrumental rendering of song A is accompanied by an a cappella rendering of song B. Sometimes, this is done by skillful editing of the songs of two different artists (this is called a "mashup"). But in the case of Naylor & Company, elements from both songs are recorded at once.



This type of performance is technically advanced. Most artists could not even conceive matching songs, and even fewer could pull off the technique in performance. Jacqui Naylor and her band do it with an effortlessness that makes it all seem charming. The effect is similar to hearing a song sung as a round. My favorite one was Silver Bells "smashed" with Every Breath You Take, whose juxtaposition created an ironic effect that had me giggling.



Of course, a little bit of this technique goes a long way, and indeed the technique is used on fewer than half of the tracks. At other times, Naylor sings jazz. Does she ever! Naylor's voice is authentic and sultry; she has the pipes, the phrasing, and all those other jazzy things the critics like to talk about.



Not that this is purely a jazz record. Jacqui Naylor sings jazz here, though not on every track. Paradoxically, her band provides rock accompaniment to some tracks, even when Naylor is singing jazz, for example on the enchanting Celebrate Early And Often.



Strange, indeed, but effective, and refreshing. I haven't heard anything quite like Jacqui Naylor's Smashed for the Holidays."