Search - Rosie Flores :: Christmasville

Christmas--the Rockabilly Way!

LiveMusicFan | Texas | 11/28/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Rated last year as one of the LA Times' top ten Christmas albums, this compilation is destined to become a Rockabilly classic. It's a fun twist on holiday classics and the song especially written by Ms. Flores about her childhood home in San Antonio, Texas is bound to capture your heart. It's a must in your holiday collection."

Brilliant and imaginative rocking country music

Peter Durward Harris | Leicester England | 09/07/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I first came across Rosie Flores in the eighties, when she showed considerable promise on a major label but didn't achieve the success that she deserved. The music was of a high quality but probably didn't suit the marketing people who couldn't easily categorize it. It seemed that Rosie vanished into the obscurity from which she came, but a new album was released occasionally on a small label. I never actually got around to buying any of those albums, but I knew when I learned that she had recorded a Christmas album, I had to have it, especially after I saw the track listing.



This is among my favorite Christmas albums, largely avoiding the obvious songs. It is still suitable as background music if that's what you want, because it contains plenty of up-tempo material to get those toes tapping. On the other hand, there's also plenty to discover for the more discerning listener who likes to study new albums properly.



The set opens with Little Saint Nick, the Beach Boys classic. Most people are familiar with the original, but I rarely come across cover versions of it. Other familiar songs are Blue Christmas (probably the most covered song here), the instrumental Dance of the sugar plum fairies (but I don't think Tchaikovsky envisaged it being recorded in a country style when he composed it), Run run Rudolph (most commonly identified with Chuck Berry) and Happy Xmas war is over (the John Lennon classic).



The other tracks are all originals with the possible exception of My Christmas tree is hung with tears, which Sarah Brown wrote. I've never heard of her and I've certainly never heard this song before. One of Rosie's musicians wrote the title track, while Rosie wrote the remaining tracks. All are brilliant but I suppose it's too much to hope that any of them will become Christmas standards.



Rosie Flores was sadly never destined for major label stardom, but she is able to sustain a career by making quality ,music in a rocking country style that suits her. This is a fine example of her music, which serves as a reminder that I must buy more of her music someday.

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