Robert Moyes, Monday Magazine
Thursday, December 11, 2003
Despite the best efforts of malls everywhere to ruin the joy that
people find in December's festive music, there are always new
recordings that try-and sometimes succeed-in giving listeners that
holly-jolly Christmas feeling. Herewith is a brief tour of the very
diverse sounds of the season.
If your significant other is of a certain age and uncertain taste-in
particular, has with religious zeal replaced vinyl recordings of
Aqualung and Thick as a Brick with CDs-then their Christmas jukebox
is no doubt crying out for The Jethro Tull Christmas Album.
Occasionally jazzy and even orchestral, Tull mostly follows in the
faux-medieval folk-rock idiom that characterized their early (and
best) albums. Unlikely to win over the uninitiated, Tull will still
gladden the hearts of those ever-faithful fans who still dance to
Ian Anderson's heavy metal flute.
And although the Medieval Bębes bear the same relation to Early
Music that a historical bodice-ripper does to Beowulf, they are
still an entertaining and talented octet of singers with
lung-revealing cleavage and a sound that evokes highly romantic
images of a French castle in the Middle Ages. Their Mistletoe &
Wine ranges from "The Holly & the Ivy" and "In
Dulce Jubilo" to mostly 13th- and 14th-century pieces or medieval poems set to music by alpha Babe Katharine Blake. With
soaring vocal harmonies grounded by the funky music of zithers,
recorders, harmoniums and various percussion, these bodaceous Babes
are pleasing both to eye and ear (although Maddy Prior's A Tapestry
of Carols doth kick mightily their medieval butts).
The infelicitously-titled Frostbite by the ominously single-named
Pavlo is, in fact, likely to have great appeal to fans of the Gypsy
Kings and Ottmar Liebert. Very much in the nuevo flamenco school of
hot Latin licks, Frostbite is distinguished by spicy infusions
courtesy of Pavlo's bouzouki and the Ukrainian violin of Wasyl
Popaduik. The endlessly energetic Pavlo is very appealing live, but
his versions of classics such as "God Rest Ye Merry
Gentlemen" and "Little Drummer Boy" come off as
technically accomplished but something less than soulful.
They just know how to do Christmas in the country, and Cochrane,
Alberta-born superstar George Fox is in fine form on A George Fox
Christmas. With his sturdy, aw-shucks baritone he delivers a mix of
classics ("Silent Night," "Away in a Manger")
and a few novelty songs ("Six White Boomers," "Santa
Lost His Ho Ho Ho").
Meanwhile, Nanaimo's other musical muse, Allison Crowe,
has just released Tidings, a tasty and often-moving six-pack
of seasonal songs-and not just the usual suspects. After kicking off
with Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah," she calls on those
least-covered of Christmas carollers-Mick Jagger and Keith
Richards-via "Shine a Light," which here shines with
redemptive power. After "O Holy Night" and "In the
Bleak Midwinter" for traditionalists, there's more Can-Con via
Sarah McLachlan's "Angel." Simply arranged for trio and
recorded "live off the floor" with Crowe's bold voice
mixed way forward, this is an appealing and effective holiday
offering.
Jane Siberry, looking more than a bit like Boy George, has left Mimi
on the beach and headed to the classical heartland of Handel and
Bach for Shushan the Palace (Hymns of Earth). This "priestess
of pop" enthralled a cult audience in Victoria a few weeks back
playing the same material, but knowledgeable fans of baroque singing
will likely turn pale. Siberry's many loyalists, however, will
embrace her attempt to impose a lush new vision on sacred songs
composed by musical geniuses who had other things in mind with such
as "I Know That My Redeemer Liveth" and "Sheep
May Safely Graze."
And canny Nettwerk Records wishes you an alterna-Christmas via Maybe
This Christmas Too?, 14 shiny tunes ready for the unwrapping. Not
everything works-Eisley drones and skater-grrrl Avril Lavigne
doesn'texactly shine on "O Holy Night"-but the Be Good
Tanyas are great with "Rudy," Oh Susanna's blues-moan
voice is ideally matched to "Go Tell It on the Mountain,"
Guster offers some deliberately kitschy ethno-whimsy via "Donde
Esta Santa Claus?" and Rufus Wainwright kicks the disc off just
right with "Spotlight on Christmas" ("all the horses
and toys/never could fix all the poor little rich boys"). Other
contributors include the Dave Matthews Band, Barenaked Ladies, the
Flaming Lips and Badly Drawn Boy, who offers up a wittily original
tune called "Donna & Blitzen."