This Christmas offering from Frontline Records is a mixture of the traditional and the unconventional. Brought by the production team of Lanny Cordola and Gary Thomas Griffin, the pair that also executed the Shack of Peasants projects, this album is an all-acoustic effort. Griffin and Cordola used many of the same players and singers from the Shack of Peasants albums, but this album is not only blues, as the title might suggest. It covers the spectrum of jazz, blues, and some more traditional sounds, that come together and create a warm, mellow listening experience.
Most of the songs are traditional ones, some more familiar than others, and include both vocal and instrumental arrangements. The album opens with "Minuet" by Johann Sebastian Bach, and is a beautiful rendition of one of Bach's more familiar compositions. While it is not specifically a Christmas piece, it is in no way out of place. Then comes a jazz reading of "Silent Night," with a great vocal performance by Sandra Stephens. She also is featured on what turned out to be one of my favorite cuts, "I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day." Chris Lizotte is featured on "Still, Still, Still" and "Angels We Have Heard On High," and his voice is matched well with these arrangements. Peter Shambrook ably handles the vocals for "Away In A Manger," and Cordola closes out the album with a bluesy vocal performance of "We Wish You A Merry Christmas."
Besides "Minuet," the instrumentals include "What Child Is This" and a solo performance by Cordola of Mel Torme's "Christmas Song," which only cements his reputation as one of the most skillful and diverse guitarists around.
Cordola also contributed two compositions to this project, the title track and "Christmas Lullaby." Lyrically, both contrast the fear and turmoil found in the world with the peace and love that can be found in God, his Son, and the gift that was given almost two thousand years ago. Neither are really traditional, but strike at the heart of what this season is really all about, and the music reflects that.
I really like this album. Sometimes Christmas albums can all start to sound alike, because you generally hear the same songs over and over. Griffin and Cordola have been able to take some common and some not-so-common carols, and arrange them so that they sound fresh. To me, this album isn't really the kind you would play on Christmas morning, when everybody is opening their presents. This one is for Christmas Eve, about midnight. You turn all of the lights off, except for the tree, and you sit back on the couch, and take some time to really think about what the reason for the season is.
