If you like Mannheim Steamroller, then the verdict is easy to reach: buy all three Christmas albums. If you don't, well...don't. These CDs are quite representative of the Mannheim Steamroller sound. Chip Davis, the driving force behind the MS phenomenon, is an aficionado of music. All music, but especially old music. He delights in arranging and composing new ways of hearing music you already know. This can be both good and bad on a Christmas album; generally, his treatments are quite respectful, but occasionally he performs a modern facelift on a song which is not in need of one. The style on all three CDs varies widely from impressively complex acoustic arrangements of traditional and medieval carols to relentlessly saccharine arrangements that feature predominantly drum machines and organs. Most of the songs are instrumental, making these discs ideal background music for Christmas parties. When there are vocals, they are as unusual as the music can be. On the first CD, Christmas, all songs are instrumental. On A Fresh Aire Christmas, "Veni Veni (O Come O Come Emmanuel)" is done in Latin as a Gregorian chant. According to the liner notes, Davis was quite proud of his unusual treatment of the song until he discovered that that was how it was originally done. The other song with vocals on that CD, "Still Still Still," is an Austrian carol performed in English. On Christmas in the Aire, there are two songs with vocals, both done in German: "Herbei, oh ihr Glaubigen (O Come All Ye Faithful)" and "Kling, Glockchen." Many of the featured tunes, such as "In Dulci Jubilo" and "Bring a Torch, Jeannette, Isabella," are older, less traditional songs not often found on most Christmas albums, and should appeal to Renaissance music fans. In fact, most of the older songs are done in more traditional styles, often using authentic period instrumentation, though the arrangements are harmonized to make more sense to the modern ear. For listeners new to Mannheim Steamroller, the best advice is to check the track listing to choose one of the three disks. The latter two are less modernized, for those looking for a more authentic treatment of the carols.
The songs that are subjected to the organ-and-drum-machine treatments are generally the newer, more familiar Christmas ditties such as "Deck the Halls," "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," and "Joy to the World." So whether you prefer the older or newer style of music, it should be a simple matter to program your CD player around the songs you prefer. Time to call a few friends, break out the eggnog, and enjoy!
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