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1993-04-08
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REVIEWSMUSIC, Page 76Sounds of The Season
By JANICE C. SIMPSON
PERFORMERS: RECORDING STARS OF EVERY STRIPE
ALBUMS: Christmas Music
THE BOTTOM LINE: The best of this year's holiday releases
offer the chance to have yourself a multicultural Christmas.
With the cheerful cockiness that comes from being
America's top recording star, Garth Brooks released his
Christmas album, Beyond the Season, back in August. Brooks'
homey compilation of such classics as Silent Night and What
Child Is This quickly climbed the pop charts, remains in the Top
12 and promises to become one of those seasonal evergreens like
Bing Crosby's Merry Christmas, first released in 1955 and still
an annual best seller.
Musicians make Christmas albums for the same reason other
people invest in municipal bonds: the expectation that a
relatively simple investment will yield a steady income for
years to come. Accordingly, each holiday season brings yet
another wave of musical tidings from performers hoping to cash
in. And they come in every conceivable style, from caroling
choirs and symphonic concerts to specialties like Doo Wop
Christmas and Alligator Stomp, Vol. 4: Cajun Christmas.
The difference between the majority of these offerings,
which are headed straight for the remainder bin, and the few
that might become perennial favorites is largely a matter of
finding the right mix of chestnuts and festive new offerings,
then wrapping them up in a distinctive performing style.
This year, nobody does that better than Mel Torme.
Although he co-wrote The Christmas Song, the classic Nat King
Cole made famous, Torme has never made a Christmas album before.
From now on, no Yuletide celebration will be complete without
him. With the exception of two instrumental tracks that sound
like refugees from some other album, Torme serves up a
convivial mix of jazzy standards like Sleigh Ride, traditional
carols like Good King Wenceslas and elegant ballads like
Christmastime Is Here. All go down as easily as nicely spiked
eggnog on a chilly December eve.
The big trend this year is releases that reach out to
diverse audiences. None has a wider appeal than A Very Special
Christmas 2, a sequel to the bestselling 1987 benefit album that
has raised $17 million for the Special Olympics. With
contributions ranging from an original Christmas rap by Run
D.M.C. to a soulful White Christmas by Michael Bolton to a
swinging version of Santa Claus Is Coming to Town by the
electronically mated duo of Frank Sinatra and Cyndi Lauper, it
offers something for every pop-musical taste.
A similarly eclectic spirit enlivens A Carnegie Hall
Christmas Concert, a recording of a 1991 performance that
featured Kathleen Battle, Frederica von Stade, Wynton Marsalis
and Andre Previn conducting the Orchestra of St. Luke's. This
potpourri of holiday goodies makes a determined effort to be
culturally inclusive: one of its many delights is the calypso
Christmas tune Mary's Little Boy Chile.
The most multiculturally ambitious of the new Christmas
albums is Handel's Messiah: A Soulful Celebration. It uses
gospel, jazz, rap and other African-American musical genres to
present a spirited reinterpretation of the classic oratorio.
Every Valley Shall Be Exalted is transformed into a hip-hop
anthem performed by rapper Mike E. And the Glory of the Lord
becomes a reggae melody sung by jazz singer Dianne Reeves. And
the Hallelujah! chorus gets a rousing gospel treatment from an
all-star, 76-voice choir conducted by Quincy Jones and including
Al Jarreau, Johnny Mathis, Vanessa Williams and Take 6. In their
zeal to make Handel more "accessible," the arrangers have played
so loose with the original score that even the composer might
have trouble recognizing much of it. Even so, it makes some
pretty joyful noise.