The Sound: An eclectic (although less so than other Putumayo World music compilations), mostly mellow mix of Christmas standards along with some lesser known holiday tunes you definitely won't be hearing while walking around the mall.
Best Moments: Johnny Bregar's spin on "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" is enjoyable, as most everything Bregar does is. Big Al Carlson's vocal performance on the New Orleans jazz version of "Frosty the Snowman" is terrific, as is the soloing that takes place in the middle of the song. Kate Rusby's celtic "Here We Come A-Wassailing", a song I've never heard before, is quite lovely.
Bonus Thoughts: I don't think anyone should cover a song originally performed by Louis Armstrong as there is zero chance of improving the number. Big Bad Voodoo Daddy take a crack at "Is Zat You Santa Claus?" and fall woefully short.
Bonus Bonus Thought: Download a free mp3 of "Jolly Old St. Nick" by Brave Combo directly from Putumayo!
Best Moments: Johnny Bregar's spin on "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" is enjoyable, as most everything Bregar does is. Big Al Carlson's vocal performance on the New Orleans jazz version of "Frosty the Snowman" is terrific, as is the soloing that takes place in the middle of the song. Kate Rusby's celtic "Here We Come A-Wassailing", a song I've never heard before, is quite lovely.
Bonus Thoughts: I don't think anyone should cover a song originally performed by Louis Armstrong as there is zero chance of improving the number. Big Bad Voodoo Daddy take a crack at "Is Zat You Santa Claus?" and fall woefully short.
Bonus Bonus Thought: Download a free mp3 of "Jolly Old St. Nick" by Brave Combo directly from Putumayo!
Okay, Time to Wrap it Up with a Nice Little Bow: Save for "Backdoor Santa" and maybe a couple others, Christmas music is, generally speaking, already family friendly. That Putumayo put together a compilation specifically labeled as a family Christmas album probably doesn't instill you with the urge to plop down a dozen dollars to pick it up - nor should it. While I won't attempt to convince you to buy this CD, "A Family Christmas" is a sturdy collection of holiday music that will please, if not thrill, your family.
*The "Family Christmas" CD was provided to OWTK for review. The opinions expressed above are unbiased and true - no arm twisting took place in the review process.
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