Music Review: Nog by The Blenders

Stars: 5 out of 5
Pros: Beautiful harmonies and fun arrangements

Cons: Too short; the talking around "Let it Snow."

The Bottom Line:

Christmas harmonies

And arrangements are fun, too

Now Christmas staple

Harmonies as Perfectly Blended as Nog

I love good a cappella music, especially if it has tight harmonies. Unfortunately, that style of music isn't very popular and is therefore hard to find. Thanks to a friend, I found The Blender's first Christmas CD, Nog. I fell in love with it on the first listen.

The Blenders are a male quartet who sing mostly a cappella music and blend their voices expertly. Think barbershop quartet harmonies with a pop style. This CD takes 10 Christmas classics and gives them fresh new arrangements. Don't worry, nothing is too extreme. You can sing along on the very first listen. It's the harmonies that make these versions stand out.

Take the first track. The disc opens with "The Christmas Song." This old chestnut (pardon the pun) starts out sounding like it will be another slow version. But after the introduction, they pick up the tempo. It becomes a mid tempo pop number with sweet harmonies and sleigh bells keeping the time. It's definitely faster then you would normally hear the song, but it works well.

As much as I love A Charlie Brown Christmas, I'm not a fan of other people recording "Christmas Time is Here." No one does it like the kids in that special. Having said that, this version comes very close. It's got the same plaintive quality as the original, and the harmonies are just right. This song includes the most in the way of instrumentation with what sounds like an electric keyboard hitting some notes throughout the song. The focus is still on their voices. The result is hauntingly beautiful.

As far as fun goes, there's "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer." It gets an upbeat make over that makes me tap my feet every time I hear it. They even add a bridge I've never heard before.

I must admit I'm not a big fan of "The First Noel," but their version is so beautiful I actually enjoy it. "Angels We Have Heard on High" gets different harmonies on every verse. And "Silent Night" is a suitably quiet way to end the disc.

Over the last few years, I have fallen in love with "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," and their version is outstanding. It's a fairly standard interpretation, just slightly more upbeat then normal. The harmonies are lush. It makes me feel warm all over.

The only misstep on the disc is "Let it Snow." The track has lots of talking and is supposed to be funny. The first time I heard it, I thought it was weird. Basically, they are pretending they are doing the song live at a Polynesian resort. The song has a Polynesian arrangement in keeping with the theme. While the song itself works, the bits of dialog aren't nearly as funny as they pretend they are. Especially with repeated listening. I love the track when they are singing. I just wish there was some way to skip over the dialog, especially in the middle.

The disc isn't pure a cappella in the strict sense of the term. Lots of the tracks use a drum machine in the background. Other songs have bells. The only track that goes beyond that is "Christmas Time is Here" with the keyboard. Still, the emphasis is on the harmonies; the instruments stay in the background. While not a by the book example, this disc really does fit in the a cappella genre.

This disc is a wonderful addition to my extensive Christmas music collection. In fact, it actually got pulled out and enjoyed a few times during this last year. I only wish it were longer. 36 minutes just isn't long enough. If you like Christmas music or a cappella music, you need Nog.

CD Length: 36:35

Tracks:

1. The Christmas Song

2. Do You Hear What I Hear

3. Let it Snow

4. The First Noel

5. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

6. The Little Drummer Boy

7. Angels We Have Heard on High

8. Christmas Time is Here

9. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

10. Silent Night