Stars: 4 out of 5
Pros: Great rare and original Christmas songs served
acappella
Cons: Prefer them without guests; not all will like
"Nutcracker"
The Bottom Line:
More Christmas magic
Many original songs
Will make fans happy
Straight No Chaser Invites Some Friends for Their New Christmas CD
Considering the male acappella group Straight No Chaser got
discovered because of a Christmas song (their very fun take on "The Twelve
Days of Christmas"), it's not surprise they've released so much Christmas
music. Following up their duets disc
this year, they have released Under the Influence: Holiday Edition, and it's
another fun disc their fans will love.
This is a short disc (and priced accordingly) with only 8
tracks on it, and the first 4 of those feature guest vocalists. I will repeat what I said on the regular
Under the Influence edition - these songs are good, but I much prefer these
guys when they are blending with each other.
Too often with the guest vocalists, they take a back seat and let the
guest shine.
Anyway, they start out with a love song duet with Colbie
Caillat on "Every Day is Christmas."
It's a fun mid-tempoed start that makes love into an every day Christmas
present. The images are very fun on this
song, and I really like it. Since this
is a duet, the entire group gets into an act a bit more than on some of the
others in this first half.
Next up is the only truly traditional song on the disc. CeeLo Green joins them for "White
Christmas." IT is a fun, toe tapping
version of the classic.
The most interesting song on the disc is "Merry
Christmas Baby." They take a
recording of Otis Redding from the sixties and create new background
vocals/music for it. I'm sure his fans
will really enjoy it, but this is probably my least favorite song on here since
the guys don't really get a chance to shine.
They close out the first half with Paul McCartney joining
them for "Wonderful Christmas Time."
I must admit I don't have that many copies of this song, so it's good to
get another one, and there are some fun harmonies on it.
As we enter the second half, these songs are all Straight No
Chaser. And three of the songs are
originals. "Home by Christmas
Day" is another good upbeat Christmas themed love song. The kid in me really loves "Song for
Santa" which, despite efforts to honor Santa, keeps turning into a song
about presents.
Which brings us to "Nutcracker." I have a feeling this song will fall into the
love or hate category. They take some of
the most familiar sections of the classic Nutcracker ballet and create words to
it. These words? Well, they tell the story of a guy who wants
to be home watching the football game but is dragged to the Nutcracker by his
wife. It's not exactly complimentary to
this Christmas classic. I've never
actually scene it, but I still find this song pretty funny.
The disc closes with an odd choice - "Amazing
Grace." I only call it odd because
I don't think I've ever seen it connected with Christmas before. It certainly fits since it is God's grace
that sent Jesus to earth in the first place.
Having said that, the guys do an amazing job on it. The harmonies are great and I fully enjoy it. I'll be mixing it into my regular music and
enjoying it all year long for sure.
Even though I prefer the guys doing their own thing, I
really do like Under the Influence: Holiday Edition, and I'm sure that Straight
No Chaser's many fans will as well. It's
one I'll be pulling out each December for sure.
CD Length: 27:07
Tracks:
1. Every day is Christmas (with Colbie Caillat)
2. White Christmas (with CeeLo Green)
3. Merry Christmas Baby (with Otis Redding)
4. Wonderful Christmas Time (with Paul McCartney)
5. Home by Christmas Day
6. Nutcracker
7. Song for Santa
8. Amazing Grace
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