Artist: Loreena McKennitt

I love this CD !, 2009-12-22
After reading the previous reviews before ordering I decided to go ahead and give this a try...I was looking for something 'different' for Christmas. It is beautiful; a stunning collection of music, both haunting, moving and relaxing. A folky/celtic feel to most of the pieces, give an historical feel and the vocals are spectacular.

Artist: St. Philip's Boys Choir

Magnificent, 2009-04-22
Libera continues to marvel with their vibrant, harmonious, "angelic" voices. Robert Prizeman has shown even brighter than his "angels" with his ability to arrange & orchestrate. WOW! Their concert DVD and ALL of their CDs are a must for the music library. Magnificent! Fred

Artist: Elvis Presley

Elvis Presley's Christmas recordings, 2009-09-07
In chronological order, this album comprises the eight Christmas songs that Elvis recorded in 1957, the one he recorded in 1966 and eleven tracks that hr recorded in 1971. I'm not absolutely sure if this is every Christmas song that Elvis ever recorded, but if there was much missing I'd know about it. The eight 1957 tracks were made into a twelve-track album by the addition of four gospel songs recorded at around the same time but which aren`t included here; while those tracks wouldn't be out of place on a Christmas album, they are easily obtained elsewhere, especially on compilations of Elvis' gospel music. Indeed, when this particular Christmas compilation was first released, I remember it being available as part of a double album, with the other part being a compilation of Elvis' gospel songs. I didn't buy it then because I already had a double CD of Elvis' gospel music and had the 1957 and 1966 tracks, together with one of the 1971 tracks, elsewhere. However, I eventually bought this compilation, some time after it appeared as a single CD, to get the other ten tracks.

The 1957 tracks mainly comprised Christmas classics, though not everybody appreciated Elvis' interpretation of some of them. If those critics were shocked then, they got an even bigger shock when they heard the Phil Spector Christmas album six years later. At this distance in time, those 1957 recordings don't sound all that radical but they still sound distinctive. At least one original song (Santa Claus is back in town) was included, while another (Santa bring my baby back to me) sounds as if it could have been an original, but I don't think it is. I believe the solitary 1966 track (If every day was like Christmas) is also original.

The 1971 tracks offer a more adventurous selection, with just four well-worn classics (O come all ye faithful, First Noel, Winter wonderland, Silver bells), plus Merry Christmas baby (a classic, but not so well-worn) and a lot of tracks that may be original, but are in any case rarely recorded by other singers (On a snowy Christmas night, Wonderful world of Christmas, It won't seem like Christmas without you, I'll be home on Christmas Day, If I get home on Christmas Day, Holly leaves and Christmas trees). Some of the obscure songs are brilliant and deserve to be better known.

This is a great Christmas album that has plenty of familiar classic songs (about half the songs here overall) but also a fair number of obscurities, all delivered superbly by Elvis Presley.

Artist: Franco

All this and a book too?, 2008-12-19
Finally it seems that this artist - perhaps the most important and genuinely popular African musician of the last half century - is getting the treatment he deserves. The tracks here are all arranged chronologically, starting with his first ever session in 1953 and ending (this Vol. anyway) with a powerfully poignant track from 1980. But the whole thing flows, it's not musicological or academic, and everything just kind of hangs together in a way that makes sense for ears, the mind, the body and all the other parts that music can reach. Plus you get really great little book with some photos and words that nail it down and give you the context. This is what CD compilations SHOULD be like. And there's a Vol. 2 on the way? Too good!

Artist: Finzi, Holst, Doyle, City of London Choir

In Terra Pax, 2010-01-21
Heard one item on Classic FM and downloaded the album to hear the rest. Excellent Christmas music brilliantly and enthusiastically sung.

Artist: Original Soundtrack

Chipmunk-tastic!!, 2008-03-01
The movie is sweet and so is the soundtrack.
Hearing the 'witch doctor' track always brings a smile to my face.
All in all this CD is like Marmite...you'll either love it or loathe it : )

Artist: St. Philip's Boys Choir

Best Versions, Best Arrangements, 2009-04-29
I first bought Libera's CD set "Eternal", seeking my chosen version of the song "How Can I Keep From Singing". Well I ended up disappointed with that purchase, as this was a different version with an unfamiliar arrangement. Once again I trawled through the various uninformative reviews with no success. Finally I took another chance and bought the first Angel Voices CD by the St Philips Boys Choir. At last track 11, this was the authentic recording which provided the music behind last year's Waitrose Christmas TV ad campaign. I cannot remember many of the other 19 tracks, I'm sure they were brilliant, but first impressions count and hearing just my one favourite track justified this purchase.

Artist: Andrea Bocelli

Opera is in fashion, and the woods are full of pop vocalists who think they have the chops to sing arias. The best contender so far is Andrea Bocelli, who at least has a real voice, if a small one, and sometimes manages a really exciting tenor sound. Unfortunately, he is inconsistent in his tone and production, and, despite the fact that he's singing in his native language, he often sounds as though he has only the barest idea of what the words mean. The Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Vladimir Fedoseyev, plays stodgily. Anyone with a real interest in tenor arias would be much better advised to check out recordings by the young Luciano Pavarotti. --Sarah Bryan Miller
The Album Viaggio Italiano, 2003-11-22
A fantastic selection of classic songs sang by one of the world's foremost singers. Bocelli doesn't try to alter the sound of such classics as O Sole Mio and Ave Maria he simply graces these songs with his vocal richness. An important note, the UK version is a must as it features The Pearl Fisher's Duet which in its self is worth the price of the album.

Artist: Second Hand

Artist: The Carpenters

Rainy days and Mondays always made Karen Carpenter blue. Maybe she should have played her two Christmas records, Christmas Portrait and An Old Fashioned Christmas. Both are readily etched into this recent 31-piece collection--great value for fans of this brother-sister duo who captured the pop airwaves during the mid-1970s and early 80s. A number of good performances mark the collection, including songs from their Christmas TV special and a great deal of numbers backed by full orchestra prove the duo could extend their pop sensibilities to timeless holiday fare and singular works such as "Little Altar Boy," a song that Richard Carpenter claims was among his sister's greatest performances. --Martin Keller
2 Albums in One, 2010-02-18
A great Christmas Collection as it mixes two Carpenters studio albums together

Christmas Pirtrait and An Old Fashioned Christmas - a great compilation album to have playing whilst decorating the tree