Living Strings & Living Voices

Living Strings & Living Voices - White Christmas

Here we go, another lush strings arrangement of some of the best holiday classics (best is subjective). I know I really shouldn't like this stuff as much as I do. This stuff manages to sit nestled in my sweet spot for all things nostalgic. I'm always reminded of the holiday variety specials I saw when I was a kid. This to me is the sound of Christmas. It makes me think of my mum, who loves strings.

This collection touches all the sweet spots (that's twice, now I'm going to work in the hat trick before I'm done) okay, maybe not all, but it goes for the big ones. The album kicks off with "White Christmas" and includes "My Favorite Things" and "Do You Hear What I Hear" and "Little Drummer Boy" which are pretty solid. Actually as I listen more closely the album really does have quite a few sort of new to me moments, which was unexpected and a nice treat.

Probably the oddest moment that caught me off guard and gave me a good giggle was the saccharine arrangement to "Here's to You" which was probably a New Year's song ... I can't really tell. However, as the song nears the end, the singers start yelling out "Cheers" and "Happy New Year" in various languages and conclude with a heavily accented "Kung Hei Fat Choy" that's mixed a little louder than the others. Imagine Mickey Rooney's character from Breakfast at Tiffany's delivering the line and you get an idea. Still, it is what it is ... and for the time I'm sure they thought nothing of it, other than it was supposed to be funny.

It was.

I'm bad.

The songs here were arranged and conducted by Johnny Douglas, and he does seem to have a deft touch and brings a warmth to the songs, and the longer medleys on the album were very nice. Mainly because they're a little longer than the others and seem to be fully realized. The issue with so many of the Christmas songs is that they're just so short. The first is "Christmas Lullaby," which segues into a pretty version of "Silent Night" to close out side one. The other mashes up "Buon Natale", "Jingo Jango", "Jingle Bells" and "Bossa Nova Noel" before closing out with "A Merry Christmas Song!" It's probably the most '60s thing on the album.

While there wasn't anything really special here, as it was essentially a generic easy listening rehash of Christmas favourites, it was a very nice collection that embodies the holiday spirit, and when all was sung and done, it did hit that sweet spot.*

* There that was three. He shoots he scores. Give me a couple of minutes while the attendants sweep the hats off the ice and I start looking for something to write about for the next post.

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