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Acoustic ChristmasColumbia Records' Acoustic Christmas (1990) was many things. It was a sampler of rock, folk, jazz, and country artists signed to the label, with most contributing new, exclusive recordings. It catered to the "Triple A" (adult album alternative) format then ascendant in radio. More significantly, it was a harbinger of the loose genre that we would struggle to put a name to - roots music, New Depression, alternative country. Eventually, we would settle on Americana, even though an appreciable amount of the stuff is created outside the United States.

To my ears, all those terms are euphemisms for "old and boring," and Acoustic Christmas doesn't do a lot to dissuade me. Most of the tracks are, indeed, acoustic, and nearly all of the arrangements are spare, at the very least, if not altogether solo. That doesn't mean they aren't good, but they sure don't rock, roll, swing, or twang - my raison d'etre.

Take, for instance, T-Bone Burnett's "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen." Burnett had signed to Columbia a couple of years earlier, and he would record his masterpiece, Criminal Under My Own Hat, for the label a couple of years hence. In 2000, he produced the soundtrack for O Brother, Where Art Thou, a massive bestseller that would cement the aesthetic for the aforementioned Americana genre. But, "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen" reflects little of that. In its own way, it's gorgeous, with bluegrass all-stars Jerry Douglas and Mark O'Connor joining Burnett for a lyrical, if austere, reading of the ancient carol.

Nothing wrong with that, but a whole album of the stuff borders on oppressive. I really admire Rosanne Cash, Laura Nyro, Art Garfunkel, and Hooters, and their songs on Acoustic Christmas are exceedingly well executed, and very pretty - but not terribly memorable. Meanwhile, jazz tracks by Harry Connick and Wynton Marsalis are brief solo piano throwaways (both taken from previous 1989 releases, by the way). Other tracks by Shawn Colvin, Judy Collins, and Shelleyan Orphan simply fail to make much of an impression.

One exception, for better or worse, is "Mele Kalikimaka" by Poi Dog Pondering, an alternative band from Hawaiian residing, at the time, in Austin, Texas, but that would later relocate to Chicago. They do the modern Hawaiian Christmas song - first recorded by Bing Crosby in 1950 - in a New Orleans style, with the Dirty Dozen Brass Band in tow. It's impressive and entertaining, if perhaps a little precious.

Willie Nile - who first made waves as a "new Dylan" in the 1970's - closes the album out with a short, perfunctory "We Wish You A Merry Christmas." Compared to the rest of the tracks, it's rousing, but insufficiently so. Arranged to sound like a sing-along at an Irish pub, it comes across as being recorded early in the evening - before everyone is drunk. Like the rest of the performers on Acoustic Christmas, Willie and his crew could have used an extra dram of whiskey in their egg nog to encourage a more spirited, less composed and collected performance.

In the end, collectively, Acoustic Christmas functions as easy listening for the well-educated, or background music for hipsters, and that's just not what I'm searching for in a Christmas album. If you are, Acoustic Christmas is highly recommended.

Consumer Notes

I feel compelled to point out that Acoustic Christmas, which runs just 12 tracks, includes two versions of the same song, "O Come, All Ye Faithful" - and that strikes me as just lazy. Also, one of those versions is billed as Wynton Marsalis featuring Marcus Roberts, perhaps because it is taken from Marsalis' album Crescent City Christmas Card. But, only Roberts - the pianist in Marsalis' band - appears on the track. [top of page]

Albums Albums

SongsEssential Songs

  • God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen (T-Bone Burnett)
  • It Came Upon A Midnight Clear (Rosanne Cash)
  • Let It Be Me/The Christmas Song (Laura Nyro)
  • Mele Kalikimaka (Poi Dog Pondering with the Dirty Dozen Brass Band)
  • O Come All Ye Faithful (Art Garfunkel)
  • Silent Night (Hooters)

Further ListeningFurther Listening

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