First, the good news: this album is better than the quartet's earlier entry in the holiday market, 1992's The Christmas Album. However, like that earlier album, the arrangements are generally slow and plodding. On top of that, the quartet get their grandkids to sing along on a couple of tunes. As one Amazon reviewer wrote, "I thought I was buying a CD by the Manhattan Transfer, not a family get-together." On the plus side, it is almost entirely acapella, which allows the music to feature the group's skill for tight vocal arrangements.
Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart
Tracks: 10 tracks clocking in at only 30 minutes. The cuts that work for me are Jingle Bells, Christmas Time Is Here, and a properly swingin' take on Winter Wonderland. The second tier consists of Toyland, I'll Be Home For Christmas, Christmas Is Coming (The Goose Is Getting Fat), and a bossa attempt at White Christmas. Kids appear on Good King Wenceslas and Grown Up Christmas List, so skip those two along with what could be the slowest version of Merry Christmas Baby ever recorded.
Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None.
Previously revisited for the blog:
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