O Holy Night Comparisons

Well, since it is now post Christmas, there will only be three Christmas song comparison posts this year – but that’s okay. Up now, “O Holy Night” – and the winner surprised me (pleasantly). :)

Celtic Woman – 9

 

Best words to describe this version include clear, high, and light. As the song progresses, it moves to a louder volume that is absolutely lovely, and full of power. (After listening to multiple versions of this song, I realized that it requires power – and some singers did better than others.) I really love the building notes and volume. This version is one of my favorites!

Katherine Jenkins – 8.5

One really neat thing about this one is how Katherine rolls her notes. She keeps up a good pace – I love her voice! It’s a flowing version. The stringed instruments (I think they’re stringed…) are a lovely accompaniment. She has amazing volume and hits those high notes wonderfully.

Scotty McCreery – 9

 

Wow. He has such a rich young voice. I love it. His notes are perfect, of course, and the words are fully understandable. I love the even tempo. All in all? This is a beautiful version.

Susan Boyle – 8

This song definitely showcases Susan’s voice! She sure can belt it out – I am very impressed. She’s got a deeper voice than Katherine and Celtic Woman, but still beautiful. She’s also got a lot of loud volume – I feel like this version would be most amazing in person.

Il Volo – 9.5

 

Having never listened to these guys before, I didn’t really know what to expect…but wow. I loved this one. They’re kind of like Josh Groban or Il Divo. Smooth. Operatic. Powerful. I could listen to this song many times (indeed, I intend to!). Their harmonization is stunning. And I’m giving them an extra .5 for that held note towards the end! Love.

Placido Domingo – 8.5

I feel like he’s the male equivalent of Susan Boyle. But he’s better with this song than she was. He’s really loud and has amazing vibrato. A great voice. This is certainly not a relaxing version. I love the building notes and abrupt stop of background music there towards the end!

Favorite:

Oh dear. I have to choose one. I had several version that I really liked! But I think. Having listened to several again. That Il Volo really does deserve their 9.5 and they win! Close runners up include Celtic Woman (who was winning until Il Volo came along) and Scotty McCreery.

Your thoughts:

Did I mention your favorite version? If not, what version do you love and do I need to listen to it? And if so, which is your favorite?

The Christmas Song Comparisons

Last year, on each Saturday before Christmas in December, I did Christmas music comparisons – one song, several versions, and chose my favorite. It was a lot of fun, and I loved doing it, so I’m doing it again this year with four different songs! Here we go with the first song. :)

Frank Sinatra – 8.5

 

Quite an old-style version of this song, naturally. Almost in a style like a musical. Sinatra has great vibrato, and is very melodic. And the background choir – that’s what makes it old-style. Loved the touch of “Jingle Bells” melody. The choir was a neat touch! This one is relaxing.

Andrea Bocelli – 8.5

Sung with Natalie Cole. She has a really throaty voice for a woman. Bocelli’s voice is smooth and luscious though! I quite disliked Cole on here though. It’s got a very steady beat. I like the variations and I really like the ending. It’s slow. I gave it an 8.5 because of the gal, which I dislike.

Celtic Woman – 9

Such clear voices! A piano background, very lovely. Their voices are smiling and sound happy which I love! A very smooth and flowing song. I like the high parts – sparkling and lovely! Beautiful variation.

Blake Shelton – 9

A rather different beginning from most versions! Blake’s voice is quite similar to Bocelli’s, but with a country accent. A steady slow beat, and a classic feel. It’s a very peaceful and soothing song, especially during the music interlude.

Scotty McCreery – 9.5

Finally, a version that doesn’t have a piano background, but instead, guitar! I really liked that. Scotty has such a smooth and satiny voice, young, and I love it. Definitely easy to listen to. I love the tempo. Not a huge fan of the ending high note, but all in all? I love this version. A Western feel!

Katherine Jenkins – 9

As usual, a soaring and lovely voice! Again, I must use the word smooth and say her version is smoothly gliding. And her vibrato is great. I love the background music, and I love her soprano part as well!

Favorite:

Scotty McCreery wins. I love his version a lot. It’s absolutely wonderful.

Your thoughts:

Did I mention your favorite version? If not, what version do you love and do I need to listen to it? And if so, which is your favorite?

A Light in the Window

Author: Julie Lessman

Genre: Romance, Christmas

Series: It’s the prequel to the Daughters of Boston and Winds of Change series’

My rating on a 1-10 scale: 9.5

Type: Fiction

Number of pages: 407

Time period: 1920s

Publisher: Revell

My overall opinion: What a lovely read this book was! I enjoyed it so very much – delightful to get back into a Julie Lessman book after quite some time without. Before I continue, I should mention that Julie writes fairly passionate romance, compared to what most Christian romance is. There’s nothing explicit, but it’s more passionate than most that I read. The characters are wonderful. The hero, Patrick, was to die for, and the heroine, Marcy, was adorable. I loved them all! The locations, set in the 1920s, are well-drawn and I had no problem picturing them clearly. There are a few funny scenes (always a bonus in almost any book), and many sweet ones – Julie writes those with great skill. Again, the people are the best part of it! This was a wonderful book that I greatly enjoyed.

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas Comparisons

Our last song comparison for this year...enjoy it! And don't forget to comment! Merry Christmas!

Bing Crosby -- 8 high

Amazingly rich voice. More American than Andrea Bocelli, but they're vaguely similar. Clear words. And it's beautiful, really! Cheerful but calm. Steady.

Frank Sinatra -- 8.5

He croons it. Slow and satiny. Amazing and a highly enjoyable voice. Repetitive, nicely. He does well with the tenor too. Calm and smooth. Like it!

Judy Garland -- 8

The original! It has uneven timing (which I'm not used to which is weird since this started it all). But Judy has really amazing vibrato and quite a deep voice. It's a short song here. She is so young for that voice! Neat timing though. :)

Amy Grant -- 8 high

Quiet and low and quite gentle. Almost soothing. She's not a show off here! Also quite short, but easy to listen to. It'll put you to sleep if you're tired!

Katherine Jenkins -- 8

{{no video, the CD is too new}}

Katherine has a beautiful voice, but this isn't meant to be an operatic song. Her voice soars in a lovely manner, but it's not right for this song. Great job/voice, wrong style. Nice variations too.

Michael Buble -- 8

Perfect style -- rhythmic and smooth. Done in a gentle way for Michael. And not really un-traditional at all either, which is nice. Good.

Celtic Woman -- 8.5

Beautiful harmony! No instruments for the first half or so. One word? Lovely. It's absolutely flawless -- doesn't get much better! Delightful!

Favorite:

Frank Sinatra won. Though Celtic Woman is a close second! But honestly, Frank is great here. :)

Your thoughts:

What's your favorite? Have you seen Judy Garland sing the original in Meet Me in St. Louis? Comment! And Merry Christmas!

First Noel Comparisons

When I decided to do song comparisons, I knew I'd have to do this one this year...it's always been a favorite of mine, and "Noelle" is actually my middle name! And after hearing my favorite version...well, I couldn't leave it out. This song. Or that version. Here we go!

Susan Boyle -- 8.5 high

Strange timing, but not discordant. Overall: peaceful. And calming. Satiny. I like it!

Scotty McCreery -- 9.5

Anyone wanna guess what my favorite was? ;) This guy has Josh Turner's voice. Love it! Guitar and string instruments accompany him. It's a country Christmas! The words are clear...it's truly lovely.

Bob Dylan -- 7

I didn't know what to expect when I downloaded this...and I'm still recovering, a week later. His voice is very raspy, it sounds painful! The harmony is weird; the voice, annoying. I think his voice and the way he groans and rasps, would be appropriate for a drinking song. But not this one. If I was a wiseman, I'd be offended. :P

Josh Groban and Faith Hill -- 8.5

A huge relief to the ears after Bob Dylan! Their voices complement each other in a lovely manner, and it's so smooth! Josh sings the melody and Faith accompanies most of the time. Pleasant. And they do sing out! But very nicely, unlike SOME versions.

Favorite:

Scotty McCreery all the way. So beautiful! I loved it and am still loving it!

Your thoughts:

What's your favorite version? Did I get it on this list? :)

CD: My Christmas

Singer: Andrea Bocelli

My rating on a 1-10 scale: 8.5

Type of music: Operatic

List of songs: 

1. White Christmas
2. Angels We Have Heard on High
3. Santa Clause is Coming to Town
4. Christmas Song
5. Lord’s Prayer
6. What Child is This?
7. Adeste Fideles (O Come All Ye Faithful)
8. O Tannenbaum
9. Jingle Bells
10. Silent Night
11. Blue Christmas
12. Cantique de Noel (O Holy Night)
13. Caro Gesu’ Bambino
14. I Believe (with Katherine Jenkins)
15. God Bless Us Everyone

My overall opinion:  My favorites are White Christmas, Santa Claus is Coming to Town, Blue Christmas, O Holy Night, and I Believe. Blue Christmas is slow and calm, but I don’t really like the woman’s voice. Nonetheless, a wonderful song. Santa Claus is fun a bouncy…Christmas Song is okay. As you may remember from earlier, O Tannenbaum is a song that I don’t really like, and the way Andrea Bocelli is a little weird, especially the timing. The same (timing wise) goes for What Child is This. O Come All Ye Faithful is beautiful. Jingle Bells is okay, but try not to listen too closely – having the Muppets on that one is annoying. I never noticed HOW annoying until I listened to the song and really listened close instead of just playing the song in the background. I didn’t like it up close…but it’s okay with a little distance, if that makes any sense. I Believe is lovely, and God Bless Us Everyone is a perfect wrap-up for the album. Great CD!

CD: This is Christmas

 

Singer: Katherine Jenkins

My rating on a 1-10 scale: 9

Type of music: Operatic (lovely!)

List of songs: 

1. O Come, O Come Emmanuel
2. In Dulci Jubilo
3. Away in a Manger
4. The Christmas Song (Chesnuts)
5. Santa Baby
6. Deck the Halls
7. Sleep Quietly, My Jesus
8. I Wish You Christmas
9. Hark the Herald Angels Sing
10. Come What May (with Placido Domingo)

My overall opinion: I had high hopes when I ordered this CD, and they were not disappointed! It's beautiful and touching and perfect for Christmas. My absolute favorites would have to be "O Come, O Come Emmanuel," "The Christmas Song," and "Deck the Halls." With the first being the absolute best of them all.

I love "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" and it may end up being my favorite song (and this my favorite singer/song) of the Christmas season! It's so beautiful that when she reached the chorus (the most amazing part) I got goose-bumps! If you don't get the CD, at least get the Mp3 of this song. As to "The Christmas Song" (Chestnuts roasting)...I just really like that song and she does a great job. And "Deck the Halls" can hardly fail to make you smile -- Katherine Jenkins really flies through it, in an articulate and crisp and dazzling manner.

Track 5, "Santa Baby," is done nicely, but I didn't enjoy it as much. I think it's because it felt out of character, especially after "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel." She does sing it very expressively -- rather cool. And Track 10, "Come What May" with Placido Domingo, didn't really strike me as Christmasy. Not that it isn't beautiful! But it is more a love song than a Christmas song. Rather operatic romance.

If you've enjoyed other Katherine Jenkins' CDs, you'll love this one! I highly recommend it. It's just over 30 minutes long, so its easy to listen to multiple times!

Guest Post by Miss Laurie: The Hands That Created The World

The Hands That Created The World
Christmas CD by Buddy David

Singer: Gifted by God in many ways, Buddy Davis is a speaker and singer/songwriter for Answers in Genesis (AiG). He is an adventurer and paleo-artist (his sculpted dinosaurs are featured at AiG's Creation Museum), and he leads the very popular “Creation Adventure” children’s workshop at AiG conferences. Buddy plays many acoustic instruments, and his music is enjoyed around the world.

Track Listing:
1. The Hands That Created The World - original song
2. Little Drummer Boy
3. We Three Kings
4. Go Tell It On The Mountain
5. What Child Is This
6. Joy To The World
7. Hark The Herald Angels Sing
8. They Heard The Good News First - original song
9. Away In The Manger
10. Oh Beautiful, Star Of Bethlehem
11. Angels We Have Heard On High


My Thoughts: My family and I have enjoyed Buddy Davis' music, especially his Bible based original songs, for many years and since my dad works for Answers in Genesis now we've had the privileged of meeting Buddy and his wife. His music style might be called a tad country or bluegrass, especially on tracks like Go Tell It On The Mountain, Joy To The World and They Heard The Good News First where mouth harp and guitar picking are featured. There are two instrumental tracks - Joy To The World and  Angels We Have Heard On High - which have a fun but relaxing sound. The two original songs on this CD contain truths that come straight from the Biblical account of the Christmas story and proclaim God's word and proclaim Christ very clearly as Creator and Lord. I gave this CD to my mom at the beginning of December and my family has already listened to it several times!

The Hands That Created The World by Buddy Davis

My Favorite Song: Buddy Davis' original song The Hands That Created The World (listen to song above  gives the story of Christ's birth and explains who He was and why He came to earth - Creator, Lamb of God and Savior. The melody is gentle and rather like a lullaby.  I also really like Oh Beautiful Star Of Bethlehem (listen to The Judds' version here) which is a newer Christmas song (compared to most of the carols) that has been covered by many gospel music singers.

I highly recommend this Christmas CD by Buddy Davis and think it will become as much a classic for your family as it has for mine. This CD is available for purchase at the Answers in Genesis online store and you can also listen to clips of all the songs there.

 Miss Laurie is a 20-something modern day girl who loves old-fashioned things and strives to live every day for the Lord Jesus Christ. Her blog Old-Fashioned Charm is dedicated to sharing her love of Jane Austen, period costume dramas, classic literature and everything old-fashioned. 

CD: Christmas with Scotty McCreery

 

Singer: Scotty McCreery

My rating on a 1-10 scale: 9

Type of music: Country! :)

List of songs: 

1. Let It Snow
2. First Noel
3. Jingle Bells
4. Holly Jolly Christmas
5. Winter Wonderland
6. Christmas in Heaven
7. Mary Did You Know?
8. Christmas Comin’ Round Again
9. O Holy Night
10. The Christmas Song (Chesnuts)
11. Santa Claus is Back in Town 

My overall opinion: My favorites were Let It Snow, First Noel, Holly Jolly Christmas, Christmas in Heaven, Christmas Song. And yes. That’s half the CD. I really like it! First Noel wins the prize for absolute top favorite…Noelle is actually my middle name! I LOVE Scotty’s voice on that one! There is really a wide variety of songs, and to some extent, styles in this album. Christmas Song was quite slow and peaceful, and Jingle Bells…another interesting variation! It amuses me how each artist does that one so differently. I didn’t like Mary Did You Know? so much, but that’s more because I don’t really like the song than from the way he did it. Because he does it nicely. Christmas in Heaven is a close second to First Noel, and the words are very interesting… “And I wonder…is the snow fallin’ down on the streets of gold? Are the mansions all covered in white? …..I wonder what Christmas in Heaven is like.” I’d never thought about that before – had you? Finally, Santa Claus is Back in Town has a fun style, and is a great wrap-up. All around, a CD worth buying!

White Christmas Comparisons

I had a lot of fun comparing all these versions of White Christmas! Good song. :) Here we go! Oh, first? This was the hardest song to choose a favorite. Out of all four I'm comparing this month!

Celtic Woman -- 8.5

Beautiful. Fairly basic (love that video tho). Quite soprano, but certainly not unpleasant. There's some lovely harmonizing! Splendid! 

Il Divo -- 8.5

Varying male voices, extremely pleasant. Excellent vibrato on some parts! Some in Latin? Or probably Italian? I don't know. But either way...it's stunning. 

 Michael Buble -- 8.5 high

Sung with Shania Twain. It has a very methodical background beat with no tune. It's certainly not traditional, but it's memorable. One word to describe? Catchy. :) Fun and steady. I discovered on listening to Elvis' that it's almost an exact copy, with just a few changes!

Andrea Bocelli -- 8.5

Note that this is my fourth 8.5...and there are more to come! He calls it White Christmas/Bianco Natale. Some of it's in Italian? I think. It's rich and flowing, mostly deep and quite stirring. Lovely. Great  voice, and an octave below Michael Buble's.

Bing Crosby -- 8.5

See, I love all these 8.5 versions and can't rank them lower! Bing Crosby's feels very old-style -- that's how I'd describe it. But not less delightful! I like his voice -- hadn't heard it before. It's a slow song. And oh! The whistling and humming! Very good.

Elvis -- 8

Before you condemn me, note that this is my very first Elvis song ever. Except for Just Do It which I did hear once...or was the Michael Jackson's? ANYWAY. I don't usually listen to Elvis. But here, I liked it...he has a voice like Michael Buble, but his pronounciation of the words seemed sloppy. It's basic, and you'll want to sway with it. Interesting variations.

Ella Fitzgerald -- 8

Slightly rough voice, mostly pleasant and okay though. Some good vibrato. A deep voice for a woman, seemed to me. Usually it would be easy to sing along with as far as rhythm. Easy listening.

Favorite:

In the end, Michael Buble's won as my all-time favorite version of White Christmas. But Bing Crosby was a close second!

Your opinion:

What is your favorite, and what versions did I miss? :)