Diana Krall Christmas Songs | 
| Artists: Diana Krall, Clayton-hamilton Jazz Orchestra
Label: Verve
Category: Music
List Price: $18.98
Buy New: $7.95
You Save: $11.03 (58%)
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Rating:  124 reviews
Sales Rank: 773
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.1
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 4.9 x 0.4
MPN: 000471702
UPC: 602498821213
EAN: 0602498821213
ASIN: B000B7BRMM
Release Date: November 1, 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Ready to ship, great condition, CD in excellent condition!
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| Tracks:
| • | Jingle Bells - Diana Krall, Pierpont, James | | • | Let It Snow - Diana Krall, Styne, Jule | | • | The Christmas Song - Diana Krall, Torme, Mel | | • | Winter Wonderland - Diana Krall, Bernard, Felix | | • | I'll Be Home For Christmas | | • | Christmas Time Is Here - Diana Krall, Guaraldi, Vince | | • | Santa Claus Is Coming to Town - Diana Krall, Coots, J. Fred | | • | Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas - Diana Krall, Blane, Ralph | | • | White Christmas - Diana Krall, Berlin, Irving | | • | What Are You Doing New Year's Eve - Diana Krall, Loesser, Frank | | • | Sleigh Ride - Diana Krall, Anderson, Leroy | | • | Count Your Blessings Instead Of Sheep |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
As the song goes, "Merry Christmas" has already "been said many times, many ways." Diana Krall's Christmas Songs is a worthy--though not particularly unique--addition to the holiday catalog. On it, she excels with an approach mastered long ago: elegant delivery that gives extra polish to a very familiar lineup. Some might find her style frosty at times, but that will come as a relief to those who want their carolers to cut through some of the holiday treacle and create a festive, yet grown-up vibe. And Krall does show off her playful side with little, personal touches. In "Winter Wonderland" she promises to "frolic and play the Canadian way," which should draw smiles from her native land. (That'll mean toasting the holiday with Molson, eh?) Elsewhere, she ends "Jingle Bells" with the girlishly giddy statement, "I'm just crazy about horses." Well…can't argue with that. --Leah Weathersby
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| Customer Reviews: Read 119 more reviews...
 Give Yourself a Merry Little Christmas ... drop this CD in the shopping cart! November 2, 2005
J. Lund (SoCal, USA)
124 out of 132 found this review helpful
Various Holiday-themed Diana Krall tracks have popped up over the years, but CHRISTMAS SONGS is her first full-length Christmas album. In recent years Diana has not rested on her laurels, musically-speaking. Some such as myself have thought highly of her later albums, while others missed her earlier forays into pop/jazz standards.
CHRISTMAS SONGS should appeal to those on both sides of the fence, and will likely reach out to many newcomers as well. The sense of effervescent, swinging fun that marked portions of her earlier albums is back on a number of tracks ("Santa Claus Is Coming To Town," "Jingle Bells," etc.). Meanwhile, those of us who feel she's emotively-deepened as a vocalist in the last few years will find ample evidence of that too, particularly on the ballads ("I'll Be Home For Christmas," "White Christmas," etc.). Diana's accompiament also tries something new (for her): there's a tasty, compatible big-band on many tracks (courtesy of the Clayton/Hamilton Jazz Orchestra). In addition, several ballads have string-dominated orchestrations (somewhat similar to those on THE LOOK OF LOVE).
Quite unusual for contemporary holiday albums is the lack of any attempts to write a new classic; there are no Krall-penned tunes here. Most of the songs are among the holiday season's most oft-heard classics, but Diana's voice brings a fresh touch to them. At times she effectively breaks out into scatting, and frequently tweaks the melodies to just the right extent as one would expect of a jazz singer. Of course, her piano moves into the foreground at times as well. Most if not all fans of Diana's late-1990s albums will be satisfied with this album from beginning to end, as will many who favor the recent discs. It's safe to say that CHRISTMAS SONGS will prove to stand the test of time and become a classic seasonal album.
Jazzy Christmas Songs November 1, 2005
Thomas Magnum (NJ, USA)
58 out of 69 found this review helpful
Diana Krall's first full length Christmas collection is another typical posh and elegant recording from the great jazz vocalist. Backed by the marvelous Clayton-Hamilton Orchestra, Ms. Krall offers up twelve well-crafted, immaculately arranged and produced songs. The arrangements stick to the traditional but Ms. Krall's smoky vocals set the right mood for a romantic holiday party or dinner. Serve up the eggnog and let it snow.
Have yourself a Merry Jazzy Christmas with Diana Krall March 26, 2006
Bachelier (Ile de France)
28 out of 29 found this review helpful
Diana Krall can't win. Among jazz snobs she's criticized more for her cool blond looks than her musicianship, and now jazz ideologues deprecate her work because she released a Christmas album. But her stunning beauty aside, if you were blind and an honest critic you'd be charmed and intrigued by her distinctive time signatures and in love with her voice. Diana Krall's musicianship and vocal styling just gets better with each successive release, and this album is no exception.
As far as the diminution of her seriousness as a jazz artist because of releasing a Christmas album, here follows a partial list of jazz greats who have done the same thing: Nat Cole, Perry Como, Frank Sinatra, Mel Torme, Dinah Washington and Ella Fitzgerald. Those aren't good enough for you? Too "pop stylist" and not enough "jazz purist?" Okay, try on this list of jazz god-artists who also have released Christmas songs: Oscar Peterson, Ramsey Lewis, Louis Armstrong, Shirley Horn, Jimmy Smith, Bill Evans, and yes (jazz ultra-snobs begin eating ordure now) even John Coultrane ("Greensleeves").
And so Verve wisely got Krall to pick the most overdone of Christmas songs that have been covered to death by thousands of others and see what she could do. The answer is that this album is excellent, brilliant, harmless, and fun that only a Jazz Grinch couldn't love. Tommy LiPuma and Diana Krall's production is stunning, and John Clayton's arrangements and the Clayton/Hamilton orchestra's execution is flawless.
You'd think it would be hard to make "Jingle Bells" sound new, but Krall succeeds and makes a song I hate enjoyable. Her take on "I'll Be Home for Christmas" invokes memories more black and white than snow and evergreen, and with the length of her notes and excellent phrasing and sustain invokes the aching futility at the root of the song in a way not heard since World War II. Only one other artist tops Krall's excellent jazz version of "Santa Claus is Coming to Town," and that artist works in the genre of rock and his name is Bruce Springsteen.
Other selections are equally delightful, and the musicianship throughout is superb. This is an unapologetically excellent album for any jazz fan, and deserves heavy rotation at Christmas gatherings or just for yourself by the fire. If any of your Christmas guests is rude enough to says otherwise, keep a lump of coal handy and whip out Coultrane's "Greensleeves" for a pause to have them put a stocking in it, then follow it up with Krall's "Let it Snow" to keep the Christmas spirit in full 4/4 time.
Swinging Sexy Chrismas!!! November 3, 2005
Robert W. Epler (Ozark, MO)
26 out of 35 found this review helpful
For all of you that have problems with the sexy marketing of Diana, I think it would be best to simply lighten up and celebrate the wonderful festive music on the CD. Do the sexy poses really take anything away from the great music? And it's not like this is anything new. Check out the Julie London record covers from 50 years ago. Let the girl be glamorous and let the music speak for itself. And the music is swinging!! Man, I can hardly sit still during the fast paced numbers and the slow ones are "sitting by the fire with your sweetheart" kind of music. I do wish there was at least one song that refered to the reason for the season but you can't have everything. "Count your Blessings" is a nice treat at the end of the album and nicely captures the reflections, hopes and dreams of the season. Buy this. You won't be sorry. Maybe some of you could just put a plain brown wrap around the cover and dig the music. As for me, I really don't mind looking at a pretty girl in a christmas dress.
What's With the Photo? Come on, Diana, Hire Some New Image People. November 2, 2005
Andrew H. Billmann (Mc Farland, WI United States)
24 out of 62 found this review helpful
While the Christmas music on this album is certainly representative of Diana Krall's considerable talent and masterful interpretations, I just can't get past the cover image.
Come on, Diana: It's a CHRISTMAS album! What's with the legs spread, high heels, head thrown back? Hey, if this album was called, "Love After Midnight" or "Exotic Standards" or "I Just Did Four Guys and I'm Exhausted," believe me, I'd be all over it. But it's a CHRISTMAS album. I've seen you perform, and the discrepency between your real personality and what's portrayed on your albums is pretty striking. I know you're not that full of yourself, and I know you're mostly about the music. Hey... give us a wink or a sexy smile here or there, but leave it at that.
I'm a huge Diana fan, and I'm well aware that most of her criticisms (even from her peers) come from those who believe a serious jazz talent can't have the combination of skills AND good looks. How wrong. To me, though, it seems like Diana's PR people are focusing on the latter. Worse, they're trying WAY too hard. It's hard to figure out how her music is complemented by these cheesy covers.
Please start over. Go back to classic, understated and refined--the sexy diva aspects of Diana Krall will come naturally.
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