Most helpful customer reviews
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Surprisingly good update of the King's Christmas music, Feb 7 2009
The track listing for Elvis's Christmas Duets cd (Canadian version):
1. Blue Christmas with Martina McBride
2. I'll Be Home For Christmas with Carrie Underwood
3. Here Comes Santa Claus (Right Down Santa Claus Lane) with LeAnn Rimes
4. Santa Claus Is Back In Town with Wynonna Judd
5. Silent Night with Sara Evans
6. White Christmas with Amy Grant
7. Merry Christmas Baby with Gretchen Wilson
8. O Little Town Of Bethlehem with Karen Fairchild and Kimberly Schlapman of Little Big Town
9. Silver Bells with Anne Murray
10. O Come, All Ye Faithful with Olivia Newton-John
11. On A Snowy Christmas Night with Renée Martel
12. The First Noel (2008) Elvis Presley
13. If I Get Home On Christmas Day (2008) Elvis Presley
14. Winter Wonderland (2008) Elvis Presley
At first glance, this collection does appear to be a blatant cash-in on the King's classic Christmas music. Since his Christmas albums have been repackaged every which way possible, the next step would be to re-record his music, as done here as duets with contemporary female country singers. While the music could have been remixed to fit the style of the day (like the dance mixes of A Little Less Conversation and Rubberneckin' a few years back) it's instead stuck to the sound of the originals, tastefully done and even having some of the original musicians participating in the reproductions.
As for the duet partners, it's a bit hit-and-miss, as some shine better than others. The duets with Martina McBride, LeAnn Rimes and Wynonna Judd are probably the best ones, showcasing their personalities well with Elvis and sounding like a more natural duet. Carrie Underwood and Sara Evans bring a good vocal as well, showing their range without getting too carried away. Gretchen Wilson can do a fine bluesy performance, although it doesn't really show on her song; she comes across as more of a backup singer than a duet partner. Surprisingly the weakest duets come from the veterans, as Anne Murray sounds a bit forced, while Olivia Newton-John & Amy Grant seem to disappear beside Elvis' voice. The solo remixes that finish out the cd are nicely done, perhaps unnecessary but it's interesting to hear what an Elvis Christmas song might sound like had it been recorded in 2008.
Overall the cd won't replace your original Elvis Christmas albums, and it's debatable whether Elvis would have even wanted a collection like this released, but it makes for a refreshing change-of-pace when you're in the mood for some Elvis Christmas music come holiday time.
Note: Check out Youtube for a well-made video of Elvis and Martina McBride singing Blue Christmas.
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0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
elvis titleswith dubbed duets, Feb 21 2009
the cd i guess is ok but not nearly what i would call
above average if i dident read the title i wouldent know
who was singing
skeesix
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2 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Where's Ann-Margret?, Nov 29 2008
I was really looking forward to hearing this cd and in all fairness it is not bad, nor is it all good. This project was fairly ambitious and most of the artists do a fairly good job but how many versions of traditional Christmas songs can one ingest before they overload on sugar and banality? The talent of Elvis Presley is undeniable. He is the King. Wynonna Judd's contribution to "Santa Claus is Back in Town" was the song I was looking forward to hearing and it does not let the listener down. Their voices blend beautifully.
I didn't know what to expect when I saw Gretchen Wilson listed as a contributing artist but I remained open minded. I am glad I did. Her contributing vocals on Merry Christmas Baby are smoking hot! This woman has the pipes and this track by far is the best of the lot.
If I Get Home For Christmas is also very good, but what is missing from this CD, and what would have made it burn hot like the Santa Anna winds, would have been a duet with his former Viva Las Vegas co-star Ann-Margret. Their chemistry on and off screen is the stuff romance and legend are made of. The kitten may have gotten older, but like a good fine wine, her vocals have improved with age too. Her most recent recorded CD God is Love - The Gospel Sessions netted her the highest award nomination for Gospel music, the Dove award, and a Grammy nomination as well.
He and AM remained friends for the rest of their lives and he did send flowers to her in the shape of a guitar for every opening of every stage performance she did, up until the day he died. AM could have exploited her relationship with Elvis for her own good like some of his other co-stars had done, but she never has. The fans would have loved it and the "reunion" would have been sizzling! A video With the King and Queen of Las Vegas in the style of the American Idol Celine?Elvis Duet could have been a huge worldwide phenomena and perhaps it still might happen.
There may still hard feelings from Priscilla towards AM, but let them go girl. It's so 80's. You moved on and so did he.
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~ Faith Hill
~ Anne Murray
~ George Strait
~ Harry Jr. Connick
~ Elvis Presley
