Christmasville
Mannheim Steamroller
Commissioned by Universal Theme Parks the main selling point of this new disc from Chip Davis, and his Mannheim Steamroller empire, is the presence of vocals on most of the tracks. As with all Mannheim Steamroller efforts Christmasville is a pleasant, if brief at 31 minutes, holiday listening experience but I'm not sure the generic vocal performances are an improvement on the usual formula. Perhaps if I'd seen the show the music's been written for it would click with me more.
Joy to the World
Faith Hill
Country superstar Faith Hill's seasonal gift is a little bit country but only a little bit, it's also a little bit jazzy, a little bit soulful and a surprisingly well rounded effort that will probably find it's way into my holiday listening a lot more than I would have at first expected.
