Arkenstone is a one man new age music industry who has already released an impressive library of holiday themed albums. However prolific, Arkenstone's seasional releases have been something of a mixed bag over the years and 2008's Christmas Lounge was a soperific effort that has rested near the bottom of my Christmas CD collection since I originally reviewed it.
Fortunately Visions of Christmas is a far superior effort in every respect. However, it also fades instantly into the background as you listen - the songs may not be purely generic but not even one stands out as particularly memorable. The production and arrangements are all high quality and. I can easily see putting this on in the background throughout the holiday season. The songs may not stand out individually but sometimes unobtrusive high quality background music is exactly what your'e looking for to set a festive mood and that's where David Arkenstone's Visions of Christmas shines.
Songs I actually sort of remember after listing to the album a half dozen times this week - Bottom of the Punch Bowl, The Holly and the Ivy and, um ... did I already mention Bottom of the Punch Bowl ? Anyway, while I may not be able to recall many individual tunes, I did play the entire CD quite a few times and never found it unwelcome or tedious.
3.25 cups of punch out of 5
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