Barenaked For The Holidays - Barenaked Ladies > Reviews > Lets all get naked... and covered in snow!!!!

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Definitely a cut above the rest
Lyrics	Thought-provoking
Quality and consistency of tracks	A couple of weak links
How does it compare to the artist's other releases	Good
Value for Money	Good

Advantages:	Its a holiday album .  .  .  Its the ladies .  .  .  what more do you want?
Disadvantages:	Some people might not expect the Hanukkah songs

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Okay, so I should really have written this review somwhere around December, but damn it Christmas is in the heart of every child (and every man who refuses to grow up... so pretty much all men).

This album arrived on our shores quietly, much as all Barenaked Ladies albums do, but for most BNL fans it was wildly awaited.

The Ladies manage to capture their playful and melancholy spirit on this album even when simply recording family favourites and new festive tune for their own amusement it seems.

Carrying a mixture of acoustic, traditional and contemporary takes on the Christmas experience, they cram a huge 20 tracks onto one disc.

The album cover cheerfully recreates those old style vinyl LP's of old with appropriate image of a festive bauble, track listing and title on front cover. The sleeve itself has only credits and a montage of photos taken during the recording at Fresh Baked Woods (Steve Paige's home studio). Those who feel cheated by not having sing along lyrics can rest happy in the knowledge that the majority of the album is faithful old standards, and failing that you can download a copy of the lyric book from BNL's webpage (for free).

The album itself is great, although as BNL albums go it is nothing more than a great background soundtrack to your Christmas partying. But isn't that what all Christmas album should be?

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The tracks break down as follows

1. Jingle Bells (traditional)
2. Green Christmas (BNL - The Grinch soundtrack)
3. I Saw Three Ships (traditional)
4. Hanukkah Blessings (surprisingly Steven Page of BNL)
5. O Holy Night (traditional)
6. Elf's Lament (BNL - features Michael Bubble)
7. Snowman (BNL)
8. Do They Know It's Christmas? (Ure / Geldof)
9. Hanukkah, Oh Hanukkah (traditional)
10. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen / We Three Kings (traditional - accompanied by Sarah McLauchlin)
11. Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer (traditional)
12. Carol of the Bells (traditional)
13. Footprints (BNL)
14. Deck the Stills (BNL)
15. Christmastime (oh Yeah) (BNL)
16. Sleigh Ride (traditional)
17. Christmas Pics (BNL)
18. I Have a Little Dredel (traditional)
19. Wonderful Christmastime (McCartney)
20. Auld Lang Syne (traditional)

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Of these tracks acoustic versions (played the Ladies own inimitable style) are

O Holy Night and Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer - both proving to be fabulously cheesy Hammond Organ renditions.

Carol of the Bells - a strange almost Jean Michel Jarre rendition of the eerie tune.

Sleigh Ride - consists of the band (accompanied only by bells and a high hat set) singing bah-dah-da to the familiar tune.

Wonderful Christmastime - Hammond is back, but this time ending with a rendition of Happy Birthday...

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Of the rest of the tracks a lot are stand out tunes.

They even manage to instill new life into "Jingle Bells". It begins as a slow piano lament, almost as if the whole affair brings back some painful memories, and a beautiful paino and cello break turns into... well that would spoil it. Lets just say it is fabulous.

Green Christmas is a strange song, but not unsurpising considering it was written for "The Grinch".

I Saw Three Ships is beautifully unplugged and features a fabulous mandolin melody throughout.

Elf's Lament is a great song all about the dismay of an elf who is unhappy with his lot in life... he wants to put forward new ideas and move up in the world. Really catchy and Michael Bubble adds to the proceedings.

Snowman (written by Ed Robertson) is a lyrical contemplation of the life of a snowman, and his seperation from the joys of Christmas and the people who surround him.

The classic (?) Band Aid hit is a slightly disappointing addiion to the album, but then I never did like the song. Written by Midge Ure in ten minutes, so the story goes... it always did show.

The band go for a more traditional spin on "...O Hanukkah". It just makes it all the more fun, with a real gypsy/eastern european feel to the track.

"God Rest Ye..." is a jazz rendition of the two classic tunes with a real modern up tempo spirit to it. Sarah McLauchlin might not be familiar to many, but her fabulously crystal toned voice adds to the harmonies of the Ladies.

"Footprints" is a particular favourite and, although written again by Ed Robertson, it sounds so familiar in an old style country song kind of way. It has my favourite lyric

"I followed footprints in the snow,
Never knowing if I was right behind you,
Looking down no one would know
I wasn't walking hand in hand beside you"

A song beautiful in it's frozen pain.

Deck the Stills... How do you describe this? Well, it's a verse Deck the Halls with only the phrase "Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young as the lyric". And it is hilarious.

Kevin Hearne, who wrote Christmastime, Oh Yeah, injects a strange innocence into the song about suburban christmas.

Christmas Pics is Jim Creegan's entry into the album as singer and writer. It describes the typical family Christmas gathering (arguments, organisation, fear of santa) and all captured by the click of the camera. A sing jazz feel gives it a feel of time and place.

"I Have a Little Dredel" will be familiar to anybody who has watched South Park... although it doesn't feature Cartman's manic anti-semetic additions.

Its back to the somber, almost embittered, style of Jingle Bells for the final "Auld Lang Syne". Bursting into emotional force on the chorus, it is a great finish to what could turn out to be classic Festive album.

The album is available from most online stores, for a reasonable price, and is a great addition tro any BNL collection or alteratively as an addition to anybody's Christmas musc collection.

I don't have one...

Honest...

Leave me alone.