Jose Carreras – Merry Christmas (1985)

1.Stille Nacht - Silent Night
2.O Holy Night - Cantique De Noel
3.Guten Abend, Gute Nacht
4.Ave Verum
5.Ave Maria
6.Joy To The World - El Cant Tels Ocells - Mary's Boy Child
7.Adest Fideles
8.Mille Cherubini
9.While Christmas
10.Jingle Bells
11.It's Christmas Time This Year
12.Navidad

José Carreras – Vocals
Kiennast – Keyboards
Choir [Members Of] Vienna State Opera

It's not easy getting hold of this cd, but if you happen to find it somewhere hold on to it with your life!!! I just received the cd in the mail today after waiting for 3 months, but I can tell you it was more than worth the wait. And now I'm looking forward till Christmas when this cd no doubt will be played 24/7. I've already played it a dozen times even if Christmas is still another 3 months away and I've managed to pick some favourites.

In my opinion this is a "well balanced" Christmas album with traditional songs as well as those more popular. Of course, it is a matter of taste, but I'm just so fed up of those Christmas songs I heard another reviewer refer to as "Grandma-got-run-over-by-a-reindeer" type of songs and I was looking for an album that could bring forth that long lost Christmas spirit. And now I've found it. Thank you, Josep.

It was recorded in 1985/-86 and José's voice sounds heavenly, rich and honeyed with a wonderful ringing top. I can also add warm and sensual and spine-tingling! (The more reviews I'm writing the harder it gets describing his voice without repeating myself.) In my opinion some of the finest tracks on this disc are "Ave Maria", "Mille Cherubini", "Once again it's Christmas time" and "Navidad".

"Mille Cherubini" is sung with all the ardour and passion we're so used to coming from him and I think it's his finest rendition of this song ever. The same goes for "Ave Maria". "Navidad" is a really beautiful Spanish song. It's obvious that he feels at home in songs like this. No one sings Spanish like Carreras and it doesn't matter that I don't understand what he's singing. He's still giving me goose-flesh all over....

I suspect that this album will not be a Christmas album only. I don't think I have the willpower to let the album sit in the shelf for 11 months a year. My neighbours will probably think I've gone ga-ga when they hear "once again it's Christmas time this year" or "Jingle Bells" in September or July, but who cares? Merry Christmas Josep! ---PhantomOfTheOpera, amazon.com

download (mp3 @320 kbs):

yandex 4shared mega mediafire cloudmailru uplea ge.tt

back