The Great Christmas Record Odyssey, Ep. XXII

Time again for some Holiday jam analysis. . .

Album Title:  What if Mozart Wrote 'Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas?'

Album Artist:  The Hampton String Quartet

I found this at a local Salvation Army over the summer (check out the 99-cent sticker on the front), and felt this would make an interesting addition to my Holiday music section.  After all, I'm a sucker for Classical music, and it's not something one usually hears in the Christmas genre.  I was intrigued.

And it was a frickin' buck.

So, upon finally giving it a listen, I realized that this ended up being one of those records that sounds exactly how you'd expect it to.  I know that's not the norm with this here Christmas Record Odyssey of mine, but that's what we have here:  it's a compilation of Christmas songs all arranged to sound like classical music.  That's it.

Take that for what it's worth, folks.  Does it work?  Sometimes.  I guess.

It's weird, seeing how big a fan I am of both genres, but, then again, we all remember rap rock, don't we. . .

Hey look - it's Wolverine from the X-Men

So what's the problem with this?  Well. . . I'm not really sure.  There's no single blaring problem with it, it just never finds its footing.  All the components of awesome are there, surely, it just doesn't drive it home.  I should point out that this isn't a full-orchestral album:  this is a string quartet, which is fine and all, but with a quartet you're never going to reach those staggering highs and crushing lows of a full symphonic ensemble.  No, this feels like you're walking through an upscale luxury hotel - or a bank - sometime in mid-December.  There's a lot of rich people in drab overcoats walking to and fro.  And there's probably a fountain.  And there's four dudes in suits playing their violins, cellos, what have you, off in a corner.

And you think to yourself, "Oh look - a string quartet.  That's nice."

And then you walk on through the lobby, without even acknowledging what song the quartet was playing in the first place.

VERDICT:   6/10 - Decent (I have nothing bad to say about this. . . but it doesn't feel like 'Christmas' to me, so despite its respectable score it loses its spot for Holiday circulation)

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