Search - Carly Simon :: Christmas Is Almost Here

Great C.D.!!

mjones1989 | Texas, United States | 12/25/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a beautiful c.d. It's simple and understated in some ways and in some ways it's bigger and bolder than any other Christmas recording on the market. Carly Simon makes music that is "stripped back" and intimate. The miracle, the mystery, the seeking and the celebration are all components that Carly Simon has put in front of the listener. The spiritual Christmas songs like "Silent Night", "O Come, All Ye Faithful", are treated with grace and tenderness. The soulful, "Twelve Gates To the City" is a song you'll find yourself singing over and over. Carly Simon's arrangement of "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen" is just great! The reggae beat along with Ben Taylor, her son, make this a classic remake.The Christmas standards "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" and "I'll be Home for Christmas" are just beautiful. Carly knows how to take a standard and put her stamp on it without taking away from the song. "White Christmas" with Burt Bacharach, again has her stamp on it."The Land of Christmas (Mary)" is a song that Carly wrote and is probably one of the best songs she has written in years. It has all the qualities that you expect from a self-penned song by Carly. It's a great song with lots of emotion and soul. She also wrote "Forgive" which is very simple and beautiful. Andreas Vollenweider plays harp."Christmas is Almost Here" written by Livingston Taylor, "Pretty Paper" a duet with Willie Nelson and John Lennon's "Happy Xmas (War is Over) are all well preformed by Carly and very enjoyable."Heaven" is the song on this c.d. that brings it all together. Written by Lucy Simon (her sister) and Carly, it sets a tone that puts a "yearning" in the listener's heart to experience the miracle, the mystery, the celebration, the search and the Savior.If you're looking for a "over produced" c.d. with all the "whistles and bells" then this may not be the c.d. for you. If you're looking for something that seems like Carly is singing in your living room while music is being played by Willie Nelson, Billy Preston, Burt Bacharach, Andreas Vollenweider, and other great musicians then this is the c.d.!!This is a c.d. that will be played and enjoyed for years to come."

Classy Christmas album - relaxing, warm and intimate

Peter Durward Harris | Leicester England | 08/26/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Carly's peak years were in the seventies, but she still sings as good as she ever did. This is a lovely album, with a mix of slow and mid-tempo songs, including some standards which everybody knows, together with some wonderful new songs.



Carly and Willie Nelson sing a duet - Pretty paper, which Willie wrote and Roy Orbison had a hit with back in the sixties.



Carly wrote The land of Christmas (Mary), while Heaven is a song originally written by Carly's daughter Lucy, which Carly and Lucy rewrote as a Christmas song.



Twelve gates to the city is apparently a very old song, but I don't ever remember hearing it before despite having a large Christmas music collection.



All these songs are brilliant, but perhaps the title track is the best of the lot - it certainly sets the mood of the album.



This is a masterpiece, as anybody familiar with Carly's music would expect. It's probably not one to play during the height of Christmas festivities (there are plenty of other, more upbeat, Christmas albums that serve that purpose well), but rather, this is one that you play when things have quietened down, and you can just relax."

Season's greetings delivered with sincerity

Damien Bilton | London, UK | 12/08/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Now that Christmas is approaching I have been listening to Carly's Christmas album with renewed interest and appreciation. The lyrics on her own compositions are heartfelt especially "Forgive" which should set a humbling example to us all. Of the popular covers my favourite is "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" which is one of the best versions of this gorgeous song that I have ever listened to, the vocal arrangement is beautiful and Carly's voice soars in purity. Sadly, I won't be able to see Carly in New York later this month, but any of these songs will work wonders live. I can imagine what a gas seeing "Twelve Gates To The City" would be like performed live, especially if Billy Preston was on the keyboards. A considered album with something for everyone, spiritually and tradtionally as well as the more popular covers."