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Huge disappointment from National Geographic

Bill Egan | Florida USA | 10/29/2006

(1 out of 5 stars)

"I was expecting to hear the music of many nations on this CD. Instead it's recycled carols played on local instruments.



"Po La'l E" is listed for Hawaii. It's actually the Austrian carol we know as "Silent Night." I know that there are Hawaiian Christmas songs. Why would National Geographic use this treasure from Austria as an example of Hawaii's Christmas?



Isn't there at least one carol of Caribbean origin? The CD puts an island beat to a soft German lullaby "Still, Still, Still." It's quite awful.



Surely with 24 million Christians in India, at least one of them has written a carol with the flavor of India. Here, the National Geographic gives us instruments of India playing "O Come, O Come Emmanuel" used in medieval church liturgy in Rome.



For the United States we get "Greensleeves" a folktune from the days of Shakespeare. There are thousands of carols that reflect Christmas in the USA, but National Geographic finds an ancient English folksong to represent our Christmas. What is their problem?



I've been to Peru so I know they have their own Christmas music. Instead of using a song from the Andes, National Geographic represents them with a tune from merrie, olde England - God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen.



I always thought that National Geographic issued things of high quality. This CD indicates their standards have fallen. There are CDs that represent world Christmas music that are ten times better than this."