By Ginger Sinsabaugh MacDonald I admit that I am not the most trendy music connoisseur. I love elevator muzak and can go weeks before updating the tunes on my iPod. And when it comes to holiday tunes, I never needed to replace Bing Crosby, Tony Bennett or Vince Guaraldi. Until now.
The Annie Moses Band is a family band whose album, This Glorious Christmas, breathes fresh energy into old classics with a lively collection of stringed instruments. If you ever thought innate objects couldn’t have a soul, you never heard this violin. You feel its playfulness and want to hug Annie Wolaver, the woman who effortlessly seems to release the life from the strings. The use of instruments and vocals add more magic, making this is a Christmas album that is felt more than more than heard. Move over, Bing, this album has brings some untraditional bada-bing to the holidays.
Creativity:: 10 The vocals take back seat to the string instruments so don’t even try to sing-along. Instead, let your ears enjoy while you dive into your holiday cheese ball.
Original Songs:: 7 The last song on the album, “Red, White and Blue Christmas”, combines holiday cheer with B-52’s. Not my fave, but it’s a lot less annoying than “Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer”.
Classic Covers: 10 The album gives an audio BOTOX treatment to old holidays standbys, including “O Come, O Come Emmanuel”. My fave—”Sussex Carol,” A bit of Häagen-Dazs® for the ears when all I was expecting was Dairy Queen.
Musical Score:: 10 unexpected and full of life. Wowza! Definitely an album that puts the reason back into the season.
Overall Holly Jolliness:: 10 This album will lift your spirits more than a shot of St John’s Wort in your eggnog. Who cares about the recession or the grinch that stole Wall Street investments? This Glorious Christmas will help you feel the holiday spirit.
Total= 47. Forget about the Nintendo® Wii™ or Hannah Montana Toys or a Chia Pet. What will really bring smiles to our ears is finding This Glorious Christmas under the tree. Yeah, ears can smile.
To read our review guide lines, go here.
Ginger Sinsabaugh MacDonald Since 1984, Ginger has been splitting her time between advertising and urban youth ministry in Chicago. She is the Top Cookie of TastyFaith.com. It’s not a bakery, but a micro-publisher that connects the hope of Christ to non-sugarcoated issues, including teen pregnancy and illiteracy. You can reach her at Ginger@TastyFaith.com
She is Beloved 