“Lonely” at Christmas
Filed under: Music + Entertainment
My wife and I are both big fans of Los Lonely Boys — we have all three of their mainstream albums as well as a couple of concert CD’s. So it wasn’t much of a surprise to my wife when their new Christmas album, Christmas Spirit, showed up on our doorstep. It quickly found its way to our iPods and I’ve been enjoying it while I work. While it’s certainly very good, I have to say it’s not their best work.The album doesn’t have the same high level of energy as their other releases, which, frankly, kind of surprised me. Even Run, Run, Rudolph, probably the most energetic piece on the album, is not as spirited as I would have liked; I think they really missed an opportunity to punch things up on Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. I won’t say that Santa Claus is Coming to Town is listless, but the word did pop into my head as I listened.
The two original songs, the first tracks on the album, are good, but not especially memorable. I did, however, thoroughly enjoy their take on the Carol of the Bells. I’ve known quite a few bell ringers and have heard the piece played live on handbells many times, but this was a great departure from the norm. The simple treatment of Away in a Manger was perfect, but the real shining star on the album is Silent Night, played lovingly with much reflection.
Long story short — while this album doesn’t boast the same heat as their earlier releases, if you’re a fan of the Garza boys, you’ll definitely want this in your holiday mix.