18-10-2009, 21:40
new album released Oct 13th
Christmas In The Heart
![[Image: n20092zed42.jpg]](http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov200/drn200/n200/n20092zed42.jpg)
from the album - Here Comes Santa Claus
YouTube - Bob Dylan: "Here Comes Santa Claus" (2009)
from amg
Bob Dylan's influence on popular music is incalculable. As a songwriter, he pioneered several different schools of pop songwriting, from confessional singer/songwriter to winding, hallucinatory, stream of conscious narratives. As a vocalist, he broke down the notion that a singer must have a conventionally good voice in order to perform, thereby redefining the vocalist's role in popular music. As a musician, he sparked several genres of pop music, including electrified folk-rock and country-rock. And that just touches on the tip of his achievements. Dylan's force was evident during his height of popularity in the '60s â the Beatles' shift toward introspective songwriting in the mid-'60s never would have happened without him â but his influence echoed throughout several subsequent generations, as many of his songs became popular standards and his best albums became undisputed classics of the rock & roll canon. Dylan's influence throughout folk music was equally powerful, and he marks a pivotal turning point in its 20th century evolution, signifying when the genre moved away from traditional songs and toward personal songwriting. Even when his sales declined in the '80s and '90s, Dylan's presence rarely lagged, and his commercial revival in the 2000s proved his staying power.
album review
After the initial shock fades, the existence of Christmas in the Heart seems perhaps inevitable. After all, the thing Bob Dylan loves most of all are songs that are handed down from generation to generation, songs that are part of the American fabric, songs so common they never seem to have been written. These are the songs Dylan chooses to sing on Christmas in the Heart, a cheerfully old-fashioned holiday album from its Norman Rockwell-esque cover to its joyous backing vocals. Apart from the breakneck "Must Be Santa," which barrelhouses like a barroom, Dylan doesn't really reinterpret these songs as much as simply play them with his crackerjack road band, dropping in a little flair -- restoring "we'll have to muddle through somehow" to "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," singing the opening of "O Come All Ye Faithful" in its original Latin -- but never pushing tunes in unexpected directions. Many would argue having Dylan croon these carols is unexpected enough and, true, there are times his gravelly rumble is a bit pronounced, but nothing here feels forced, it all feels rather fun, provided you're on the same wavelength as latter-day Bob, where the sound and swing of the band is as important as the song, where there's an undeniable nostalgic undertow to all the proceedings. And, of course, there's no better time for celebratory sound, swing, and nostalgia than the holidays, which may be why Christmas in the Heart is a bit of a left-field delight.
Track Listing
1 Here Comes Santa Claus Autry, Haldeman 02:35
2 Do You Hear What I Hear? Gloria Shayne Baker ... 3:02
3 Winter Wonderland Bernard, Smith 01:52
4 Hark the Herald Angels Sing Traditional 2:30
5 I'll Be Home for Christmas Gannon, Kent, Ram 2:54
6 Little Drummer Boy Davis, Onorati, Simeone 2:52
7 The Christmas Blues Cahn, David Jack Holt 02:54
8 O' Come All Ye Faithful (Adeste Fideles) Traditional 2:48
9 Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas Blane, Martin 4:06
10 Must Be Santa Fredericks, Moore 2:48
11 Silver Bells Evans, Livingston 2:35
12 The First Noel Traditional 2:30
13 Christmas Island Moraine 2:27
14 The Christmas Song Torme, Wells 3:56
15 O' Little Town of Bethlehem Traditional 2:17
Christmas In The Heart
from the album - Here Comes Santa Claus
YouTube - Bob Dylan: "Here Comes Santa Claus" (2009)
from amg
Bob Dylan's influence on popular music is incalculable. As a songwriter, he pioneered several different schools of pop songwriting, from confessional singer/songwriter to winding, hallucinatory, stream of conscious narratives. As a vocalist, he broke down the notion that a singer must have a conventionally good voice in order to perform, thereby redefining the vocalist's role in popular music. As a musician, he sparked several genres of pop music, including electrified folk-rock and country-rock. And that just touches on the tip of his achievements. Dylan's force was evident during his height of popularity in the '60s â the Beatles' shift toward introspective songwriting in the mid-'60s never would have happened without him â but his influence echoed throughout several subsequent generations, as many of his songs became popular standards and his best albums became undisputed classics of the rock & roll canon. Dylan's influence throughout folk music was equally powerful, and he marks a pivotal turning point in its 20th century evolution, signifying when the genre moved away from traditional songs and toward personal songwriting. Even when his sales declined in the '80s and '90s, Dylan's presence rarely lagged, and his commercial revival in the 2000s proved his staying power.
album review
After the initial shock fades, the existence of Christmas in the Heart seems perhaps inevitable. After all, the thing Bob Dylan loves most of all are songs that are handed down from generation to generation, songs that are part of the American fabric, songs so common they never seem to have been written. These are the songs Dylan chooses to sing on Christmas in the Heart, a cheerfully old-fashioned holiday album from its Norman Rockwell-esque cover to its joyous backing vocals. Apart from the breakneck "Must Be Santa," which barrelhouses like a barroom, Dylan doesn't really reinterpret these songs as much as simply play them with his crackerjack road band, dropping in a little flair -- restoring "we'll have to muddle through somehow" to "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," singing the opening of "O Come All Ye Faithful" in its original Latin -- but never pushing tunes in unexpected directions. Many would argue having Dylan croon these carols is unexpected enough and, true, there are times his gravelly rumble is a bit pronounced, but nothing here feels forced, it all feels rather fun, provided you're on the same wavelength as latter-day Bob, where the sound and swing of the band is as important as the song, where there's an undeniable nostalgic undertow to all the proceedings. And, of course, there's no better time for celebratory sound, swing, and nostalgia than the holidays, which may be why Christmas in the Heart is a bit of a left-field delight.
Track Listing
1 Here Comes Santa Claus Autry, Haldeman 02:35
2 Do You Hear What I Hear? Gloria Shayne Baker ... 3:02
3 Winter Wonderland Bernard, Smith 01:52
4 Hark the Herald Angels Sing Traditional 2:30
5 I'll Be Home for Christmas Gannon, Kent, Ram 2:54
6 Little Drummer Boy Davis, Onorati, Simeone 2:52
7 The Christmas Blues Cahn, David Jack Holt 02:54
8 O' Come All Ye Faithful (Adeste Fideles) Traditional 2:48
9 Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas Blane, Martin 4:06
10 Must Be Santa Fredericks, Moore 2:48
11 Silver Bells Evans, Livingston 2:35
12 The First Noel Traditional 2:30
13 Christmas Island Moraine 2:27
14 The Christmas Song Torme, Wells 3:56
15 O' Little Town of Bethlehem Traditional 2:17
