25 Christmas CD’s in 25 Days - Day 13
I discovered this CD while browsing about in a local CompUSA store. It was cheap and judging by the cover, just strange enough to be worth a chance. I took it home and listened expecting pretty lame material but was pleasantly surprised. The musicianship is tight, the singing quite good and the original lyrics witty and humorous. But no credits are given anywhere as to the identities of the artists performing on the album. So I checked out KRB Music Companies’ website but found no information on the CD at all and very few contacts. However I did email all the contacts listed asking for information on the artists featured on the album. After a few days I received the following reply:
Thank you for your inquiry. This material was licensed. We are not authorized to give out our Licensor’s information unless there is a business purpose. Please let me know if there is anything else with which I can assist you.
Oh well. A form email. I wasn’t asking for any licensor’s information. I just wanted to know who was performing on the CD just for personal information. The only other relevant information on the recordings was that KRB licensed it from StudioEast Recordings in Charlotte, NC which pretty much indicates it was various studio musicians from the Charlotte area performing on this album. Whatever their identities, kudos to them for a job well done.
Now some random thoughts about this album. Its clear genre is country with bluegrass elements mixed in for good measure. Many traditional songs like “The First Noel,” “Away In A Manger” and “Angels We Have Heard On High” are performed well and true to form. There’s even a cover of the comedy classic (and overplayed Christmas tune) “Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer.” But the original tunes really make this album special. “Gonna Have A Blue Ribbon Christmas” is a bluesy song about Christmas day gone horribly wrong. “Rudolph Drank The Moonshine” tells the tale of Rudolph getting a red nose from some illegal liquor and being replaced by the moonshiner’s mule after attempts to sober Rudolph up fail. Plus Santa couldn’t resist the temptation, either. “O’ Santa, Where Art Thou” indirectly pays tribute to “O’ Brother, Where Art Thou” in song styling but is a good song in of itself.
I don’t know where this CD is available for purchase and I imagine if I emailed KRB I’d get the same form email about not being able to tell me about licensor’s information. Keep an eye out for it anyway. It’s the most underrated Christmas CD of 2006 and well worth adding to your Christmas CD collection.
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