Neil Shines Bright as a Diamond on this Christmas Album

I am one of those people who could listen to Christmas music all year long. I always await with happy anticipation the time – which seems to get earlier every year – in which it is acceptable to play those Yuletide favorites and, better yet, have them blasting at me every time I go shopping or out to eat. I’ve met only a few Christmas songs I can’t stand: that new techno remix of White Christmas, The Holiday Season, The Cherry Tree Carol and a handful of others. But most I embrace whole-heartedly, and there are a few Christmas albums I simply must listen to this time of year lest I feel distinctly unChristmassy. Paul and Mary. The Chipmunks. John Denver... and the Muppets. Garrison Keillor. More recently, American Idol and Clay Aiken. Throw in Art Garfunkel and Veggie Tales and I’m pretty much good to go... as long as I also have this, the Neil Diamond Christmas album, which, like Peter Paul and Mary’s holiday special, has enchanted on video on PBS in the past. And so, without further ado (and shameless linking to my other Christmas reviews), I give you Neil.

Immanuel (O Come) / We Three Kings Of Orient Are - This medley is slow and solemn with soaring choral participation in Immanuel. The whole thing has a slightly Hasidic air about it, and it’s just a very nice rendition of both classics; in fact, while Garrison boasts my favorite version of We Three Kings, Neil’s may be my favorite version of Immanuel.

Silent Night - It’s pretty hard to mess up this one. Neil gives it a straight reading, but the choir comes in again to provide some majestic harmonies.

Little Drummer Boy - The percussion, throbbing bass and overall electric sound on this one is very cool. Until I heard the David Bowie / Bing Crosby version a few years back, this was my favorite rendition of the sweet song about a boy giving Jesus a simple but sincere gift, and it still holds a very special place in my heart.

Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town - Neil’s really rockin’ out on this one. Somebody’s having a really rollicking time on the drums, and throw in the guitar and the enthusiastic chorus for one of the most energetic renditions of this classic I’ve ever heard. A harmonica solo midway adds to the fun.

The Christmas Song - This one has a smooth lounge-singer sound to it and features the keyboard in prominence. It’s not really one of my favorites – maybe it’s jealousy over the fact that I don’t have an open fire to roast chestnuts on or irritation over his pronunciation of “reindeer” as “reindeers” – but there’s a nifty sax solo toward the end that augments the presentation.

Morning Has Broken - The chorus is back to help Neil out with this one, “oohing” along in the beginning and providing lusher harmonies as the song progresses. Though I really think of this as an Easter song – certainly a song indicative of spring – it’s my favorite hymn that isn’t a Christmas carol, so I won’t complain about its inclusion here. Besides, they say Jesus was probably actually born in the spring anyway. My favorite version of the song is Art Garfunkel’s, but this one is still really nice.

Happy Christmas (War Is Over) - This is the first place I encountered John Lennon’s idealistic masterpiece – just as stirring as Imagine – and I absolutely love it. It starts out with just a chorus of angelic kiddies and some salt-shaker percussion before Neil takes the first verse by himself, and it builds in volume and intensity, helped along first by some beautifully simple piano accompaniment, then majestic percussion, resonant guitar and the re-introduction of the kids, augmented by an adult chorus. You can tell Neil really believes what he is singing; there is an intensity lacking on any other track. The real beauty of the song, though, is in the children sweetly crooning the counter-melody (“War is over if you want it, war is over now”) under Neil’s passionate vocals. Quite possibly my favorite track.

White Christmas - Unless this one is. I’m such a fan of Christmas music in general, and I’ve heard enough that in many cases I have a favorite version of songs I’ve heard covered dozens of times. Sorry, Bing, but Neil gets my vote for all-time best version of this song. He starts it off with the little-used introductory verse before launching into a doo-wop rendition. His own singing is fairly straight, aside from his “I-I-I-I” at the beginning of every other line and a hammy spoken verse towards the middle, a la Alvin in the Chipmunks’ version of It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas, but those guys in the background make this song with their “I-I-I”s and “doo-wa”s. I especially love the guy with the super-deep voice. Just a really fun song.

God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen - The doo-woppers are back here for an a capella treatment of this carol. It’s a very short stop, but very nice – though Simon and Garfunkel take the cake for me on this one. (Since they have a different title, though, I suppose I could technically count this as my favorite version of this carol…)

Jingle Bell Rock - Another short one, this is almost as fun and rollicking as Santa Claus is Coming to Town.

Hark The Herald Angels Sing - Neil makes good use of the chorus once again. This sounds like something you would hear at a Christmas Eve service at a church with a very large choir and a very impressive organ. Both elements are the stars of this number.

Silver Bells - When I was little, this was my favorite song, Christmas or otherwise. Neil’s guitar-soaked version has a nice dreamy feel to it, and the chorus is back to help him out. The nicest part of it for me, though, is the instrumental portion over which he recalls his youth and the joy these bells brought him.

You Make It Feel Like Christmas - A Neil Diamond original. I find it a bit amusing given the fact that he’s Jewish, but I suppose chances are he celebrates Christmas to some extent anyway. Obviously he has a hearty respect for the holiday. It’s interesting, though, that Peter Paul and Mary have two Hanukkah songs on their album and he doesn’t have any. This is just a nice love song in which the speaker compares every moment he spends with his wife to the ecstasy of Christmas morning. It’s always nice to have at least one song that you won’t find elsewhere, and this one is a great addition to the Christmas canon.

O Holy Night - My favorite Christmas song. Neil gives the song the majestic treatment it deserves, starting out quiet and mysterious and building intensity with the thrilling chorus and throbbing percussion behind him. A wonderful rendition, though my favorite presentation of this particular song remains the quiet and pristine recitation by a second-grader at the elementary school I attended. If Art Garfunkel ever covers the song, though, I may change my mind.

Well, there you have it. This Diamond has never gleamed so brilliantly for me as in this Christmas album. If you’re unfamiliar, do yourself a favor and pick up a copy. It’s a holiday treat that’s practically perfect in every way.