I’ve long considered myself a Kenny Rogers fan, so when I saw that my
library had a Christmas album of his, I put it on hold. I didn’t realize
until I picked it up that it was a joint effort with Dolly Parton;
while I don’t particularly object to her, I don’t find her voice quite
as appealing as Kenny’s. Nonetheless, I popped in the album, and for the
most part, I really liked what I heard.
I Believe in Santa Claus
- A catalog of good things to believe in, wrapped up in Santa Claus to
symbolize them all. I like the song’s emphasis on morality, and
eventually it gets around to faith in God as well. It’s an upbeat,
country-flavored ditty on which a chorus of children join in at the
ending. I especially like Kenny’s solo bits, as I prefer his husky voice
to Dolly’s, but both of them sound nice on this one. “I believe I am so
therefore / I should do all that I can / To be a better piece / In the
puzzle of God's plan.”
Winter Wonderland / Sleigh Ride - Dolly has this one to herself, and she does a good job, though I find the rambling phrases at the end a bit annoying.
Christmas Without You
- Dolly and Kenny take the choruses together, while the verses are a
combination of duet and solo lines. Two halves of a former couple
reflect on their desire to reunite, using several metaphors to
illustrate the depth of their emptiness. “Christmas without you / White
Christmas and I'm blue / Like fireworks with no fuse / Christmas without
you.”
The Christmas Song - Kenny performs an extremely
slow, mellow version of the classic song. I love Kenny’s voice, and it
suits this song extremely well.
A Christmas to Remember - The only song from this album that seems to get any airplay, it seems like it could almost be a prequel to Christmas Without You.
Two folks looking to get away from it all for Christmas find each other
at a ski resort and enjoy a whirlwind romance. The implication is that
they don’t live anywhere near each other, making a prolonged
long-distance relationship difficult, but they commit to meeting again,
if only in the same place next year. Nice enough song, but I’ve been a
little overexposed to it, I think. “You've made this a Christmas to
remember / Springtime feelin's in the middle of December / 'Neath the
mistletoe you kissed me warm and tender / Oh, oh, what a Christmas to
remember.”
I’ll Be Home With Bells On - This duet is
extremely country-flavored and cheerful, focusing on the desire to get
back home for Christmas and enjoy all of the traditions and love
encompassed in that experience. One of my favorite tracks. “When the
snow is on the meadow and the sleigh bells jingle bright / And the kids
are singing jingle bells around the Christmas lights / As Daddy stokes
the fire and Mama puts the turkey on / There ain't nothing going to slow
me down; this Christmas I'll be home.”
Silent Night - Kenny goes solo for a nice, straightforward take on this beloved carol.
The Greatest Gift of All
- Kenny takes the first verse and Dolly the second on this slow,
romantic ballad that morphs, in the third verse, into a passionate duet
about the true meaning of Christmas. The romantic portion is a cozy
picture of domestic bliss, and the third verse is gorgeously done. “So I
say a silent prayer / For creatures great and small / Peace on Earth,
good will to men / Is the greatest gift of all.”
White Christmas - Dolly captures the wistful flavor of the song in her second solo, which is accompanied occasionally by synthesized bells.
Once Upon a Christmas
- This track begins with Kenny speaking about the birth of Jesus. The
song has a mysterious sound to it, with majestic brass-flavored
accompaniment and a chorus of “hosanna“s by a choir midway through the
song. Both Dolly and Kenny sing reverently, together or separately. A
lovely way to end the album. “All the world rejoiced because the King
was born at last / A savior had been promised, now it had come to pass /
And the joyful news that he was born spread quickly far and wide / Once
upon a Christmas was the birth of Jesus Christ.”
There’s a
good balance here of traditional and new songs. Of the unfamiliar tunes,
Dolly wrote all but one; I tend to forget that she is a songwriter as
well as a singer, and her efforts here are impressive. She and Kenny
sound good together, so while in some respects I might have preferred an
album of him alone, Once Upon a Christmas is certainly harmonious, with a song or two that I wish would get thrown into the rotation once in a while instead of A Christmas to Remember.
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