Cee Lo's Magic Moment Lives Up to Its Title

I know next to nothing about Cee Lo Green aside from the fact that he released a foul-mouthed but oh-so-catchy kiss-off song that I’ve heard several times with altered lyrics. Considering the bleep-worthiness of this song, I wasn’t at all sure I’d like his Christmas album, Cee Lo’s Magic Moment, so it ended up being one of the sweetest musical surprises of the season for me.

Cee Lo has a deep, soulful voice that makes him well suited to R and B-style Christmas classics such as What Christmas Means to Me, first recorded by Stevie Wonder; Donny Hathaway’s funky This Christmas; and Charles Brown’s soul-stirring Please Come Home for Christmas. There’s a sense of passion and sincerity in his delivery that really grabbed me and held my attention.

Songs of romance are plentiful here, and he fares similarly well with those. His rendition of Mariah Carey’s All I Want for Christmas is peppy and includes some vocal acrobatics, as does the duet Baby It’s Cold Outside; while it starts off fairly sedate, he and Christina Aguilera soon let their voices go wild as they sing over top of each other. Meanwhile, the brass-heavy Merry Christmas, Baby is a fun number that ties into the Christmas album of Rod Stewart, who guests here alongside Trombone Shorty.

The smooth but percussive Christmas Song is warmly relaxing, while The River is melancholy without being morose and his version of White Christmas is one of the bounciest I have heard. The rollicking keyboards are the real stars of Run Rudolph Run, but the vocals are great in a retro rock kind of way.

Silent Night has a truly reverent Gospel feel to it, with faint choral backing to a gorgeous lead vocal. After I listened to the album, I watched the video, which features a lanky Santa and several scantily clad women in red and white running in slow motion; the bizarre spectacle certainly detracts from the beauty of the music and the sense of sincerity, which is a shame. Thankfully, there is no such video for Mary, Did You Know?, which has rich instrumental backing and an even more soulful sound to it.

Cee Lo’s two most unusual tracks still are not wholly original, but they are a lot of fun. He teams up with the brilliant Straight No Chaser for a hugely entertaining rendition of You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch that is loaded with harmonic surprises. His recitation of several lengthy passages from the book adds to the enjoyment as well.

All I Need Is Love is weird and wacky, drawing from the Beatles’ All You Need Is Love with a beat straight out of Mambo No. 5 and a strong sampling of Muppet classic Mahna Mahna. Several Muppets have a solo line or two, so picking them out is a lot of fun, even though it takes a few listens to catch everything. Make sure to listen through to the end to allow perpetually cranky Statler and Waldorf their opportunity to weigh in, even though their assessment naturally differs from mine. This isn’t an easy track to sing along with, but it’s loads of fun, and it also has some nice sentiments about the joy of togetherness this time of year.

I’m still not entirely sure where Cee Lo is coming from, especially after seeing that Silent Night video, but his album is a joy to listen to nonetheless. If you’re into soulful renditions of Christmas classics, you should give it a spin too.

My Favorite Versions of Traditional Religious Christmas Songs

It’s always a pleasure singing traditional Christmas carols in church, around the neighborhood or near our little Advent wreath this time of year. But as much as Christmas music is a communal experience, hundreds of musicians have recorded these sacred songs, giving us many different ways to enjoy them. Here are a few of my favorite specific recordings of various religious Christmas songs.

Angels We Have Heard on High – Having just recently seen Straight No Chaser in concert, I have to award them the honor of my favorite version of this celestial-sounding carol. Jerome Collins puts a soulful twist on the melody, and all those gorgeous voices coming together really does sound like a choir of angels. Throw in the visual element of some crystal blue lighting, and the effect is heavenly. “Gloria in Excelsis Deo!” This one is bundled with Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, and it’s a logical pairing; I always have to stop a minute to think about which song is which. Though it’s the former song that makes the bigger impression on me in this mash-up, both are beautifully done. “Hark! The herald angels sing. Glory to the newborn king!”

Away in a Manger – I consider this the most basic of Christmas carols, the first one that most children learn how to sing. There are two different melodies commonly used; I prefer the slightly more somber-sounding one to the one most Sunday school students cut their musical teeth on, but both are lovely. When it comes to conveying sweet simplicity, John Denver is hard to beat, and his gentle acoustic rendition of the “kid” version gets my vote. For the “adult” version, meanwhile, Anne Murray’s heartfelt recording, which incorporates both piano and guitar and includes a nod at the other melody, is my favorite. “Be near me, Lord Jesus. I ask thee to stay close by me forever and love me, I pray…”

Carol of the Bells - It has no words, and it starts out with God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen. It’s a little unconventional. But boy, do I love Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s electrified rendition of this song, which is one of the harder carols to sing anyway. I prefer clutching my invisible hand bells in my fists and ringing them out in time to the music. If you’re going to go with a vocal version of the song, I do love Straight No Chaser’s version of this one too, with the men using their voices to imitate the sound of bells. “Hark! How the bells, sweet silver bells, all seem to say, ‘Throw cares away.’”

Children, Go Where I Send Thee – This one isn’t exactly as in the mainstream as most of the songs on this list, and it’s a little funny that I like it so much since I find The 12 Days of Christmas so tedious and really, this song only makes marginally more sense than that one. But there’s something so joyful about it, especially when Peter, Paul and Mary, who introduced me to the song, belt it out along with dozens of choir members. “Children, go where I send thee! How shall I send thee? I’m gonna send thee one by one, one for the itty bitty baby who was born, born, born in Bethlehem.”

Do You Hear What I Hear? – This is a song that seems to be very hard to get wrong. I’ve heard probably dozens of versions of it, and everybody, from Kristin Chenoweth to Bob Dylan, seems to bring their A game to this stirring anthem that celebrates the birth of Christ and expresses a desire for peace at a time when the threat of nuclear war hung heavy in the air. But Vanessa Williams’ version has just an extra something in it that puts it at the very top of my ranking. Her vocals are so clear and soulful, and I just love the exuberant instrumentation and African chanting that comes into play later in the song. Whenever this comes on the radio, I’m completely swept away in the wonder of it all. “Said the king to the people everywhere, listen to what I say. Pray for peace people everywhere. Listen to what I say. The child, the child sleeping in the night, he will bring us goodness and light…”

The First Noel - Clay Aiken recorded a Christmas album that came out just a year and a half after he emerged from the second season of American Idol the runner-up. I was pleased with the album, but my favorite Clay Christmas recording remains this song from the American Idol compilation released late in 2003. The sparse accompaniment allows Clay’s voice to truly shine as he builds toward a dramatic finish. This is one of those songs I’ve always liked but that never stood out that much from the pack. Ever since I heard that recording, it does. “Noel, noel, noel, noel. Born is the king of Israel.”

The Friendly Beasts – I really love the traditional rendition on Peter, Paul and Mary’s Christmas album, with each of them taking a verse and doing his or her best to convey the personality of the animal at hand and the choir helping out on the other verses. Meanwhile, the song, with a reworked melody, serves as a cornerstone on Jimmy Webb’s oratorio The Animals’ Christmas; as the only song on the album that Webb didn’t write himself, it brings an air of familiarity to an otherwise wholly original work for which he recruited the vocal talents of Art Garfunkel, Amy Grant and the Kings College School Choir. “Thus, every beast, by some good spell, in the stable rude was glad to tell of the gift he gave Emmanuel…”

God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen - They call it Comfort and Joy, which really is probably a better title, albeit less instantly recognizable. Simon and Garfunkel never recorded much Christmas music, but for whatever reason, they did record a couple of traditional carols. While it always seemed to me that Silent Night was used for ironic emphasis, with the exquisite harmonies juxtaposed against the far from tranquil news broadcast, this a cappella rendition with the increasingly complex harmonies can be taken at face value. Just a very nice recording. If you miss the instruments, of course, there’s always Trans-Siberian Orchestra… “Remember Christ the Savior was born on Christmas day to save us all from Satan’s pow’r when we were gone astray. Oh, tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy. Oh, tidings of comfort and joy.”

Good King Wenceslas – My brother recently identified this very old ballad as his favorite Christmas song, and we set out in search of a version to play for him before he set out for college again after our little First Sunday in Advent service at the conclusion of Thanksgiving weekend. He didn’t think much of the Irish Rovers rendition we played; it was much too peppy, he informed us, and he preferred versions that really made us feel that faithful page’s pain. But there’s a lot of joy in this song about a warm and generous monarch whose chief concern is the well-being of one of his poorest citizens, so the Rovers’ exuberant version is fine by me. “Therefore, Christian men, be sure, wealth or rank possessing, ye who now will bless the poor shall yourselves find blessing.”

Joy to the World - This is a wonderfully ecstatic song, but it’s one that’s in danger of getting a little over-the-top, as it does on Clay Aiken’s Christmas album. I prefer versions that show a little restraint before going all-out, and my favorite is Anne Murray’s, backed by some nice Gospel-flavored piano accompaniment and eventually joined by a choir. It works quite nicely and is easy to sing along with. “Joy to the world, the Lord is come. Let Earth receive her King!”

The Little Drummer Boy – This gentle song about a little boy who gives the best that he has to the Christ Child is representative of a large sub-genre of Christmas stories, most of which are quite touching. The original Harry Simeone version is nice, but as far as basic versions go, I love the punchy way Bob Seger does it. But probably my favorite version is the odd pairing of Bing Crosby and David Bowie, with the counter-melody in which Bowie dreams of a day when people can learn to get along with each other. At first it seemed a bit of a strange juxtaposition to me, but upon reflection, it reminds me of the passage in Isaiah that concludes with “and a little child shall lead them.” Anyway, a very poignant recording, especially considering how late it came in Crosby’s life. “I have no gift to bring, pa-rum-pum-pum-pum, that’s fit to give a king, pa-rum-pum-pum-pum, rum-pum-pum-pum, rum-pum-pum-pum…”

O Come All Ye Faithful - Art Garfunkel recorded this one for some obscure collection a few years back, and it’s the most intricate, exquisite rendition I’ve heard. It’s a shame it’s rather hard to track down. With simple acoustic guitar accompaniment gradually joined by gentle percussion and accordion, what really makes this stand out is the dense layers of Art harmonizing with himself, especially toward the end. I also have to mention Trans-Siberian Orchestra once again, as their reworked rendition is quite moving, and Phil Coulter integrated the song into Christmas Morning Donegal, the haunting, nostalgic ballad that I’ve come to think of as the Celtic Thunder swan song of powerhouse tenor Paul Byrom. This is a song that tends to inspire the best in musicians… “O come let us adore Him, Christ the Lord!”

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel - I’ve always thought that this Christmas carol had a very Jewish feeling to it, so it seems appropriate for Neil Diamond to take top honors here. His version feels mysterious and solemn, and the pairing with We Three Kings just emphasizes the idea of this birth being a long-anticipated event. “O come, o come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel…”

O Little Town of Bethlehem – There are plenty of appropriately somber versions of this song floating around, but my favorite is the peppy, bluegrass-tinged Prairie Home Companion edition, in which it is mashed up with It Came Upon a Midnight Clear and We Three Kings, which makes a smashing chorus. There are much more traditional versions of each carol readily available, but Garrison Keillor and his band really do a bang-up job on this one. “O little town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie. Above thy deep and dreamless sleep, the silent stars go by…”

Silent Night – Now this is certainly a tough one, since it seems almost everyone who has ever recorded a Christmas album with any religious content at all has recorded this song. I love Simon and Garfunkel’s version, and Prairie Home Companion has an unusually bouncy instrumental version that’s a lot of fun. I find the Muppets’ German rendition quite moving. But I think I gotta go with Celtic Thunder on this one, especially since they paved the way for it by recording Christmas 1915, which incorporates the beloved carol. Their version of Silent Night itself is richly harmonic, with an interesting backing chorus, and one of the verses is entirely in Gaelic. It’s hauntingly beautiful. “Silent night, holy night. Son of God, love’s pure light…”

What Child Is This? - This is a pretty carol with a rather melancholy edge to it, largely because it takes the melody of that lovely lament, Greensleeves. I love John Denver’s simple but heartfelt rendition for all the reasons I love his Away in the Manger, and the faint presence of the harpsichord just makes it all the more appealing. “This, this is Christ the King whom shepherds guard and angels sing…”

O Holy Night - I always tell people that this is my default favorite Christmas song. In the month or two leading up to Christmas, my favorite will change on any given day, but if I’m not particularly gripped by anything at the time, O Holy Night is what I always fall back on. But I don’t have a favorite version. Of all the versions I’ve ever heard, the one that affected me most profoundly was a performance by a seven-year-old girl at a long-ago Christmas pageant. No version I’ve heard since can quite recapture that experience. Preferred versions include Josh Groban’s, Celine Dion’s, Straight No Chaser’s, John Denver’s and Celtic Woman’s, but I’m still on the hunt for that elusive definitive version. If anybody has any recommendations for me, I’d be happy to take them – bonus points if it includes my favorite, often-left-out verse. “Truly He taught us to love one another. His law is love and His Gospel is peace. Chains shall He break, for the slave is our brother, and in His name, all oppression shall cease…”

So there’s my list. It doesn’t begin to cover all the great Christmas music that I love so much, but it’s a start anyway and gives you a good idea of where my musical tastes lie. Of course, at no time of year am I more likely to embrace new artists than at Christmas; the familiarity of the songs opens a door for me. So I hope this list continues to expand…

Straight No Chaser Brings A Cappella Perfection to the Warner Theatre, Erie, PA, 11-29-10

I try to make it to at least a couple of concerts every year. This year, I got in four big ones: Clay Aiken and Ruben Studdard in Chautauqua, NY, and Dennis DeYoung, Celtic Thunder and Straight No Chaser in Erie, PA. Although I just saw Straight No Chaser this week, I knew about that concert and had tickets for it long before the others. I've been a fan of that Indiana University-based a cappella group since I first heard its rendition of The 12 Days of Christmas two years ago, and my parents and I couldn't pass up the chance to see them live.

The group, in the form that we saw it, includes half of the original members from when it first formed in the late 1990s. The others were in the group in later years and came in as replacements for early members. The guys we saw include original members Randy Stine, Charlie Mechling, Jerome Collins, David Roberts and Walter Chase and newer members Michael Luginbill, Ryan Ahlwardt, Seggie Isho, Don Nottingham and Tyler Trepp. We bought our tickets back in June and managed seats in the seventh row, so we had a great view of the show, and the sound quality in the Warner Theatre was excellent as always.

At the beginning of the concert, there were the usual announcements, and I assumed that a dire warning against photography would ensue. Instead, however, the loudspeaker informed us that the Warner had waived its no-photography policy at SNC's request. We were not only allowed, we were encouraged to take pictures and even videos, and members of the group itself brought it up a couple more times throughout the show. I'm very glad I brought my camera. Wish I'd thought to change the batteries, but they managed to last me just long enough.

What I love about their stance on this is that Straight No Chaser became a phenomenon because their video went viral, and they are staying true to their roots. They understand and appreciate better than most how powerful word of mouth and social media can be. They want us to spread their pictures all over Facebook and pepper YouTube with video clips. Oh, and they totally cracked me up halfway through the show by actually bringing up the house lights and taking a few pictures of the audience. Which is actually a really neat idea, but I've certainly never seen it done before. The next day, they posted those photos, and I tagged myself and my parents, or at least the general area where I knew we were. Very cool.

The concert included a solid mix of Christmas music and regular pop. Most of the songs they performed were on one of their three albums, but there were several others I'd never heard them do before, so those were a treat. In between songs, there was a fair bit of talking as the guys shared anecdotes and background and introduced themselves to us. I still need to work on figuring out exactly who's who and wish they'd sold programs, which could have aided me in that endeavor, but every one of these guys is a great singer.

I loved the humor they brought to all of their interactions and so many of their performances. While a lot of the talking was rehearsed, there was a definite feeling of spontaneity to it. I got a chuckle out of the moment when all of the guys shouted out what they had majored in during college, and one of them said, “Women!” And then another one said, “He flunked out!” And when one of them asked, “How many of you out there like 'Nsync?” Then, after an enthusiastic response, he went on, “Yeah, we're not gonna do one of their songs, I just wanted to see how many of you I could get to admit that in public.” Hee! Seriously, though, I was never too into those guys, but they did have some great harmony.

The Christmas songs of the night were all drawn from their albums. The hyper, hilarious Christmas Can-Can closed the first act, while they saved The 12 Days of Christmas for the encore. That came as no surprise whatsoever to me, since for much of the audience, that was probably the only performance of theirs they'd ever heard before. It is Straight No Chaser's American Pie. If they're still together in some form a decade from now or even two, they'll still be saving that song for last, I'd wager. What did take me by surprise was the second encore, during which they performed their doo-woppy rendition of O Holy Night without any microphones. It was a wonderfully reverent moment. So was the mash-up of Hark the Herald Angels Sing and Angels We Have Heard on High, which included some truly celestial-looking blue lighting.

The lighting also made an impression during You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch, when it was green and ominous as the basses of the group detailed the Grinch's many despicable qualities. More on the madcap end of things was the super-fast Jingle Bells and Donde Esta Santa Claus, which featured some very eyebrow-raising attempts at Latin-style dancing. Hey, Santa! was a lot of fun too, especially when some of the members jumped in to form a vocal brass section. They really are adept at imitating trumpets! While I confess myself a bit disappointed not to hear the gorgeous SNC originals Christmas Wish or Indiana Christmas, I loved all of their selections.

The range of music featured in the rest of the show was pretty diverse. From With a Twist, we got the exuberant cover of Three Dog Night's Joy to the World and the infectious mash-up of I'm Yours and Somewhere Over the Rainbow, as well as the melancholy Under the Bridge. LOST super-fan that I am, I would have loved to hear Wonderwall too, and The Living Years is probably my favorite track on that album. But most of their songs veered more toward the upbeat, allowing them to easily insert some visual humor. We got a taste of Marvin Gaye, the BeeGees and Lady Gaga, and Collins had everybody in stitches with his Michael Jackson moves during the mash-up of Billy Jean and Poison.

I was surprised that Don't Stop Believin' didn't get a bigger reaction, especially with its resurgence as the unofficial theme song for GLEE, though I did hear a rather delayed super-whoop from the upper reaches of the theater about 15 seconds into the song. I was rather taken aback at how pretty I found Madonna's Like a Prayer. Carole King's Hi De Ho was one I don't recall having heard before, but it was quite fun. Probably the number that got the biggest laugh out of this '80s child was the Saturday Morning Cartoon medley. Granted, The Simpsons and Family Guy were a little out of place there, but it was mostly theme songs to shows I grew up watching during that magical time of the week designed just for kids reprieved from school. I also loved the introductory remarks that included references to such '80s kid staples as the E-Z Bake Oven and Lite Brite (and having to physically get up and change the channel on the TV since none of us had remotes). A great nostalgia trip for me.

Going into the concert, I would have said that Jerome Collins was my favorite member of the group, as I love his soulful voice and, frankly, as the only African-American member, he's also the most distinct. After the concert, I'm doubly sure that he's my favorite, since barely a song went by in which he didn't steal the show at some point. That guy has loads of personality, and he's a flat-out amazing singer. I read that when the group reunited, he was playing Simba in a Hong Kong production of The Lion King, and I can just imagine how awesome a job he did. But every member of the group is extremely talented, and it's the way they all work together that makes Straight No Chaser so magical. You never miss the instruments, and you often could swear that they're there. They are vocalists and band all in one. I do have to credit whoever was running the lights, though, because that aspect of the show was phenomenally done and really did add to the whole experience considerably.

Well before the end of the concert, they made a point of inviting us to join them in the lobby about 15 minutes after the show: “We want to meet all 2,222 of you!” I was a little surprised that so few in the sold-out audience took them up on this offer. We made our way to the lobby and watched as all but a few dozen folks filed out. There was a line set up, but it was too crowded at first for me to figure out where we were supposed to stand. By the time I did, even though we were among the first out of the theater, we wound up practically at the end of the line. But the last shall be first, and I'm very glad that we were bringing up the rear.

We snatched up one of the small promotional posters and chatted a bit with the guys behind the long table, and each of them signed the poster for me, and just out of curiosity, we stuck around for a few minutes while the others in line behind us had their turn. At that point, there were barely more than a dozen people left, and the ten members of the group arranged themselves on the Warner's elegant staircase so anyone who wanted a picture with them could get one. Obviously, I wasn't about to pass that up! My dad snapped two photos, both of which turned out great, particularly the first, which was absolutely perfect aside from the two guys in the back losing a couple inches off their heads. It's hard to get all those people in one shot. But there are 11 expansive smiles, and I stick out in my bright blue coat against the backdrop of all those snazzy black suits. They all seem like really nice, down-to-earth guys, and I thought it was classy of them to insist on staying to take pictures despite rumbling stomachs and concerns that, as the clock ticked toward 11:00, they might not be able to find a nearby place still serving food. I hope they did; they certainly earned their dinner that night.

If you have the opportunity to see Straight No Chaser in concert, definitely consider snatching up tickets. This was one of the most vivacious and vocally impressive concerts I've ever attended.

Straight No Chaser Delivers Another Dose of Yuletide Harmony With Christmas Cheers

On November 29th, my parents and I will be going to see Straight No Chaser in concert, which I expect to be an explosively fun experience. We bought the tickets over the summer - though I’m kicking myself a bit that I didn’t get them the day they were announced, as we probably could’ve scored seats in the first couple of rows. Still, no matter where we wind up in that cozy theater, I know the hall will be alive with the sound of music, and it will wash over us just fine.

Given the fact that this is a post-Thanksgiving concert and that two of Straight No Chaser’s albums thus far have been Christmas releases, I’m going to take a leap and presume that a majority of the songs will be Christmassy in nature. If that’s not the case, I won’t mind; whatever these guys sing is gonna sound fantastic. But I confess I’m hoping for an extra dose of Holiday Spirits, along with this second album, Christmas Cheers, which was released in 2009 and features Ryan Ahlwardt, Walter Chase, Jerome Collins, Seggie Isho, Michael Luginbill, Charlie Mechling, Dan Ponce, David Roberts, Randy Stine and Tyler Trepp.

Straight No Chaser burst into the public consciousness in 2007 with their nearly decade-old performance of a seriously skewered version of The 12 Days of Christmas. This album closes with a studio version of it, and that’s great, but it makes you realize how much the delight of the audience fed the energy of that first performance. The recording feels a bit limp by comparison. It’s also nearly a minute shorter, partly due to a lack of audience response, partly because they seem to have sped it up just a bit, which kinda gives the appearance that they’re rushing through it. Still fantastic, just not quite as good as the live version.

While the harmonies on 12 Days are exceptional, it’s the marriage of harmony and humor that really got everyone’s attention, so I guess they figured they needed something comparable for their second album. Christmas Cheers opens with something brand-new and just as wacky: The Christmas Can-Can. This mixed-up medley created by Chase incorporates Can-Can, along with several Christmas songs, including Deck the Halls, Hark the Herald Angels Sing, Angels We Have Heard on High, I Saw Three Ships Come Sailing In, Jingle Bells, Ode to Joy and, once again, The Dreidel Song.

Can-Can and several of the other songs get new, amusing lyrics having to do with the craziness of the holiday season that now seems to start midway through October. At times, we have two or three songs going at once, and you really get the feeling that you’re walking through a shopping mall where every store is blaring its own collection of Christmas carols and harried shoppers are brushing past you every time you turn around. And if you don’t happen to celebrate Christmas, you’re feeling disenfranchised as well as stressed. Pretty hard to try singing along with, but a hilarious opening track.

Hilarity seems to have been on their minds when they came up with this album, as several other tracks have comical elements. We Three Kings is straightforward lyrically, but it’s arranged in such a way that the traditional carol merges with the Mission: Impossible theme song. Which I suppose is rather fitting for an epic trek that must have come with a challenge or two... A really cool and unexpected mash-up. Donde Esta Santa Claus is a goofy little number, with the tone oscillating between lethargic and trippy. To bring out the mariachi flavor, there are occasional bursts of brass instruments, or at least that’s what it sounds like, though as far as I know, there are no instruments used on this album, so somebody in the group does a pretty mean imitation of a trumpet. Evidently this is not an original song, but it’s one I’d never heard before, and with its hearty mix of English and Spanish, it’s a bit odd. Fun, though.

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer pretends that the guys are on an old-timey radio program, and theirs is a wonderfully doo-woppy version of the classic. Their first time through, they don’t add much in the way of embellishment, but on their second run, the lyrics suddenly take a turn for the bizarre. Rudolph becomes a “renegade Arctic deer” with a “nuclear” nose, and the whole thing gets a lot jazzier. Santa Claus Is Back in Town is mostly an Elvis tribute, with Ahlwardt reveling in his mimicry of the King of Rock as he becomes an Elvis-ish Santa seductively addressing the object of his affections. Well, he seems to think he’s being seductive, but he can’t go more than a sentence or two without mentioning food. Mostly, really gross food like mayonnaise candy canes and pigs’ feet-flavored eggnog. Blech! Speaking of eggnog, Who Spiked the Eggnog? is a finger-snappin’ silly fest in which everyone in the group stands accused of spiking the eggnog at the Straight No Chaser Christmas party. These guys are zany enough as it is; I don’t really think they need alcohol to help ‘em out!

While humor isn’t the main focus on most of the other tracks, it still seeps into most of them here and there. Hey, Santa! is a jazzy number reminding me of the Doobie Brothers’ Black Water. It’s a very peppy song that makes me smile. So does the R&B-flavored Let It Snow. Of course, You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch has some pretty ludicrous lyrics to start out with. I absolutely love what they’ve done with this one. It has a really mysterious sound to it, sounding like it would have a place in an old spy movie or something. At times, the melody line isn’t too far off from what we’re used to, but usually it deviates from it wildly, presenting an intriguing alternative to the familiar Thurl Ravenscroft version.

Jingle Bells is quick to the point of being a bit frenzied - as if the horses slipped on a patch of ice and sent the sleigh skittering out of control. In keeping with their habit of incorporating surprising songs into Christmas classics, they occasionally sing the words “jingle bells” to the tune of America from West Side Story, which adds to the fun, as does the spoken objection to the non-word “upsot”. Christmastime Is Here, by contrast, is downright drowsy, one of the few tracks that I imagine it would be possible to fall asleep to. A very soothing rendition with a dash of O Christmas Tree tossed in. I’ll Be Home for Christmas is another of the more sedate tracks, and it may be a challenger to Josh Groban for my favorite version of that song. Another pretty track, which starts out with the spooky whistling of wind, is God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen. The R&B flavor is a nice touch.

I always say that my favorite Christmas song is O Holy Night, but I’ve never been able to find a recording of it that I consider definitive. Straight No Chaser’s is a little too peppy for me to give them the award. Nonetheless, while this is more upbeat than I’m used to hearing this song, the harmonies are just gorgeous, and the doo-wop style actually suits it wonderfully. It sounds all the more sincere for being so different. I was really hoping for an a cappella or near-a cappella version of this song on Celtic Thunder’s recent Christmas album; this almost makes up for its absence.

All things considered, I think I prefer Holiday Spirits to Christmas Cheers, mainly because I’m in love with the poignant Christmas Wish and Indiana Christmas, while all of the original songs on this album are madcap. Not that that’s a bad thing. If you want a laugh while you’re putting up those decorations, Christmas Cheers is sure to bring you cheer.

On the Twelfth Day of Christmas, Hope Your True Love Gives You This...

December of 2008 turned out to be a rather momentous month for me, musically. That was when I listened to Celtic Thunder for the first time, and within a couple weeks of that, I heard Straight No Chaser’s The 12 Days of Christmas on the radio at work, leading me to look the group up as soon as I got home. I love Christmas music, but I’ll confess to generally finding that song a bit tedious and strange. Who wants all that stuff? Especially when half that “stuff” is people?

I’ve pretty much had it with straightforward versions of that song, but the controlled harmonic chaos of this a cappella group’s version is inspired, with something to make me laugh in every verse even as my ears bask in the tight blending of voices. Many others agreed with me; after the video, taken from a 1998 performance of the Indiana University a cappella group, got millions of hits, Atlantic Records came calling. Holiday Spirits - featuring Dan Ponce, Randy Stine, Charlie Mechling, Steve Morgan, Jerome Collins, Dave Roberts, Walter Chase, Mike Itkoff, Mike Luginbill and Ryan Ahlwardt - is the result.

The 12 Days of Christmas isn’t first, but I have to mention it first since it’s the one that launched the group into national awareness. Founder Dan Ponce’s brilliant arrangement allows the members to breeze through several verses at the same time, though how they can keep straight who’s singing what is a mystery. In addition to singing multiple verses at the same time, they creatively incorporate several traditional songs, including Deck the Halls, Frosty the Snowman, Here We Come A-Wassailing and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.

It’s amusing to hear the rather grotesque Boar’s Head Carol, to which VeggieTales’ zany first Christmas album introduced me, tossed in, and Hanukkah gets an endearing nod with an individual outburst of The Dreidel Song. But it’s the inclusion of Toto’s Africa that really gets me. It feels so utterly random, and yet they get the song to fit the format so perfectly. Well, okay, I’ll admit that “drummers drumming like Olympus upon the Serengeti” doesn’t actually make much sense. But the whole thing is so off-kilter that the line just makes me smile. This instantly became one of my favorite Christmas recordings - and my hands-down favorite version of the song, beating out Garrison Keillor’s deranged sound effects fest - so I was excited to learn that there was more where that came from. While this track remains my favorite, the rest of the album provides just as much listening pleasure.

Santa Claus Is Coming to Town starts off curiously sedate before turning into a peppy, doo-woppy number complete with finger-snapping and a distinctive backdrop of deep voices. Sound effects of various toys are a nice touch, and Collins, my favorite member of the group, has the lead. Jingle Bell Rock is on the mellow side, with lots of choral back-up, as is The Christmas Song, which also incorporates some jaunty whistling. Collins takes the spotlight again on This Christmas, a song I first heard from American Idol’s Ruben Studdard, though that version was a bit abrasive thanks to some intrusive instrumentation, whereas this one is smooth.

Christmas Wish has a sweetly earnest tone to it. One of two originals on the album, it is the plea of a lonely man longing for a love to share his Christmas with. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing is pretty basic, but then Collins comes in with Angels We Have Heard On High, with all the other members providing tiny bursts of backup like cheerily blinking Christmas lights, and his soulful reading of “Come to Bethlehem and see” is among my favorite moments on the album. Considering the Beach Boys’ mastery of close harmony, Little Saint Nick was a natural choice for Straight No Chaser, and they have a lot of fun with it. This is one of only two songs to incorporate an external instrument: jingle bells. And you’ll want some of your own to shake along with the music.

Indiana Christmas is a touching original song in tribute to Indiana, which is in the tradition of many songs about going home for Christmas. I don’t know how many of the group’s members are actually from Indiana, but it was certainly home to all of them at one point. Accentuating the wistful tone of the song is the verse that includes a reflection on deceased loved ones. One of my favorite tracks. Sweet Little Jesus Boy is a lullaby I first heard on Anne Murray’s Christmas album, and their rendition is somber but tender. Collins takes the lead again on the peppy, pleading Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home), and the jingle bells make a welcome return as well.

Carol of the Bells is one of the coolest, incorporating God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen in the beginning and including lots of neat harmonies and voices imitating the sound of bells. From there, we move on to Silent Night, which starts off pretty straightforward before experimenting considerably with melody and harmony on the second verse and returning to a more traditional reading for the third verse. This is one of those songs you can almost guarantee you’ll find on most Christmas albums, and their version has much to recommend it. The album ends on a chipper note even though I generally think of Auld Lang Syne as a rather melancholy song. It sure doesn’t sound like it when they do it, and why should it? These old acquaintances certainly haven’t forgotten one another, nor are you likely to forget them after hearing this luminous reunion recording.

Lose Yourself in Harmonic Richness With Straight No Chaser's With a Twist

In December of 2008, I was at work, with the radio tuned into the station playing all Christmas music, all the time. A version of The 12 Days of Christmas came on, and at first I didn’t pay much attention, as it’s one of those songs that tends to annoy me more often than not. But then I realized that there was something significantly different about this rendition - that its purpose was, in fact, to skewer the song as thoroughly as possible while joyously tearing through the Christmas carol catalog, taking as many merry melodies down with it as possible. I love Christmas music; if it were considered a genre in and of itself, it would be my favorite genre. But this song celebrated and mocked simultaneously, and by the time Toto’s Africa showed up in the last verse of the song like a bolt out of the blue, I just about collapsed laughing, grateful that I had no customers in the store at that moment to observe my descent into lunacy.

The name of the group was Straight No Chaser, and I was hardly the only person to latch onto their extraordinary performance of that song. It became a YouTube sensation, then hit the radio waves, leading this one-time college a cappella group to cut a full Christmas album, and then another, and, most recently, a third album for any ol’ time of year. I’ve listened to the Christmas albums with relish but have yet to add them to my collection, so With a Twist became my first Straight No Chaser purchase. I suspect it will soon be followed by concert tickets, as they’re coming to Erie in November and something tells me that I won’t want to miss that. But for now, I’m content to listen to the brilliant harmonies of this fantastic choral group - Ryan Ahlwardt, Walter Chase, Jerome Collins, Seggie Isho, Michael Luginbill, Charlie Mechling, Dan Ponce, David Roberts, Randy Stine and Tyler Trepp - who breathe new life into classic songs with their inspired, instrument-free arrangements.

I’m Yours / Over the Rainbow - These two songs go together so well that it seems like they were always written to be a medley. The Wizard of Oz anthem has experienced a resurgence in popularity lately thanks to the wonderfully mellow Hawaiian-styled version by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole, which he matches up with Wonderful World. I’ve always felt I’m Yours had a very Hawaiian sound to it, and it complements Over the Rainbow as perfectly as Wonderful World. Instead of a medley celebrating the joy of life in general, we get an ode to the beauty of romantic love, and every time I listen to their carefully articulated rendition, I am impressed again at the intricacy of Jason Mraz’s rhyme pattern. A wonderful group effort and one of my favorite tracks on the album.

Tainted Love - A fun, slightly dangerous-sounding track. I’ve never been a huge fan of the song, and it’s one of the tracks I’ll sometimes skip, but they still do a great job with it, with Luginbill standing out as the soloist as he does in the first track.

Don’t Dream It’s Over - Ahlwardt takes the lead in this inspirational song that is one of many on the album that seem to have a lot of resonance with LOST, though it may just be that I can’t help seeing everything through that lens nowadays. Smooth and encouraging, it acknowledges the inevitability of difficult times but offers assurance that the good will prevail.

Fix You - Luginbill and Collins share soloist duties on this Coldplay anthem, another inspirational song that has even deeper LOST resonances. For me, it sounds like a song from Christian Shephard to his son Jack. Both are “fixers,” which is both a good and noble thing and a liability. But this is about a renewed, repentant Christian trying to reach out to his broken son: “But if you never try, you’ll never know / just what you’re worth. / Lights will guide you home...” In any event, it’s a lovely song, and of all the individual voices in the group, Collins’ smooth, soulful tone is the one I find the most soothing.

You’re My Best Friend - A very peppy, upbeat number that gives each of the guys a chance to shine individually. Just a summery, feel-good song. I haven’t latched onto this one quite as much as some of the others, but it’s a great song, and Queen’s rich harmonic sound is wonderfully suited to their style.

The Living Years - Probably my favorite track on the album. I always really liked this wistful song that, like Cat’s in the Cradle, reads like a cautionary tale against fractured father-son relationships. This one somehow feels more hopeful, and almost has a gospel flavor to it. While Harry Chapin’s classic focuses purely on the failure of one broken relationship, the speaker in this one spends the whole song reflecting and actively encouraging the listeners to learn from his mistakes. Again, there’s a whole lotta LOST here, and it’s easy to imagine Jack being the speaker, regretting his lost opportunities to communicate clearly with his father. “I wasn’t there that morning when my father passed away. / I didn’t get to tell him all the things I had to say...” Ahlwardt does an absolutely beautiful job with the lead vocals, and I love both the staccato percussion, which sounds like the persistent patter of raindrops, and the tight harmonies on the chorus driving home the message.

You & Me & the Bottle Makes Three / Single Ladies - Guess we needed a bit of a break after the solemnity of the last track. This one is a jazzy ode to drinking mashed up with Beyonce’s maddeningly catchy ditty that just won’t go away. Ponce and Collins are the lead vocalists on this one. It’s fun but frivolous and another one that I sometimes skip, though I love some of the deep-voiced interjections during the first portion of the song, as they remind me of Rockapella, the first group to make me fall in love with this style of music.

Wonderwall - This Oasis song was popular when I was in high school, but it wasn’t until the third season of LOST, when it became Charlie’s personal anthem, that I really came to love it. Now I can’t listen to it without being reminded of the intense relationship between this washed-up rock star and the frazzled Scottish sailor who believes it’s his duty to save him from an unfair fate. “Maybe you’re gonna be the one that saves me...” The soulful qualities in Collins’ voice are especially evident in this song, which is about as close as any track comes to being a pure solo effort, though of course as always his vocals are enhanced by the harmonic backing of the rest.

Joy to the World - Ahlwardt, Trepp and Chase share soloist duties on this unusual take on the Three Dog Night hit. Straight No Chaser‘s version is even more repetitive than the original, and it has an interesting minor tone to it, along with some strange rhythmic choices. It almost doesn’t sound recognizable, but it’s fun to hear such a familiar song performed in such a new way.

Under the Bridge - This song, oddly enough, was one that was introduced to me by Weird Al Yankovic. Despondent but ultimately hopeful, it’s another one that benefits from Collins’ stirring vocals, and another one that reminds me of LOST’s Jack, this time recalling his darkest moments when he was contemplating suicide in Los Angeles. “I don't ever wanna feel like I did that day. / Take me to the place I love, take me all the way.”

Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You - Like Joy to the World, an enthusiastic new take on an oldies staple. Collins again takes the lead here, but this is a very harmonically dense track, so it’s more of a group effort than many of his solo turns. Another very feel-good kind of song that gets more complex as it goes along.

One Voice - This makes a neat capper to the album because Barry Manilow joins the guys, taking the lead vocals himself, later to be joined by Collins and Luginbill. It’s an extremely fitting way to end this album, as it’s all about voices joining together. The lyrics are a wonderful tribute to what makes Straight No Chaser so impressive, while also encouraging listeners to add their own voice to the chorus, whether literally or metaphorically. Some of the most intricate harmonies on the album are appropriately found here. “All it takes is one voice / Singing so they hear what's on your mind / And when you look around you'll find / There's more than one voice / Singing in the darkness...”

If you dig a cappella music, you’re sure to find Straight No Chaser a delightful addition to your list of favorite artists. And if you’ve never listened to much music in this style, give them a shot; you might just fall in love with them as so many folks did when that little video of their decade-old Christmas performance made its way onto YouTube.