Excellent Christmas CD, with one BIG misfire
342631
I'm sure Mr. Bubl would give anything to have the track "Santa Buddy" removed from this CD. The amazing thing is that many executive heads must have been in a cloud giving this track the go ahead. It's just TOO quirky to enjoy and unfortunately breaks up this otherwise beautiful and diverse set of Christmas songs on this CD. (Santa Pal-ey? What the heck is that?) Despite my personal loathing of this track, the rest of the CD is excellent and I'm very glad that it's a part of my growing collection of Christmas music. Removing Santa Buddy and adding the severals tracks from his "Let it Snow" mini-CD from a few years ago creates the perfect Bubl Christmas offering! I just love his "Grown-up Christmas List" which is featured in his other Christmas Cd and should easily have replaced "Santa Buddy" on this CD.  Enjoy!
249675
Il Divo is just about the hottest thing going on right now and I believe this overwhelmingly talented group of young men will remain at the top for about as long as they choose to stay together. This Christmas collection is just another opportunity to enjoy these amazing voices perform. IL DIVO: THE CHRISTMAS COLLECTION is sure to bring back memories of Christmas from your inner child with stirring renditions of a handful of Christmas favorites.

As much as I love listening to this group, I've limited my rated to four stars for a couple of reasons. First of all, this CD is disappointingly limited to only ten songs. I can think of literally dozens of Christmas songs I would love to hear these guys sing. Maybe next year they will add other Christmas favorites to their repertoire. The other reason I did not give this a five star rating is that a couple of the songs here just seem out of place. Over the Rainbow is hardly what I would call a "Christmas Classic", though they do a fine rendition, not the best I've heard. I give that honor to Iz Kamakawiwo'ole. Also, The Lord's Prayer is not really a true Christmas Psalm either.

Those things aside, however, when you hear things like Carlos' baritone voice belting out O Come All Ye Faithful (one of my favorite Christmas songs), you tend to overlook this CD's shortcomings. Il Divo fans will love this one, but it will leave you wanting more.
1946051
I loved "the 12 Days of Christmas" when I first heard it at a friend's place on the internet. sadly the version here isn't as lively as the version I heard, so I took away a star. the rest of the songs are traditional Christmas carols with rude stories added into them. John's musical style includes a piano and vocals, and sometimes a live show. this CD has no booklet or lyrics included which is a shame because lots of studeo and live albums all feature booklets with lyrics and about the artist. if you hate Christmas, get this! it will help you laugh your head off through the tough time. I hate it now because I had 6 CD's go a stray from Amazon Marketplace and my computer started breaking down and making Windows Media Player not let me edit the album info. Happaly the CD's have all arrived, Paul Simon being the very last. Another CD arrived at the weekend and I should get some more this week. John Valby being one of the CD's next month, because he is good. My favourite is "Sit On a Happy Face". If you want to make fun of Christmas, buy this, along with "Kev's Christmas" by Kevin Bloody Wilson.
4249931
We purchased this CD with great anticipation.  We love Celtic Thunder and we love Christmas.  We had hoped for great harmonies; these guys sound best when they sing together.  Silent Night is very well done.  Mostly it just doesn't hang together and consequently, it isn't very listenable -- maybe it's better in a live concert.  When You Wish upon a Star and Christmas 1915 were duplicates and didn't fit the mood.  It should have either been a "happy CD" with upbeat Christmas songs or a "traditional CD" with the well known carols (given their voices, that would be my preference).  However, checking this out led me to a group I was unfamiliar with -- The Canadian Tenors -- who have a great Christmas CD and the best concert DVD I have ever seen.  I guarantee that you'll love it.
1839941
Unfortunately, I bought this used from an Amazon seller but they only sent me two of the five CDs.
The two I received were excellent but I am missing the other three so can't comment on them.
Tracks from the missing CDs are used for the Main Street USA Christmas loop in Disneyland Resort Paris and were the main reason I bought the CD.  They are, of course, on the missing ones!
Do check with sellers before purchase that you are getting the full set and not just an odd CD from it.
It is an excellent (now out of print) source of Christmas music. Just take care you are getting the full set.
I have ordered the full set from another Amazon seller who clearly states it is the full 5 CD set but am still awaiting delivery (it takes a while to get from the States to the UK).
Interesting enough, Amazon asked me to review this but the section it's been published in isn't for the CDs I purchased (same name, different album)????????
Should be under this one http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000003QWB/ref=cm_cr_rev_prod_title
This review (and others on this page) appear under this title as well
http://www.amazon.com/Joy-World-Hayman/dp/B0000014BR/ref=cm_cr_pr_pb_t

Doesn't help, does it?
3952827
Have always loved this arrangement of Christmas music. This cd was used and I knew that, but had pauses and skips on it.
2199851
I have a different version of the CD; the tracks are in a different order. But I'll do it your way, Amazon.com.
Overall, it's a good CD, but some tracks are pretty bad.
1. God Bless The USA - A great song. Josh and Trencye take parts of the verses, and both sound great. It's a great song for the present situation of the world. The group sounds good together, and no one overpowers the rest. 10/10
2. What The World Needs Now - Also a good arangement for the group. Their voices blend suprisingly well together. It pales in comparison to God Bless The USA. 8/10
3. Ruben Studdard - Superstar - Awful. Truly awful. He's a good singer, but between this and his debut album, he'll be lucky to get another CD made. 3/10
4. Clay Aiken - On The Wings Of Love - The opposite of the track before it. It's great. Clay sounds great on it, his voice singing the words so perfectly. One of the best tracks vocally, and one of my favorites. 10/10
5. Julia DeMato - At Last - She does much better with this than anything she did on the show. This shows what a powerful vocalist she can be. 8/10
6. Josh Gracin - Three Times A Lady - Well, this was an orignial Billy Joel song, so that makes it hard to comment. Josh does well with it, but it's not near as good as the original. This is also the wrong genera for him. As his debut album shows, he should be in country, and it's to bad he didn't choose that for his song here. 7/10
7. Trenyce - Let's Stay Together - I found this to be a good choice of song for her. She does well on it. This was another person on the show who was fairly awful most of the time, but allows this song to show how good she COULD have been. 9/10
8. Ricky Smith - Back At One - This is one of the greatest songs of all time. It's sweet, and Ricky does a very good job with it. He seems to be a nice guy with a good voice, and I wish him well. 9/10
9. Kimberly Caldwell - Killing Me Softly With His Song - Undoubtably the best on the album. As Amazon says, she does it very, very well and is just great. It's a sad, sweet song, with the perfect range for her. I heard she just recently got signed with Randy Jackson, and I can't WAIT to hear more of her. 10/10
10. Corey Clark - Open Arms - Another AMAZING track. He did very good. It's such a shame that he was ejected from AI, as I think he could have done very well. He seemed to be a rebel with an amazing voice. Hopefully we'll hear more from him. 10/10
11. Carmen Rasmusen - How Do I Live - I really don't remember this track all this well. Not horrible, but not great. All I remember is that it was better than 99% of her stuff on the show. And that's a VERY good thing.
12. Kim Locke - Over The Rainbow - A more traditional arrangement than what's on One Love. I like that one better, but she still does well with it. As Simon said in his book, she was/is technically the best singer in the group and deserved to be passed through to the Final 2. I'm most happy for her out of all of the contestants. 9/10
13. Overjoyed - I'm not sure why there are so many group songs on this album, but it was very good. Pales in comparison to the other two, but was still decent. Not my favorite track. 8/10
This album was well put together with only a few unfortunate tracks. Congrats to all of the contestants who have done something with their time on AI.
3327173
The person who gave this CD a one star and admitted he hasn't listened to it, so it would be unfair to comment on it .. why did you diss it with a paltry one star and comment on it? Be consistent with your own words! Oy!
I just listened to it yesterday, and I think it is great! The Elvis purists who don't like this just because it has other voices on it ... judge it on its own merits. I hoped Amy Grant would have had a greater singing role on White Christmas, instead of being just a blended voice, but it was still good. The last three songs are Elvis only but remixed (NOT dance versions, just remixed in the same style), remastered, and added instrumentation. I have no reservations in recommending this CD. I just hope the songs get airplay, especially since they have contemporary artists. It's like having a new CD release, so radio stations-- include these songs, and the other classic, timeless Elvis Christmas songs on the air!
1) BLUE CHRISTMAS w/Martina McBride
2) I'LL BE HOME FOR CHRISTMAS w/Carrie Underwood
3) HERE COMES SANTA CLAUS (RIGHT DOWN SANTA CLAUS LANE) w/Leann Rimes
4) SANTA CLAUS IS BACK IN TOWN w/Wynonna Judd
5) SILENT NIGHT w/Sara Evans
6) WHITE CHRISTMAS w/Amy Grant
7) MERRY CHRISTMAS BABY w/Gretchen Wilson
8) O LITLE TOWN OF BETHLEHEM w/Karen Fairchild & Kimberly Schlapman of Little Big Town
9) SILVER BELLS w/Anne Murray
10) O COME ALL YE FAITHFUL w/Olivia Newton-John

BONUS TRACKS- Only Elvis on vocals:
11) THE FIRST NOEL (2008)*
12) IF I GET HOME FOR CHRISTMAS (2008)*
13) WINTER WONDERLAND (2008) *
  * - Tracks 11-13 are new 2008 versions that are "remixed [same sytyle as originals, NOT dance versions], remastered, and feature additional instrumentation."

Enjoy it for Christmas!
4822995
This one lives up to it's title.  It is indeed "the greatest Christmas novelty CD of all time".  You get practically every great Christmas novelty song ever recorded.  Classics from the Chipmunks, Spike Jones, Stan Freberg and many others.  It even includes that overplayed "Grandma" song.  My personal favorite Christmas novelty, "Green Chri$tma$", is here.  And chances are that your favorite Christmas novelty is here, too.  This is one of my favorite CDs from my huge Christmas CD collection.  Highly recommended.
416664
I have the utmost respect for John Rutter and his Cambridge Singers, probably the best choir in the world (at least, the English-speaking world).  I have almost all their CDs.  Two of their Christmas CDs are "desert-island" class for this listener.

Unfortunately, I cannot give this otherwise excellent CD the same high marks.  If they wanted to release a "best of Cambridge Christmas" CD, this would not be it.  It does a few of the absolute best Christmas selections, including Sweelinck's "Hodie", Willcocks's breathtaking arrangement of "The Infant King", and Rutter's own quirky reading of "Personent Hodie".  And it does contain a few tracks not previously released.

However, if you want the best of Cambridge and Christmas, start with "Christmas Night", which is always the first CD I pull out the day after Thanksgiving.  The sound of the famliar Persall setting of "In Dulci Jubilo" sets my holiday in motion.  And that CD also has Rutter's own magical "There is a flower".  After that CD, get "Christmas with the Cambridge Singers", which has "The Infant King" and some other treasures.

So, you can't really go wrong with this CD, especially if you just want an introduction to how this fine ensemble addresses the most choir-friendly holiday of all.  But if you're serious about getting all the good stuff, start with the other two mentioned above, then add "Christmas Day in the Morning" and the early "Christmas Star".
122461
I LOVE the voices and the choice of music on this collection.  It lost a star because there are CHRISTMAS SONGS sprinkled at random throughout.  Since I am officially a grinch during Christmas time you can only imagine how it irks me to have Christmas music played during other times of the year.  My husband and oldest daughter find it very amusing, though, so I'm sure they would give this product 5 stars for great music + the added entertainment of watching the mama wig out every time a Christmas song comes on.
534615
Wow!  High-powered beauty PLUS creative jazz!  I love it, I love it, I LOVE IT!!!  This is the previously released 2007 Hallmark Christmas CD by Barry, now re-released with 2 additional tracks added.

There are 12 tracks in all now, between a half hour and 45 minutes in total.  Yes, I wish it was longer, but it's still great.  These are mainly traditional Christmas songs.  Yes!  I said CHRISTMAS!!! And I'm proud of it!  I get tired of all this "HOLIDAY" stuff.  Christmas is Christmas.  If you don't like the word, don't celebrate it!

OK.  I'm off my soapbox now.  Anyway, the songs are:

1)Silver Bells (all 5 or 6 tracks done by Barry overlaying each other)
2)Carol of the Bells/Jingle Bells (verrrrry jazzzzzy) (I love those J-I-N-G-L-E  B-E-double L-S  U-C)
3)Joy to the World/It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year
4)Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
5)Violets for Your Furs (slow--very pretty--about winter in Manhattan and a guy buying violets for his girl's furs)
6)O Tannenbaum/Winter Wonderland  (a bit jazzy on Winter Wonderland)
7)Christmas Time is Here (the song you hear on the Snoopy cartoon Christmas special)
8)The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)
9)Toyland
10)Count Your Blessings
Bonus Tracks (added to the 2009 version):
11)Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
12)Christmas is Just Around the Corner

Like I said, these are Christmas standards and you already know what they sound like.  He stayed fairly straight on most of them, keeping the original beauty. Of course, you know what Toyland sounds like and I love it.  It always makes me think of the special times watching children play at Christmas time.  "Count Your Blessings" is one of many pretty songs that Rosemary Clooney sings in the movie "White Christmas."

Rudolph, Barritized version is excellent! It is a combo dixieland clarinet plus big-band and it is REALLY hard to listen to without singing along with B.  He is one of the few artists who can take a classic like R the RNR, make it his own, and still keep the integrity of the original song in tact.

CisJAtheCorner was written by B for the 2008 childrens' special cartoon "Cranberry Christmas".  A cute little show for the kids and a delightful little song, my inner child loves its freshness, energy and enthusiasm.  When I first got the CD, I played this track about 10 times. (Yeah.  I know.  Get a life!)  No kidding--I LOVE it!  It is such a light, airy tune.  It resonates well with both me and the child within me.  It makes me want to jump up and do the "Freddy," even when I'm driving on the interstate (so I have to restrain myself).  "Christ-maaas, is just around the cor-ner. . ."  I love it.

By the way, for the young whippersnappers reading this, the Freddy was a dance from the mid 1960s where you waved your arms and legs (legs one at a time, preferably).

Yep, Barry's still got it!  37 years of making records and still going!  These arrangements are great!  I am happy to see that Hallmark chose Barry as their Christmas artist for the original and glad to see the re-release.

Lovely, simply lovely!  I bought it the first day it became available and have played it about 50,000 times already!  (OK.  Maybe that's a SLIGHT exaggeration.)
352551
If their intention was to offer a complete collection of his holiday releases I'm afraid the Hoey team came up three short with this set. "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" appear to have been overlooked and the track identified as "Cookies and Eggnog" on Disc 2 is actually just a duplication of "Joy to the World" from Disc 1. Pretty sloppy work, fellas. So why five stars anyway? Because the previously unreleased tracks which are only available in this compilation are so excellent (particularly "My Favorite Things"). Unfortunately the omitted tracks were from different cds so to really have a complete collection you'd still need to pick up Ho Ho Hoey Volumes 1 & 3. But despite the errors there's so much great guitar work here that you really can't go wrong so my advice is to pick it up anyway!
4827526
Liberace is remembered for his schmalzy and flamboyant style and this style serves him well in this collection of familiar Christmas selections.  The piano & string arrangements of "What Child Is This" and "The Little Drummer Boy" are good as is the operatic type soprano solo on "Ave Maria".  I personally consider Liberace's vocal rendition of "Silver Bells" as abysmally bad.
However, the brilliance of the medleys far outshines that one low spot.  Rather than just two, three or four songs played side by side, these songs are intricately intertwined with each other, a phrase from one unexpectedly showing up while another is being played.  The first medley features "O Tannenbaum" given a majestically dramatic interpretation with "We Wish You A Merry Christmas" interjecting itself at times.  The second medley of "White Christmas", "Adeste Fidelis", and "Silent Night" is played with a number of "Jingle Bells" phrases playfully thrown in.  The closing medley of "Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town" and "Here Comes Santa Claus" is combined again with "Jingle Bells" for a rousing and fun performance.  And for a truly powerful spiritual medley, we have "O Little Town Of Bethlehem", "It Came Upon A Midnight Clear" and "Joy To The World" with musical statements from each juxtaposed to each other.
Purists will need to suspend their judgments if they want to thoroughly enjoy this CD, but for most of us, this should be at the top of the list for sheer enjoyment.
1141573
The one song on this cd is wonderful, and I have played it many times.  However, I didn't realize that there was only one song on it - my error.
125400
This CD is a bit difficult to review, as it's a Christmas CD.  In general, most Christmas CDs don't need longevity - they're pulled off of the shelf once a year, listened to a few times at most, and then replaced, forgotten about until the next Christmas rolls around.

That's fortunate, as I've got a feeling that this CD wouldn't hold up under repeated listenings.

Don't get me wrong; I like the CD quite a lot.  The original songs are good, for the most part.  "Green Christmas" is a standout, and "Elf's Lament" is catchy (even though Michael Buble's voice sounds flat for most of the track).  "Snowmen" has a more depressing mood than the other songs and doesn't quite fit with the rest of the tracks, but it's one of the better songs on the disc.

As for the covers...well, they're a mixed bag.  The "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" duet with Sarah McLachlan is easily the best song on the disc; it's been released on other albums, but having it here is a very nice touch.  The cover of "Do They Know It's Christmas" is relatively faithful to the original; your enjoyment of it will depend on how much you liked the original song.  "Auld Lang Syne" and "I Saw Three Ships" are faithful as well; the Ladies' covers are nice but nothing that we haven't heard before.

The goofier tracks on the CD may not hold up under repeated listenings, though.  The instrumental tracks (including "Rudolph" and "O Holy Night") are done in the style of eighties cheese.  "Deck The Halls" gets old after the first time you hear it.  Hearing the Batman verse in the middle of "Jingle Bells" or "Happy Birthday Jesus" might not appeal to everyone.

In the end, though, I enjoyed the CD.  I won't be listening to it year round, and I might not bother to pull it out again after I've had several years worth of Christmases to listen to it at.  It's enjoyable, though, and you should get your money's worth from the disc long before it gets old.
4010281
That's right, complaining about the song selection on this CD is like being disappointed with John Lennon for being controversial. Sir Paul has always cranked out both great and awful songs with equal affection, most of the time not being able to tell the difference. He loves them all, you see. Anyway, this CD deserves 5 stars because of a huge number of great songs that are included.
Oh, and what the hey, everybody else here is doing it, so I'm going to list my favorite songs that I think should have been included here: "Wild Life", "Monkberry Moon Delight" (shut up, I love that song), "Give Ireland Back To The Irish", "Mrs. Vanderbilt", "1985", "Getting Closer", "London Town", "Mary Had A Little Lamb", and "Wonderful Christmas Time" (you like and you know it). There, I feel better.