Perry Como Christmas

I got to Perry Como rather late in life, but regard his voice as being among the most beautiful that I've ever heard. This is particularly the case for one of my all-time favorite songs--his version of O Holy Night. Honestly, when I first heard it I felt as if God had walked into the room. His Ave Maria is also superb in my mind. I even prefer his recording over those of the famous opera singers. Overall, there's not a song on here that isn't great. Perry Como and the Charlie Brown CD sit at the top of my treasured Christmas list.

As a Christmas all year round person and a Perry Como fan, I absolutely love the CD. A fabulous addition to my Holiday music collection. Wonderful!

Backstory: I was preparing to host my annual holiday party, which had swelled to 40-50 people. I realized that I would need music to cover the full range of guests from 8 to 80 year olds. This CD was purchased to appeal to the 50 - 60 year-olds.

Review: One way to measure the quality of a vocalist who is no longer performing is to gauge how much of their music is still relevant today. Though Perry Como hasn't recorded in roughly 20 years, over half of the tracks from this album were selected for my party. This is saying something since I lumped cultural giants like Tony Bennett and Frank Sinatra in this same grouping!

Another way to judge a vocalist is by the quality of their voice. Perry Como's delivery is robust, his voice is a rich 2nd Tenor and his interpretations are heart-felt. To my ears, he places more emphasis on classical musicianship than the other leading male vocalists of his day.

So what's the rub? Why was only half of his music selected? Well, first of all, his was one of eleven albums used to create a five-hour mix. This means that no artist--contemporary or classic--could have had all of their work selected.

However, the other reality is that robust, well-sung and warm interpretations no longer stand out in this age of digital perfection. The listener today expects a level of sound and recording quality that was frankly difficult to achieve in the 1950's through the 1970's. Perry Como delivers these modern expectations, but it just doesn't stand out anymore when compared with the same songs by more contemporary artists.

Also, what performers such as Bennett and Sinatra (...arguably) ...lacked in classical musicianship, they more than made up for is style and energy. Perry Como's style is his noticeable lack of affect--and that's just not enough to entertain anymore.

My last criticism is that the songs that were left out were usually either overtly partisan (...for lack of a better word) ...or just not holiday-oriented.

To the first point, perhaps the culture in Perry Como's day was more overtly religious and conservative. Today, a party mix has to--at a minimum--not offend. Some of the music on this CD (e.g., 'The Story of the First Christmas' and 'I Know What God Is') implies a world view which is rarely welcome in public anymore.

The other point is represented by tracks like 'The Bells of St. Mary's" and "The Father of Girls". These tracks have maybe one oblique reference--if any at all--to the holidays, and they're just plain downers!

Bottom line: Perry Como's musicianship and tone are well-worth the price of this CD. Half of the tracks are still relevant today and a real comfort to listen to. There is likely someone on your gift list who would welcome the other half too--like my mother-in-law, who practically burst into tears upon seeing this album in the CD format. (I left the CD with her and bought a second for my collection!)

Happy holidays and happy listening!

Even though Perry Como is gone,the magic of the Christmas season perseveres in this collection of his recordings from RCA Victor. Two of my personal favorites are on this DVD collection..."There's No Place Like Home for the Holidays" and "Christmas Eve". It just isn't Christmas without listening to the melodies from Mr. C!!!

I have a lot of Christmas LPs & CDs. I rate this one near the top. Christmas Dream may be rather simplistic but is a favorite of mine and one of the reasons I bought this CD.