Not So Silent Night (2009)




  1. The First Noel
  2. Winter Wonderland
  3. Silent Night
  4. Deck the Halls
  5. Little Drummer Boy
  6. The White Snows of Winter
  7. Angels We Have Heard On High (Gloria)
  8. Children Go Where I Send Thee
  9. I'll Be Home For Christmas
  10.God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen
  11.Happy Xmas (War is Over)
  12.Blue Christmas
  13.Joy to the World
  --Bonus Tracks--
  14.Sleigh Ride
  15.Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
  16.I Believe in Santa Claus


 

At first glance, you might raise an eyebrow at this release. And, frankly, several listens later, the expression probably won’t change. A Christmas album by REO Speedwagon? Odd, but not entirely unexpected. Like many of their contemporaries, the band had reached a point where new material wasn’t exactly flying off the shelves. Without the backing of a major label, and with costs outweighing likely returns, it seems this was a compromise—record something “new,” but with material already etched into every listener’s memory. Familiarity sells, especially during the holidays.

What we have here is a collection that runs the full gamut of seasonal offerings—from the sacred to the silly. The choices are mostly traditional standards, which means you already know whether or not you're interested. The band doesn't reinvent the wheel with Winter Wonderland or Angels We Have Heard on High, but they don’t embarrass themselves either. Whether or not hearing REO Speedwagon sing them instead of, say, your local choir means anything to you, is entirely a matter of taste.

By this point, REO’s current lineup had lasted longer than all prior incarnations combined—nearly two decades. Still, that longevity didn’t equate to widespread familiarity, as most people showing up to their concerts were there to relive the glory days, not to witness the latest output. In fact, despite the consistency in membership, this doesn’t quite sound like the REO Speedwagon many would remember from the late ’70s or early ’80s. That’s not necessarily a bad thing—it’s just different.

Unfortunately, Kevin Cronin’s once-distinctive voice is showing signs of age here. There's a noticeable strain in several places, and one suspects that a fair bit of studio wizardry was used to keep things on key. The band, too, sounds like they’re trying just a bit too hard to shed their rock roots and settle into something more genteel. It doesn’t always work. Still, credit where it’s due: their cover of John Lennon’s Happy Xmas (War Is Over) is tastefully done and stands out as one of the better tracks—possibly because it's not as overdone as the others in the holiday canon.

There’s also the peculiar matter of multiple versions of this album floating around. One edition came with three bonus tracks, including the original I Believe in Santa Claus, which is actually quite decent. It makes you wonder why they didn’t include another original or two to flesh things out. As it stands, this is a pleasant, if somewhat unnecessary, addition to the catalog. Call it a stocking stuffer for the faithful. Everyone else can probably sit this one out.





Go back to the main page