Moments worth freezing in time...

Have you ever had one of those moments when you pause, take a step back - then realize you wished you could remember that one particular moment in your mind? That if you had a camera - or a blank canvas, you would try to preserve the moment? I know I've had them... and in some instances, they represent very simple - yet wonderful visuals that tell me life is worth living.

One such moment happened just a while ago - in fact, it happened twice around the same time yesterday and today. Of what do I talk about? Simple... it's the image of seeing my kids asleep - really peaceful and rested, while Bubbles, likewise enjoying the lull of the moment and the cool environment, is at times curled up at their feet (sometimes, she's stretched... at other times, she's got her head rested on a pillow).

So why does this merit a pause? Simple, it represents what I want in life... the peace, the quiet, the safeness, the fact that at that point in time, they are blissful and rested. My kids - though they technically are more teens now than kids, are two important aspects of my life... and Bubbles resting at their side - represents of course, the added love, loyalty and security offered them unconditionally. Bubbles stays with them - not because she is forced to... but because she does not think otherwise. It's not for her protection or sheer comfort either... she is very protective of anyone in my family - specially when we are asleep.

But yeah... going back to the topic on hand, this is one image worth remembering. It makes me think everything is okay in my world... and that both Barbie and I are able to continue giving them what they need - including the bliss of resting in a home... mindless of time passing.

Despite what I said earlier about wanting to preserve it with pictures though, I know it's inappropriate to do just that - so I will merely preserve it in my mind... and in this blog.

We should all be so lucky.

Bocelli Christmas album - my review

Few people can match the vocal and production excellence of Josh Groban's Christmas album 'Noel' - it's why I consider it my barometer or benchmark when thinking of 'quality' Christmas songs or albums. It may seem unfair to other artists... it may likewise seem unfair for Mr. Groban. I don't pretend to be an expert in deciding what's good or bad - but I do know what I want when I hear it.

So why start with talking about Mr. Groban? Well, I did say few, right? Here is one album that I feel matching that description. Andrea Bocelli's 'My Christmas' is a must have album. There, I've said it. It's production quality can best be discerned by listening to each song - the arrangement, the selection... and yes, definitely... the voice.

From the very start, with his soulful rendition of White Christmas, switching from English to Italian the obvious strength of Bocelli is his mastery of several languages and his seemingly effortless transitioning from one language to another as he sings without missing a beat... this lends to a universal (okay, maybe just global) theme that Christmas is definitely celebrated around the world... and this singer can definitely relate to that. BTW, I'm guessing about the Italian here, since I don't really speak the language, but if the song's other title 'Bianco Natale' is any clue... I'd guess it was Italian.

Now why'd I say global? Simple, his rendition of another classic Yuletide song, 'O Tanenbaum' starts of - rightly so, in German, then switches to English, and it's not the only song he does this too.

Andrea's other strength is his flexibility - not just with languages, but with his genre... many would say he's a classical singer... fine. Operatic in approach? Maybe so - and by the way, I don't really go for such songs or singers... and if Bocelli sang them, well then fine too... but as I said, I'm not really a fan of such genre. Luckily, Bocelli seems to have traversed such genre and found his mark continuously traversing from pop to classic.

For the most part, his Christmas songs are peppered with classical innuendos, but that's just fine - it does not come across as pretentious, nor forced. I still enjoy the songs, the rendition and... the arrangements. His 'Santa Claus is Coming to Town', for example, is sung with a choir of children... and he comes across as an adult who is reminding the children of their following some simple suggestions for when Santa comes to town - his low voice a pleasant counter to the children's high tones... that is, until he reaches a high note himself.

Another favorite of mine is his 'Jingle Bells' - see if you can place some names to the voices you'll hear him singing with.

One last thought, I believe I carped about Christmas albums carrying 'Ave Maria' as a song - not that I'm anti-Mother Mary or anything... heaven forbid, as I'm Roman Catholic, and I do admire the mother of Jesus, who is equally a central figure in the birth of Jesus... but, the song has been used in other - more sorrowful occasions, so I find it unbecoming of a Christmas tune selection. I won't blame the song - which is basically the 'Hail Mary' prayer... but I'll have to blame the practitioners using said song in sorrowful gatherings for giving me this bias. So why bring this up? Well, Josh added the song in his Christmas album - and so did David (Archuleta) for that matter, and when I hear the first few notes for said song, I simply press the 'next' button in my player whenever it comes up. So you see, even Josh could not remove form me this bias.

Well, apparently, Andrea did something different... he added into his album, the 'Lord's Prayer' - now I may say it isn't exactly a Christmas carol either, but since it's a newer - more contemporary version, it avoids the stigma of being related to less joyful practices... and yes, Andrea sings a good 'Lord's Prayer', so I let it play on.

I'm not saying I accept it as a Christmas tune, mind you... but I don't mind listening to it as part of the album. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is my one little complaint to an otherwise, near perfect Christmas album. That said, I reiterate my advice... go buy this album, and enjoy it as a worthy addition to your Christmas holiday celebration. Right before creating this review, I looked at Amazon to seek more information about the album - and it's got some sample tunes for you to listen to... so listen and see if I was right. I also came across some pictures - one where I see Andrea with one of my favorite composers/arranges - David Foster. Maybe that explains the quality.

My rating? Four and a half stars... maybe five, even, that is... if I believed it was perfect.

Sting Christmas album - my review

Imagine yourself sitting in a relatively comfortable chair, as part of an audience who've gotten together in a hall - not unlike the inns of old. The winter night only kept at bay by a large fireplace's warmth... and in the middle of this inn's hall - or perhaps in a visible corner, sits the bard. As he strums his instrument, people ease up on their conversations so they can be entertained by this man.

The Bard starts singing stories - not just simple tunes to be repeated with certain refrains, and followed with a catchy beat... no sir. This bard tells us tales... stories that neither of us have heard - and are not privy to it's ending, so we strain to listen to every word. Got that in your mind? Good - now you're ready to listen to Sting's new album 'If on a Winter's Night...'

To say that this in not your regular Christmas album would be an understatement. If you're looking for songs of Rudolph, Santa and the likes - sorry, look elsewhere. Then again, listeners of Sting won't be surprised by this at all... after all, the man is known for his lyrics being deep, poetic at times, and definitely with a message. It's what makes Mr. Sumner someone I consider, not just as a simple singer - but an artist.

Having said that, how does his Christmas album come across? Well for starters, who says it is a Christmas album? Listening to it won't exactly set you up for Christmas joys - but the stories are indeed there. Like any Bard worth his ale and tale, Sting gives us songs of characters old - yet, looking at them in a new manner. Look to 'Gabriel's Message' and the 'Cherry Tree Carol' to get an idea of what I mean.

Then listen to his 13 other selections. As I said, it's not something you just set up and play in the background... instead, you need to focus on it, specially on the first run - or you'll be lost to the song's tales. In fact, I might even go far to suggest that you first listen to this with your iPod - that way, all the lyrics won't be missed.

So yeah, it bears some focus of attention, and for some this might be a big minus - after all, many people would rather sit back and relax with familiar songs of yore playing at the background while the Christmas lights flick on and off, and if you're the busy type this might not be the album for you - as I said, it can be entertaining... but not in an automatic manner.

If you're too tired to actively listen, I would very much advice you choose to listen to another - more traditional Christmas CD. But if you want to try something different... let the Bard entertain you. In a five star rating, I'd even be reluctant to say my piece... you see, I've listened to it... and realized that I need to listen to it some more. Sometimes, the stories take on a different light when listened to a second time, and a third, or fourth.

But this is just me... and in this instance, please don't take my word for it. Try it out. If you like it, great. If not... no harm done. For a relatively, risk-free trial, you might want to go see the Amazon site to preview a song or two.

David Archuleta Christmas album - a review

It's that time of the year again... when some of us look with mixed feelings to the wonderful gatherings and cheers the season will bring - and along side these, the seemingly madcap shopping for gifts and the traffic that magically swells because of said madcap shopping.

Meanwhile, so of us are already thinking of where to set up our decors and Christmas trees (at least, those of us who need not think about Thanksgiving and Turkeys) - dusting them off from a year's keeping and seeing to the lights - half-hoping they're still good for another season... or if that fails, buying new sets. Then there's the test of patience as we check these lights... and set them up in the tree.

But aside from the usual countdowns, shopping and decor dusting, I believe another manner for preparing is to simply make sure that the music we would like to hear all through the season will be just a touch away... in our iPods, connected to our theater systems' speakers.

That said, I make sure I do have hours of Christmas songs... form the glorious to the happy, from the classic to the new. It is in this latter category that I search, yearly for any new Christmas CD to add to my collection... and it is in this particular month - November - that I start my searching, simply because many of the newer CDs do get released around this time.

My first review spotlight goes to David Archuleta's 'Christmas from the Heart', and let me first give you an idea of what it has... 13 songs, mostly all traditional favorites like Joy to the World, O Holy Night and Silent Night... with one piece sung as a duet with Charice Pempengco - Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.

How does this CD feel? Note I said feel... as I believe most Christmas albums should evoke some kind of feeling with their listener. Archuleta fans may not like what I have to say though - and no, the fact that I'm a David Cook fan does not mean I'll automatically be biased against Archie. So I'll say my review (or reaction, if you like)anyway.

BY far, the album was unimpressive - at least from my expectations of Archie. Many artists come up with a Christmas album seemingly for the sake of saying they have one, and I was sorely tempted to dismiss this particular work as one such album... almost, anyway. But the song renditions are all not that bad. The previously mentioned duet with Charice does come out nicely... though I wonder if this was more because Charice was in it - and no, I'm not really that big a Charice fan either, so I'm not biased in that regard.

To be fair, David's 'O Holy Night' was good - almost getting that feeling I was talking about earlier. Now, am I being too critical - maybe, but let me explain why.

To better know where I'm coming from, let me take you - American Idol followers in general, and 'David fans' in particular, back to a time when a contestant from Hawaii named Jasmine Trias sang a song by Heart (the famous band with the two female leads)- and did a 'not too swell' number (she had a hard time with sustaining the high notes of which the song is known for). But never mind how it sounded. There was one comment by the judges that stood out.

Apparently. song selection was not just something they - the contestants, needed to consider... but there was also the fact that they had to be aware of how previous Idol contestants likewise sang the songs they chose to sing, and it may have been some time since, but the Idol judges - specifically Simon, could still remember the wonderful rendition of another Idol contestant to said song - this Idol contestant, of course, eventually won. So fair or not... Jasmine got the comparison (to Kelly Clarkson, if memory serves me right).

I have to confess to having similar comparison tendencies right now - and unfortunately for David, I'm comparing his song interpretations with the way Josh Groban sang them too.

Ah, now I'm getting some some nods amongst some readers - while Archie fans are questioning my being fair. Why do this? It's my basis to say if a song interpretation is good or bad; just outstanding or simply mediocre.

First of, Josh got those emotional buttons working with his 'Noel' album, and since most of the songs in Noel were similar to Archie's song selections - I, naturally - fairly or not, compared Archie's work to that of Josh - at least, on the emotional response thing.

And how did Archie fare?

Well let me again quote Simon when I say some of Archie's renditions - not all, mind you... seem uninspired - almost like being sung in a Karaoke. Now some of you might say - how can I say Karaoke and David in one sentence? I did earlier say it was almost uninspiring did I not? And to be fair - I've known some friends who do good Karaoke too. But we get Simon's diss, right? It meant that the song, as sung was not inspiring.

Would David even win against Josh? It will be hard to beat Josh - there is a reason why I use him as a barometer for quality songs and singing, after all. So why bother comparing the two at all, if I were to just end up dissing Archie? Well I've a surprise for you - I do prefer David's version of 'I'll Be Home For Christmas' - in a way - it was simpler, it did not sound too 'over the top' as Josh's version did with all those 'letters' from the home front and the battle field inserted in between. David's rendition was simpler - more direct to the point, so Archie fans... I'm giving this one small victory to David.

In making the songs David's - or putting a David spin, as some would say - at times, I could hear David's signature inhales - and I wonder if he really is grasping for air, could he finish the the song? I was therefore wondering if that was what made for his signature mark - it's not a David song without those gasps for air. If so, it can get distracting though. His rendition of 'Silent Night' - for example was soulful; as was his 'Ave Maria'. But... I could hear the 'breathing'. I also have some thoughts regarding 'Ave Maria' being part of a Christmas album selection - but that is another topic. Suffice it to say that David does not win any brownie points from me for his rendition of said song (and neither did Josh, by the way).

How is the CD in terms of Archie's singing? Well he does hit the right notes... but then again, studio recordings can be edited until thy get things right - right? The technical aspect is good, arrangements were cool and Christmassy (yes I know there's no such word, but I like using it) - quality was definitely implemented in the album's creation in a way that I can honestly say this sounds like it wasn't done in someone's garage.

By itself - 'Christmas from the Heart' is not bad... but it lacks some heart - some inspirational 'oomph'. Maybe David is better seen singing live than listened to? Not a chance... his old Idol studio recordings were great - so that's not it.

Did he not find a Christmas album worth doing? I can't answer that... but I hope not. Did he rush when making this? Again, I can't answer that - but it may seem that way. You see, after all is said and done - you don't have to be better than Josh, that would be too hard a goal for most - so nope... I can't ask for that. But I want my singer - when singing, to evoke a reaction from me - be it melancholy, blues, bliss, hope, happiness - or simply being merry.

If I were to use a 5-star rating manner - with 1 being 'not great' to 5 being 'totally great' - I'd give this album a '3.5 stars' Average... with it's few brilliant moments... but not enough to warrant a rating of 4. In my recommendation to buy... sure, why not - it's still an album that's nice to listen to.

(Note: Amazon buyers have rated it a 5-star. Must be Archie fans)