Track Listing

1. Whatever Happened To Christmas
2. Christmas Song
3. Christmastime
4. I'll Be Home For Christmas
5. You're A Mean One Mr Grinch
6. Winter Wonderland
7. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
8. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
9. White Christmas
10. Calling On Mary

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #32000 in Music
• Released on: 2006-09-25
• Number of discs: 1

Customer Reviews

Yet another magical release from Aimee
This album is rather special and not just a seasonal cash-in as some fans have whinged. Aimee's voice seems ideally suited to the festive tracks and it was obviously going to be a given that she'd stir things up and make the songs her own but it's surprising just how well the arrangements of the songs really work. They're quite sparse in places and understated but they're all the better for it. It's also quite refreshing as I felt that 'The Forgotten Arm' suffered from being over hampered with instruments and the like. The two new tracks, 'Christmastime' and 'Calling On Mary' are typical Aimee tracks and sit well here and the cheekiness of 'You're A Mean One Mr Grinch' sees Aimee really fooling around and having fun. A few more tracks would have been nice but you really can't knock this.
Cheers Aimee!

Christmas without the gawdy Blackpool illuminations
I am an Aimee Mann fan and this is the fifth of her albums I have bought. As with some of her work there is a slightly downbeat (though not depressing) tone. I really like her voice and her stripped-down take on some Christmas standards. This is an album that I am sure will grow and grow on me (except perhaps the Mr Grinch track). Everything else is great. Highlights are her own, "Calling On Mary" as well as "Whatever Happened To Christmas" "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" and "White Christmas". It is not a karaoke, rip-off version of old favourites but an original re-working of them and well worth the money. This is a very nice album to own and listen to at this time of the year.

Classy Christmas Fare
Aimee Mann, loved and lauded for her sharp, original songwriting, doing cover versions? Surely not?! Well, it works, thanks to Aimee's superbly understated vocal and some truly innovative, yet retro, arrangements. Highlights are the poignant original composition "Calling On Mary" which sees the individual heartache under the seasonal tinsel, "Have Yourself..." which refreshes a tired classic using a simple but highly effective keyboard riff, and "White Christmas" which is nicely de-Binged by a mournful bass drum throughout. Mann's aim was to recreate the magic of vintage Christmas LPs by Sinatra, Matt Monro etc. but she's actually made this all her own.

One star docked only for the very short running time (33 mins) and possibility that it won't sound great on the beach in July!