Christmas Collection by Olivia Newton-John

Christmas Collection

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Christmas Collection

Reader Reviews
The Amazon reviewer labels this a 'patchwork-quilt' album, sourcing from various places Christmas tunes Olivia has graced with her vocals over the years. One is almost inclined to say that's too kind, it's as lazy as anything, with this record containing the grand total of 0 new songs. That said, Olivia is on the tailend of her career and hasn't had a big hit in about fifteen years - it should come as a blessing to have these sorts of releases at all. Festival Records have done a bit of an injustice with the cover art, using a picture which was already three years old when this album came out. The music contained within however has a few standouts, namely the 1996 pop ballad 'Christmas Never Felt Like This' (quite a treat!) and an uptempo pop reworking of 'The First Noel'. Likewise, the songs lifted from Kenny Loggins' TV special 'December' (namely 'Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow!', 'Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas' and 'White Christmas') are prime examples of why those American-ised carols make us feel so good - they're just SO darn loveable!! Like a lot of Olivia's recent work, there's a 'hit and miss' element here. Her cover of 'Ave Maria' was ill-advised and Olivia struggles a little with 'O Holy Night'. For the most part this CD is enjoyable, and one can't blame Olivia entirely as the majority of Christmas releases are the same no matter who releases them. At least Olivia does offer up one tune of her own and a fantastic reworking of 'The First Noel' into the mix. 'The Christmas Collection' is uninspired to say the least, but it serves its function. And at any rate, I'd much rather spent my Christmas with Olivia than the likes of Charlotte Church...

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