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Reviews
"I am not a Christmaser by nature. On more than one occasion I have suggested that it be dropped for a year or two - get it right, and then, start all over again. But, having listened to Miss Mary's CD - do not be alarmed if you come across me on the TTC, in July, singing selections from it. It is the Prozac of seasonal CD's!"
Tom Kneebone, Director
Smile Theatre Company
AN AUDIO BUBBLE BATH FOR THE HECTIC HOLIDAYS
Just when you thought that you never wanted to hear another Christmas album, along comes Mary McCandless with her new CD, "Mary Christmas". To be fair, I have to confess that I've been a McCandless fan for almost a decade now, so I approached this CD with an accepting ear, but I wasn't disappointed. Buying this CD was a chance to take McCandless home with me, and she's become a welcome houseguest.
While this CD spins, it spins you around. McCandless' versatility is the hallmark of the CD. One minute you're listening to a classical interpretation of "Coventry Carol", complete with harp accompaniment, - you've kicked back in your chair and gotten comfortable, soothed by Mary's clear, articulate voice, only to have the song end and an upbeat, self-effacing rendition of "Jingle Bells" jolt you into laughter. But wait, the next cut is Cahn and Styne's delightful "Christmas Waltz", and you've been spun around again.
A couple of my favorite cuts are "A Child is Born" and "Christmas Eve". "A Child is Born" reminds me of those peaceful, quiet middle-of-the-night times when I was giving my infant son or infant granddaughter their 2 am feedings - those soft hours when I held their tiny bodies in my arms as they slept, and I knew what precious miracles they were. "Christmas Eve", a Christmas story with a social conscience, is the kind of Christmas song Stephen Sondheim and Noel Coward might have collaborated on if they had ever collaborated - or ever written Christmas music. Wonderful.
Do you think you've heard "Fum Fum Fum"? Not till you've heard Mary McCandless do it as an a capella quartet, singing all four parts. This is the kind of thing only a talent like McCandless could pull off.
The background musicians are a singer's dream team. Add talent to musical taste, and McCandless has found musicians who surround her like baby's breath. The musicians never get in the way and seem to easily intuit where McCandless is taking each piece. Worthy of special mention are Paul McCandless, whose creamy soprano sax eases the tension from your shoulders, and singer Thom Allison, who must have a four octave range.
This is not a slapped-together CD. It's well thought out. Each piece seems carefully planned. And there's no need for printed lyrics inside the jacket, not with McCandless' precise diction and clear tones. McCandless sings every piece as if it's her favorite song in the whole world.
The CD ends with a difficult, syncopated piece called "Joyfully", but like all the other cuts, McCandless makes it sound so easy.
The album is everything - sweet, silly, poignant, touching, awesome. If you don't get it as a gift for someone you love, remember: self-love is important too.
Jackie Dubbe
DuPoint columnist
FocusPOINT Newspaper
Minneapolis, Minnesota
I generally approach self-produced CDs with a great deal of trepidation, but I already knew enough about Mary McCandless's work to play it with pleasurable anticipation. Originally from the U.S., she's become a well known and respected singer in her adopted city of Toronto. She's got a list of theatrical and club credits a mile long, and was featured in the original cast of Ragtime, which I consider the best musical of the 1990's. McCandless has a great love of Christmas, which can be seen in the care with which she has put together her second solo album (her first, 15 Songs in Search of Broadway on the Heartsounds label, is highly recommended).
Mary Christmas is a perfect Christmas album. The selection of songs is an appealing mix of traditional and new, and the variety is mirrored in McCandless's extraordinary voice, which extends from a pure soprano to a rich contralto. One can hardly believe that the many voices belong to the same woman, but the reality is perfectly illustrated by "Fum Fum Fum," in which she sings four parts, all of which are then doubled to create an eight-voice accapella choir. The result is delectable and flawless.
Among the other traditional songs are "I Wonder As I Wander," which is given new life by the drama of McCandless's reading, and "Coventry Carol," sung in a hushed, almost breathless voice, and complemented beautifully by Sarah Davidson's harp. "Jingle Bells" is sung as you've never heard it before, with slide whistle, accordion, and hilariously purposeful (I hope!) false starts and clams. It's delirious and joyful agony. Another old chestnut (what better for Christmas?) is "The Christmas Waltz," which gets a charming and straightforward reading.
"A Child Is Born," Thad Jones' classic, isn't too often heard with the Alec Wilder lyrics, so this one's a real treat. Paul McCandless, Mary's brother, is a brilliant double reed and soprano sax player, primarily known from his work with the group Oregon. On this track, he plays with enough intelligence and beauty to make Kenny G ask for some McCandless talent for Christmas. "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" is treated, not as the love ballad it's become, but the World War II-era tearjerker that it started out as. This is a sad, sad song, and McCandless deftly mines its tragic, world-weary riches, with fine support from vocalist Thom Allison.
The most popular carol ever, "Silent Night," is sung with a slightly different English translation and in the original German, and begins with the otherworldly tone of a crystal quartz bowl. All these elements combine to let us hear the song as if for the first time.
Among the newer songs are two very funny ones. "All Those Christmas Cliches" lovingly skewers all the "elves in the yard and each sentimental card" while confessing that we just can't get along without them: "I want the gulp and the tear at the moment that I hear Johnny Mathis being played." The other chuckler is "Ch-Ch-Channukah!" by Harry Lewis, who wrote the songs on McCandless's first album. This one outlines the woes of writing a Channukah song with its guttural "CH" sound: "You would hardly be amused when your vocal chords got bruised." Somehow the message of the holiday makes it through.
There are other fine newer songs as well. "A Song for Christmas" is a lovely way to start the album, sounding fresh and traditional at once. There's a new classic on the horizon with "Star of Bethlehem," a glorious ballad whose every note is lovingly caressed by McCandless. It wins hands-down "Most Beautiful Song on the CD" award. The runner-up has to be "Christmas Eve," with some soaring cello accompaniment by Paul Widner. This one gets us closer to Christmas' true meaning than any of the others. It's tragic and majestic.
"December Lullaby" is precisely what it says, sung with simplicity and grace, McCandless's voice crooning like that of a mother bending over a cradle. There's a winsome Christmas love song in "Just in Time For Christmas." Sinatra would have recorded this one if he were still around, but I'm not all that sure that he would have done it as well.
The penultimate song, "The Christmas Tree," is brief
and touching, and
the CD ends with "Joyfully," a
real change of pace
with its programming
accompaniment. Though
the instrumental
sound is a real 180-degree
turn from the rest
of the album, it's
a bouncy and "joyful" way
to wrap up a marvelous
program of songs.
Throughout, McCandless
gets fine backing
from bass, drums,
and piano (often
from the songs' composers).
The instrumentalists
are canny enough
to know that they're
there for the vocalist,
and Mary McCandless
shines like a Christmas star over the course
of 17 tracks. The
production of the CD is as professional as her voice, crisp
and clear and perfect. This is one that will come out at my
house every Christmas without fail. Though
it's been widely
distributed in Canada, it hasn't yet seen a US release. For
ordering information, email mary@spahhh.com
Reviewed by Chet Williamson, rambles.net
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