Kathy Mattea - Joy for Christmas Day (11 tracks) +Album Reviews

This Seasons Best!

Mark Bumgardner | Concord, NC United States | 12/14/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"You have to give her credit. Instead of trying to surpass her masterful 1993 Christmas album "Good News", Kathy Mattea's second seaonal venture serves as a wonderful compliment to that first effort. This is quite logical since many of the performances of these songs are a result of expanding her concert set list while doing holiday tours for "Good News".Like "Good News", the arrangements and song selection on "Joy Of Christmas" is superb, and the balance between traditional and contemporary selections is well thought out. Old friend Rob Mathes is called on once again and contributes the outstanding "When The Baby Grew Up". Perhaps the most surprising cover here is Jennifer Knapp's "Sing, Mary, Sing" , which is excellent as well.Truthfully, everything here is superlative, from the opening "Christmas Collage" to the touching final hidden track, a song about Santa sung by Kathy's father, who (as mentioned in other reviews) unfortunately died while the album was being prepared for release. Of all the Christmas albums I've bought this season, this is undoubtably the best. It celebrates the true meaning of the season without being "preachy", and does so in an incredibly tastful way. We now have two wonderful Christmas albums to enjoy by Ms. Mattea - something for which we truly can be grateful."

Celebrating the Holy Child

Alejandra Vernon | Long Beach, California | 12/01/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"All the songs in this wonderful Christmas collection relate to the birth of Jesus, with four traditional songs, and seven original tracks, of which the beautiful "All Because of Him" was co-written by Ms. Mattea. The songs have a mix of styles that work well together, and it is a CD that should please a wide audience. The production, arrangements and musicianship are all top-notch, and the material excellent; there is not a single weak link in the song list.The outstanding tracks for me are:
# 1, the exquisite "Straw Against the Chill"(by Bob Franke), with its lovely melody, poetic, moving lyrics, and Kathy's superb interpretation.
# 2, "Baby King" (Marc Cohn), is in the style of a rousing spiritual, and will get you into a hand-clapping, heaven-praising mood.
# 3, the "Extra Track". I had the privilege to be at the Crystal Cathedral, where Kathy performed "Unto Us a Child is Born" and "Angels We Have Heard on High", and explained this add-on, which comes 22 seconds after the final track, "There's Still My Joy" ends. It is of her father, singing acappella a sweet and funny tune from Kathy's childhood; he passed on while she was working on this CD, and this is touching tribute to him from a loving daughter. His voice is rich and full of tenderness, and a blessing to hear.Kathy has a unique, pure sound, that is expressive and has many colorations, and in this marvelous CD she gives us some joyous, spirit-filled music to add to our Christmas cheer. The sound is very good and total time is 43'22, and because of its outstanding quality and broad appeal, would make a gift appreciated by all music lovers."

Truly Joyful

James E. Bagley | Sanatoga, PA USA | 11/25/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Kathy Mattea's JOY FOR CHRISTMAS DAY is the sequel to her 1993 Grammy-winning holiday collection GOOD NEWS. While GOOD NEWS consisted entirely of new (or fairly new) spiritual compositions, JOY FOR CHRISTMAS DAY is far more eclectic. It opens with an intricate "Christmas Collage" that weaves five traditional carols (including the oft ignored "O Come O Come Emmanuel") dealing with the birth of Christ into an Irish folk arrangement. A Celtic flavor also infuses the celebratory "Unto Us A Child Is Born" (dig the penny whistle!) and the stark, pensive "Straw Against The Chill," while the soulful side of Mattea is revealed with the call and response "Baby King" and the funky "When The Baby Grew Up." Mix in an acoustic take on "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" (to showcase Mattea's rich, emotive alto) and a version of "O Come All Ye Faithful" that segues from staid, church organ traditional into a full-throated, gospel extravaganza and you've got one of the best albums of the year."

Christmas music worthy of the name it celebrates

Steven Elliott | Orland, CA United States | 12/07/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Not that it is an either/or proposition, but I cant help but compare this new Christmas cd with Ms Mattea's previous offering, Good News. First off, let me just say that they are both worthy efforts and better than most of the sappy fodder foisted on the public in the name of Christmas. Unfortunately, next to Nat King Cole's incomparable classic, Good News is my favorite Christmas cd. Ms Mattea set a standard near perfection with that recording, and perfection is a tough act to follow. The year it was released I bought numerous copies and gave them to my friends and family for Christmas gifts. I really think it captured the spirit of Christmas in a new and soulful way. Joy for Christmas is soulful in another sense of the word, less contemplative and more celebrative. The music is a little more all over the map stylistically. While this makes for a well-rounded and interesting listening experience, it does not move me like Good News. A few songs will find a permanent place in my personal Christmas music pantheon, namely "Straw against the Chill", "All Because of Him", and "There's Still My Joy". If you haven't heard it before, "Sing, Mary, Sing" is a great addition, but, in my mind Jennifer Knapp, who wrote and first recorded it, owns the song. All in all, I believe this cd will be among my perennial Christmas favorites, but it hasn't moved Good News from its place next to my heart."

A fine and unusual album by a fine and unusual artist

Rick Anderson | Centerville, UT | 11/17/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Kathy Mattea has always been kind of an unusual country artist, productively pushing the envelope of the genre without getting too annoyingly self-indulgent or "experimental." She takes a similar approach to Christmas music on this very fine album, which combines modern arrangements of familiar classics with mostly top-notch new compositions. The rocking "Unto Us a Child Is Born" is a nice Isaiah paraphrase, and her sllightly Celtic-flavored rendition of Bob Franke's "Straw Against the Chill" is tremendously moving. The arrangement of "O Come, All Ye Faithful" is the real powerhouse on this program, though: it opens with an organ-based Latin groove and then abruptly segues into strutting gospel, and the result is much more powerful than you might expect. For missteps you have the more self-conscious and mannered "Baby King", and a fairly pedestrian rock setting of "Angels We Have Heard on High." But Mattea's dark, rich voice is effective on even the less transcendant material, and this album can be confidently recommended overall."

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