Faith Hill - Joy To The World

Published Monday 14th September 2009
Faith Hill - Joy To The World
Faith Hill - Joy To The World

STYLE: Country
RATING 5 5 5 5 5
OUR PRODUCT CODE: 51803-15214
LABEL: Warner Bros 2511500
FORMAT: CD Album
ITEMS: 1
RELEASE DATE: 2008-12-05
RRP: £16.99

Reviewed by Dave Brassington

From time to time one comes across albums where you wonder what might have been! This country music superstar has released a real mish mash of a Christmas collection! 10 tracks are very familiar Yuletide songs, only the last track, "A Baby Changes Everything", being new material. What for me saves the album is the setting of "Away In A Manger" which is absolutely superb! Backed by the fabulous Stuart Duncan playing some exemplary fiddle, and other country luminaries such as Bryan Sutton on acoustic guitar and Michael Compton on mandolin, this is a sound to die for! So what possessed the country artist to record the rest of the album with large, bland orchestration? There must be hundreds of other recordings of "Joy To The World", "Little Drummer Boy" and "O Come All Ye Faithful" recorded in exactly the same style! When I think back to how Emmylou Harris turned old Christmas standards into her style of music many years ago, this album could have been as equally outstanding if the same musicians on "Away In A Manger" had been allowed to carry on with the rest of the songs. As it stands though, this is a great opportunity missed.

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Product Description
Christmas album from country music mega-star Faith Hill.

Produced by Dan Huff, Byron Gallimore and Faith Hill herself, Joy To The World combines the holiday season’s most beloved classics with one of America’s most respected vocalists. Well worth the two years in the making, the recording features The Nashville Orchestra as well as the London-based choirs, Metro Voices and The London Oratory School Boys Choir. Grammy® Award winner David Campbell (Paul McCartney, Rolling Stones, Johnny Cash) provides a newly composed full orchestration for Joy, which gives classics such as “Joy To The World,” “Away In A Manger,” “O Holy Night” & “Silent Night” a fresh, yet timeless sound.

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