The management and staff of Mistletunes.com stipulates for the record that Brian Wilson's re-emergence as a solo artist after a troubled two decades or so is, all in all, a Good Thing. Nevertheless, we would not want to mislead anyone into thinking that a mid-60s Brian has the same hunger to reach the boundaries of music that he did in his 20s. That latter Brian got a much-deserved re-emphasis when Nonesuch issued the long-lost Smile in 2004. (A reconstruction of that album from the original Beach Boys tapes is on tap for 2011 as well.) As for this 2005 disc, his first Christmas album since his Beach Boys days, well, what once was innovative now is adult contemporary. He hearkens back to that original 1964 holiday album with faithful remakes of "Little St. Nick" and "The Man With All the Toys," along with the same arrangement of "Auld Lang Syne." And let's face it, he could have gotten away with recycling a lot more vintage Boys material and arrangements, but to his credit he didn't. The title song is new, with lyrics from Bernie Taupin and an a cappella intro of the kind Brian's famous for, though the total effect is pretty lounge-oriented. "Christmasy," with lyrics by Jimmy Webb, and "On Christmas Day," which is all Brian, are more like Brian's recent solo work. Stop by his website to stream "White Christmas," which isn't on here.
What I Really Want For Christmas, Brian Wilson (Arista)
The management and staff of Mistletunes.com stipulates for the record that Brian Wilson's re-emergence as a solo artist after a troubled two decades or so is, all in all, a Good Thing. Nevertheless, we would not want to mislead anyone into thinking that a mid-60s Brian has the same hunger to reach the boundaries of music that he did in his 20s. That latter Brian got a much-deserved re-emphasis when Nonesuch issued the long-lost Smile in 2004. (A reconstruction of that album from the original Beach Boys tapes is on tap for 2011 as well.) As for this 2005 disc, his first Christmas album since his Beach Boys days, well, what once was innovative now is adult contemporary. He hearkens back to that original 1964 holiday album with faithful remakes of "Little St. Nick" and "The Man With All the Toys," along with the same arrangement of "Auld Lang Syne." And let's face it, he could have gotten away with recycling a lot more vintage Boys material and arrangements, but to his credit he didn't. The title song is new, with lyrics from Bernie Taupin and an a cappella intro of the kind Brian's famous for, though the total effect is pretty lounge-oriented. "Christmasy," with lyrics by Jimmy Webb, and "On Christmas Day," which is all Brian, are more like Brian's recent solo work. Stop by his website to stream "White Christmas," which isn't on here.
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