Runaway Christmas Tree
Editorial Reviews
New York Times, December 5, 2003
"A highly original CD, "The Runaway Christmas Tree" stands far above the stockingfuls of sound-alike tripe released every season."
Product Description
One of the wittiest and most insightful contemporary singer-songwriters, Christine Lavin, sets aside her customary focus on interpersonal relationships in the bewildering modern era to create a characteristic mixture of irreverent and genuine winter holiday songs. Discovering that she "just couldn't find a good Christmas/Kwanzaa/Solstice/ Chanukah/Ramadan/Boxing Day album," she rounded up seven other vocalists, a sackful of humorous, offbeat and sometimes moving seasonal songs, a couple of original stories, and created this lighthearted a cappella alternative to the usual cloying Christmas-season songbook.
Inspired by the vocal techniques of Sol "Roundman" Weber," Christine enlisted singer-songwriter Julie ("From a Distance") Gold, Emily Bindiger and Margaret Dorn from The Accidentals, the harmony octet that won the 2002 National A Cappella Competition, Ervin Drake (author of standards "Good Morning, Heartache" and "It Was a Very Good Year"), actor/director/singer David Lutken (a veteran of Broadway and Off-Broadway), R&B/gospel singer Gregory Clark, and artist/vocalist Andrea Vuocolo in this "all vocals/all ages" project (which Bindiger produced).
This CD contains tales of Christmas wishes gone wrong ("Polkadot Pancakes"), choral complaints and celebrations regarding seasonal food ("Scalloped Potatoes" and "Tacobel Canon," respectively), and a snippet of what sounds like munchkins on helium ("Elves"). The title track is a bedtime story Lavin wrote to explain why people decorate their Christmas trees (to weight them down so they won't escape, of course). Interspersed with these unorthodox holiday excursions are a handful of more conventional hymns to the peace and joy of December - the lovely "Dona Nobis Pacem," "A New Year's Round," "Lamb and Lion," and "Allelujah/Amen." There's also the slightly twisted "A Christmas/Kwanzaa/Solstice/Chanukah/Ramadan/Boxing Day Song," an express-lane version of "The 12 Days of Christmas" (retitled "Th 12 Dys f Chrstms") and "The All-Purpose Carol" (which ends with a resounding "Oy, mon!").
"Try NOT to sing along," challenges Lavin. "That's the hard part."
Runaway Christmas Tree
Runaway Christmas Tree,Christine Lavin & The Mistletones,Appleseed Records,A highly original CD (all the songs and stories were composed by Ms. Lavin and her collaborators), "The Runaway Christmas Tree" stands far above the stockingfuls of sound-alike tripe released every season." - The New York Times,Christmas / Chanukkah,Christmas Music,Contemporary Folk,Contemporary Singer/Songwriter,Pop,Xmas Vocal
Average customer rating: 
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Runaway Christmas Tree
Christine Lavin & The Mistletones Manufacturer: Appleseed Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD  General
| Contemporary Folk
| Folk
| Styles
| Music
Singer-Songwriters
| Contemporary Folk
| Folk
| Styles
| Music
General
| Folk
| Styles
| Music
General
| Vocal Pop
| Pop
| Styles
| Music
General Christmas
| Holiday
| Miscellaneous
| Styles
| Music
Opera & Vocal
| Holiday
| Miscellaneous
| Styles
| Music
General Christmas
| Holiday Music
| Special Features
| Music
Similar Items:
ASIN: B0000CDL72 Release Date: 2003-10-21 |
Tracks:
Album Description
One of the wittiest and most insightful contemporary singer-songwriters, Christine Lavin, sets aside her customary focus on interpersonal relationships in the bewildering modern era to create a characteristic mixture of irreverent and genuine winter holiday songs. Discovering that she "just couldn't find a good Christmas/Kwanzaa/Solstice/ Chanukah/Ramadan/Boxing Day album," she rounded up seven other vocalists, a sackful of humorous, offbeat and sometimes moving seasonal songs, a couple of original stories, and created this lighthearted a cappella alternative to the usual cloying Christmas-season songbook.Inspired by the vocal techniques of Sol "Roundman" Weber," Christine enlisted singer-songwriter Julie ("From a Distance") Gold, Emily Bindiger and Margaret Dorn from The Accidentals, the harmony octet that won the 2002 National A Cappella Competition, Ervin Drake (author of standards "Good Morning, Heartache" and "It Was a Very Good Year"), actor/director/singer David Lutken (a veteran of Broadway and Off-Broadway), R&B/gospel singer Gregory Clark, and artist/vocalist Andrea Vuocolo in this "all vocals/all ages" project (which Bindiger produced).
This CD contains tales of Christmas wishes gone wrong ("Polkadot Pancakes"), choral complaints and celebrations regarding seasonal food ("Scalloped Potatoes" and "Tacobel Canon," respectively), and a snippet of what sounds like munchkins on helium ("Elves"). The title track is a bedtime story Lavin wrote to explain why people decorate their Christmas trees (to weight them down so they won't escape, of course). Interspersed with these unorthodox holiday excursions are a handful of more conventional hymns to the peace and joy of December - the lovely "Dona Nobis Pacem," "A New Year's Round," "Lamb and Lion," and "Allelujah/Amen." There's also the slightly twisted "A Christmas/Kwanzaa/Solstice/Chanukah/Ramadan/Boxing Day Song," an express-lane version of "The 12 Days of Christmas" (retitled "Th 12 Dys f Chrstms") and "The All-Purpose Carol" (which ends with a resounding "Oy, mon!").
"Try NOT to sing along," challenges Lavin. "That's the hard part."
Customer Reviews:
Round and round and round.......2006-12-03
No! Not polkadot pancakes!.......2005-12-23
Music Review:
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